How Lice Survive

When a family is afflicted with head lice, there is a tendency to panic. Dealing with head lice can be frightening and stressful, primarily because people don’t tend to talk about how to treat head lice until they are dealing with them, which is when they are frantic and frustrated.

Understanding how head lice survive can help reduce some of the fear and anxiety associated with an outbreak. Lice are parasitic insects.  This means that lice survive by having some kind of host to provide an environment where they can survive and propagate. Head lice have evolved with humans for hundreds of thousands of years, forming a parasitic relationship with us to the point where now the only environment lice can live is on a human scalp with hair. The hair is their home, and the scalp is where they get food. They have developed six claws designed specifically to attach to human hairs close to the scalp where the lice can sip blood.

Life of a Louse

The life of a louse (singular for lice) starts as an egg or nit. Female lice lay about a half-dozen eggs every day.  The nit is a tiny yellow speck about 1 millimeter long with a glue-like surface. Nits are very difficult to see and remove (hence the term “nitpicker” to describe someone with extreme attention to detail). Nits hatch after 7-10 days and begin life as immature nymphs. After about 10 days, they grow to full size.  

Lice survive by eating several times a day. They move onto the scalp and pierce it to draw blood. Lice can’t live without a human host for more than 24 hours. This is important to know when dealing with an infestation because there are some misconceptions about how lice spread and how to respond. Lice cannot “fall” on pillows, sheets, stuffed animals, and other bedding unless the hair that they are attached to fall. But they can’t live on these surfaces, or on hats, scarves, furniture, or carpet. They also can’t live on pets or any other animals.

Nits can’t live without a human host. The warmth of the body provides the needed heat for nits to gestate. Nits that are removed or that fall in the form of lost hair die before they hatch.

How to Clear your Home of Lice

All of this means that if your child has lice, you don’t need to fumigate your house or pack away anything made of fabric in plastic bags for weeks. You just need to wash the clothes, bedding and towels that the person with lice has used, and dry them in high heat (lice can live underwater for several hours). Any stuffed animals on the bed can be put in the dryer for about 20 minutes on high heat to kill any lice and eggs. It is also important to wash any brushes or other hair accessories that may have been used by the person with lice. The CDC recommends washing in hot water (at least 130 degrees). It is also important to think of other places where the person with lice has put his or her head where hairs with lice may have fallen—hats, backpacks, car seats, etc.

Lice can’t fly. They can barely move at all. They only spread by moving from one person’s hair to another person’s hair when the people are making hair-to-hair contact—either directly or through items with hair on them.

Quick Preventative Lice Reminders

Here are few quick reminders for preventing and checking for lice:

1.  Take a peek at your child’s hair once a week!

   It is crucial that you find the bug before it has time to proceed through it's 30 day life cycle (in which many nits are laid). Check the "Hot Spots". Lice tend to love hanging out in certain areas of the head. The "Hot Spots" are; the nape of the neck, behind the ears and the crown of the head. Remember, not everyone is allergic to the saliva of the bug (only 50% of people are). Therefore, not everyone will itch as a result of having lice. Checking the hair regularly, is HIGHLY recommended.

2. No loose strands!

   The more strands of hair that are loose, the easier it is for a louse (singular for lice) to CRAWL (not jump or fly) to your head. Think of it as a jungle of vines for Tarzan to have a hay day of swinging! Wearing a braid or bun are the most ideal hairstyles to avoid easy transfer.

3. Use mint spray!

   Mint spray is the strongest scent that lice are not fond of. If you have short or long hair, it is highly recommended to spray the entire surface of the hair. Mint spray can also be used on hats, clothes, helmets, backpacks, bed linens, furniture, etc. Remember this: The STRONGER the smell (of peppermint), the better.

   If you find any signs of lice we are here to help! Give us a call at Larger Than Lice on our 24/7 line at (646)838-2011 if you have any questions or want to book an appointment. Visit our website at largerthanlice.com to book online or learn more about us.

Be A Friend, Tell A Friend!

LICE. When it happens to ourselves or our child(ren), we tend to feel like we have to keep it a secret. Yes, it's "embarrassing". Yes, it is "contagious". But are you really doing yourself good keeping this secret from friends and family? The answer is... you guessed it, no. If we're going to put so much blood, sweat and tears into nit and bug picking, deep cleaning the house, doing a million loads of laundry, straining our eyes, backs and patience, then we should at least do ourselves one solid... Make sure it doesn't come back!

Okay so, think of head lice as mosquitoes. If you were to get bit by a mosquito at a BBQ, and later find out that you contracted a virus from a bite, wouldn't you want your closest family and friends (whom attended the same event) to know that they should be cautious and be proactive in getting checked out? I don't want to compare having head lice, to having Zika or anything, but I think you can catch my drift. It's not your fault a bug liked you and your special, irresistibly-delicious smelling blood. You didn't flaunt the smell of it to these suckers! So why be embarrassed of a situation that you didn't ask for? Yes, there are preventatives, but when you're trying to "live your best life", who thinks of preventatives? Right? Exactly.

Getting rid of lice is a pain in the neck, back, and rear. Fortunately, you can help yourself from passing it back and forth within your inner circle by being a friend, and telling a friend. When you tell a friend, their first reaction will be "(insert gasp)", then they'll think, "Ew, OMG! I knew my head was extra itchy lately", but their final thought after checking into it, will be, "Wow, my friend is a good friend". Because in reality, we don't HAVE to tell anyone, but if we don't, we run the risk of allowing ourselves to get it again very easily and quickly. Whodini, sang it best, "Friends. How many of us have them? Friends. Ones we can depend on"... to be honest about having lice and telling me because you might have given it to me. Friends.

Why Do Children Get Lice More Often Than Adults?

When you ask yourself how do you get lice, you also want to know why your kids get head lice more often than you or other adults.

Have you ever noticed that in some families, head lice seem to be coming back again and again, affecting all the kids, but the parents do not get them?

Among other factors, according to experts, this may be linked to the particular scalp pH of each individual.

Basically the pH is a measure of the level of acidity of a substance, in this case, your head. A pH of 7 means the acidity level is neutral.

The pH of our skin is variable but moves in a safe range between 4.5 and 5.5. This is what is known as an acidic pH. And guess what?

This acid layer will act as the first barrier of defense of our body against all kinds of infections, whether bacterial, viral or fungal.

When we are born, our skin pH of 7 is neutral, and as we grow up it slowly changes to develop what is called the acid mantle of the skin. This acid mantle is created by the body as a protective shield.

When a child turns 12 years old approximately (at puberty) this acid layer is practically formed and from 20 years old this acid mantle is well trained to provide good protection against external environmental factors that can harm us.

The acid mantle is a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin acting as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin.

The pH of the skin is between 4.5 and 6.2, so it is acidic.

These contaminants and other chemicals are primarily alkaline in nature and the skin’s moderate acidity helps to neutralize their chemical effects. 

This is why when a child is under 12 years old, his skin is not fully acidic and does not act as a barrier against viruses and bacteria.

And this is why children are much more affected by head lice than adults.

Then, among adults, some parents will always get lice while others will treat their children year after year without ever getting a single louse themselves. This is because not every individual has the same skin pH.

Some people have a more acidic skin and this will be too much for lice. Of course this is not enough to explain everything, but it is an important factor.

Similarly, some kids seem to never get affected by head lice, for the same reason.

They will have a skin that is more acid than their friends or cousins.

Interestingly enough, head lice home remedies can also act as lice repellents because of the pH of the skin.

Symptoms of Lice: How Do I Know If My Child Has Lice?

Head lice are parasites that live in your hair and feed off the blood from your scalp. Although head lice are harmless and don’t spread disease, they can cause a great deal of discomfort and distress.

Transmitted by close contact and known to spread quickly, head lice are most common among children ages 3 to 11. In fact, up to 12 million head lice infestations occur each year in the United States within that age group alone. To keep your family head-lice-free, learn how to spot the signs and symptoms of infection such as itchiness, discolored bumps, and visual cues.

Frequent Symptoms

Lice move very quickly so they’re not always easy to see. To detect a head lice infestation look out for the following symptoms:

• extreme itchiness in your scalp

• a tickling or crawling sensation on your head

• small red bumps on your scalp or neck

  If you think your child may have head lice, watch for the following signs:

• frequent head-scratching

• sores on the head (the result of frequent scratching)

• small red bumps on the scalp or neck

Because lice are particularly active in the dark, they may also disrupt your child’s sleep. Therefore, difficulty sleeping and daytime irritability may be a sign.

Head lice are highly contagious, especially when sharing hairbrushes, hats, and other personal belongings. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check everyone in your family (and other close contacts) if someone in your household is found to have them.

Visual Signs

About half of people with head lice will not scratch their head, so the best way to detect an infestation is to look for signs of an infestation. By parting the hair and examining the scalp in bright light (ideally with a magnifying glass and fine-tooth comb), you may be able to get a close look at head lice. The insects are generally easier to see near the ears and the nape of the neck.

Head lice are wingless and have three forms: the egg (or “nit”), the nymph, and the adult. Here’s how to spot each form.

Nits

Oval-shaped and extremely small (i.e., just about the size of a knot in thread), nits are frequently found on the back of your neck or behind your ears. Since they often appear white in color, they’re sometimes mistaken for dandruff. Unlike dandruff, however, nits are attached to individual hairs (often close to the scalp) and won’t fall out when the hair is shaken.

Nymphs 

A type of louse that’s recently hatched from the nit, a nymph resembles an adult louse (often grayish white to tan in color) but is smaller in size. It takes nine to 12 days after hatching from the nit for a nymph to mature into an adult.

Adult Lice

Adult head lice are about the size of a sesame seed. They have six legs, featuring hook-like claws that allow them to cling tightly to the hair shaft. Often grayish-brown or tan in color, adult head lice may appear darker in people with dark hair than in people with light hair.

Note that while head lice are found almost exclusively on the scalp, it’s possible (though very rare) to find lice on the eyebrows or eyelashes as well.

Complications

Along with emotional distress and sleep disturbance, head lice can lead to a number of complications when left untreated. For example, frequent scratching can cause breakage of the skin, which can leave you vulnerable to infection.

Since lice feed on human blood, severe and chronic infestation can lead to blood loss and iron-deficiency anemia. In addition, an allergic reaction to louse feces or bites may trigger a rash in some individuals.

Know that in most cases these complications are rare. Lice are generally harmless, but they are important to get rid of.

Coping With Head Lice

Finding head lice can often lead to anxiety and worry, and—if it's your child that's affected—maybe even guilt. You can take steps to cope with these emotions and make treatment as non-stressful as possible for your family while doing all you can to keep lice from spreading. Explore positive ways to get through this episode.

Emotional

While some people may take the news of lice in stride, others may become anxious or upset by it. Many parents may also experience feelings of guilt that they may not have done enough to protect their child or that they did something wrong to cause the problem. It's important to remember that ​anyone can get lice. All it takes is head-to-head (or hair-to-hair) contact with someone who has it.​

While feeling this way is quite natural, it may negatively influence the situation. For instance, panic can cause you to fail to follow treatment manufacturers’ instructions and over-treat, which can lead to serious medical problems in children. Moreover, parents who are feeling stressed about the lice infestation may worsen any anxiety their children may already have about having lice.

How to Handle Your Own Anxiety

These tips may help:

• Get the facts. Knowing the facts about lice can help you feel more in control and understand how to handle the problem, which can greatly help reduce your stress about the situation. In particular, know that head lice are very common, especially among school-age children. And although they may take some time and effort to get rid of, they are not known to carry disease. If you are against the use of medicated treatment products, there are alternatives you can consider.

• Cut yourself some slack for feeling anxious. Often, we know the medical facts but still feel anxious about something. This is perfectly normal, especially for parents who are dealing with their child’s discomfort.

• Breathe. Something as simple as deep breathing can be a great stress-reliever. Also, try finding a yoga class or video to help yourself feel calmer and more centered. Try similar relaxation techniques for children to help relieve your child's stress.

  How to Help Your Child Relax

  Helping your child understand the problem can help reduce any worries they may have about it. Don't assume that young children cannot understand the facts about lice. Simply work to explain what's going on in basic terms.

  Here are some suggestions for doing just that:

• Tell your child that head lice are common and that many children and their families have this problem.

• Reassure them that they didn’t do anything wrong to get it.

• Explain that the lice will go away and that you will make sure you keep checking their hair and treating the problem until it is gone.

• Steer clear of some of the more unsettling details that may be distressing to a child, such as the fact that the lice are feeding on their blood.

• Help your child understand that it may take patience and time to remove the lice, but that the problem will go away.

• Try some quick stress relievers for kids to help your child relax. Some breathing and relaxation exercises, massage, and even playing a game together can do wonders to relieve kids' stress and tension.

  Physical

  No matter which treatment method you use, combing and nit picking is necessary. When treating kids, make time spent doing this as fun as possible. Put on a favorite video or a new kids’ movie your child hasn’t yet seen to keep him occupied while you comb out the lice and nits. You can also make this part of bath time so that it’s an extension of a routine you already have.

  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against shaving a child's head due to lice as it is not necessary and can be "traumatizing to a child and distressing to the parent." If you opt for a shorter hairstyle to make combing and checking for nits easier, present this in a positive way and make it a stylish choice.

  If lice have been spreading at your child's school or within your family, you can instill new habits to prevent head-to-head contact. Discuss ways she may have contact and explore alternatives. If playful head bumps, napping with head contact, or games that have head contact are common, you may suggest alternatives. Also discuss not sharing combs, brushes, barrettes, hair ribbons, and hats.

  You don't have to undertake exhaustive cleaning measures of your home or fumigation if a family member has lice. You can machine wash and dry (hot water and high dryer temperature) any items that have been in contact with the head of the person with the infestation. Vacuum furniture, carpeting, and fabric-covered items that can't be machine washed. Clean any hair care items in hot water.

  If there is anything that you are still worried about, you can bag it in a plastic bag for two weeks. That is sufficient time for any eggs to have hatched and died and the item will be safe. If a beloved stuffed animal is taken away for this purpose, present this in a loving and positive way to a child, as it may initially be distressing.

  Social

  Despite efforts to educate people about how head lice is transmitted and who gets it, there are still many myths and misunderstandings about head lice. If you encounter someone who seems to be under the impression that head lice are caused by poor hygiene or that lice can jump from one person to another, steer them toward the real facts.

  Sometimes this stigma fuels a code of silence about head lice. However, you or your child got lice from someone else. Spread ing between children is common, but it's possible for adults too, so you should review ways you or your child may have had head-to-head contact and alert those involved to screen for lice.

  It is ultimately in your best interest to inform the school nurse or daycare administrator if you detect lice on your child. While you may treat it effectively, you or your child will get infested again if lice continue to spread. Alert the parents involved if your child has had a sleepover. Work together toward eliminating the spread of lice. Discuss how to screen family members so those who need treatment can start it.

  You may want to take positive steps to help reduce the opportunities for lice to spread. Observe and ask other parents to watch what is happening during playtime, sports, and during sleepovers. Explore ways to reduce head-to-head contact and sharing of hair care items and headgear.

  Practical

  Your school, daycare, or business may have a policy on head lice. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of School Nurses both advise that students should be allowed to return to school once they've begun treatment for lice. However, some schools have a "no nit" policy and your child won't be allowed to return until he is clear of both live lice and nits. You may want to advocate for a revision of the policy based on the recommendations of those two organizations.

  These rules and guidelines may apply to adult staff and volunteers as well. If you have lice, you should return to work and social activities after you have begun treatment unless there is a no nit policy in force.

  If you can't get a change or exception to a no nit policy, you will need to arrange child care or stay home from work in the interim. This can be a challenge for a family. Diligent wet-combing and checking is the best thing you can do to get back to your normal routine as quickly as possible. While only nits near the scalp should be of concern, it will be reassuring if you are able to remove all of the nits.

  Remember that it can take time to fully resolve an infestation—and try not to be discouraged while you wait. Talk to your family doctor or pediatrician about the steps you are taking and ask if there are better methods to try. Some communities are seeing lice that are resistant to some forms of treatment, so there may be a better choice than the one you are using.

3 KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HEAD LICE AND DANDRUFF

An itchy scalp and white objects in your hair can mean dandruff, or it might be head lice. To make sure you get it right, use our guide to spot the difference.

While they share certain similarities – an itchy scalp being the most obvious – there are key differences that distinguish head lice from dandruff.

Let’s look at three differences you can use to tell them apart.

Cause

The major difference between these two conditions is their cause. Head lice are small parasitic creatures that feed off human blood. Saliva secreted by lice irritates the scalp, and is the cause of the itchiness and sores that characterize a lice infestation.

Dandruff, on the other hand, is caused by sensitivity to oleic acid. This acid is a by-product of the malassezia microbe, which we all have on our scalps. Not everyone is sensitive to oleic acid, but in some cases it can cause irritation, itching, and flakes.

Appearance

While there are similarities, it’s not that hard to spot differences in the way dandruff and head lice look:

• The white flakes caused by dandruff are excess skin flakes, and as such will not be attached directly to the hair – by contrast, teardrop-shaped lice eggs are directly adhered to the follicle, often very close to the scalp.

• Adult head lice can actually be spotted, although it’s a bit difficult. Use a head lice comb on wet hair under good lighting for the best effect

Location

Because malassezia is distributed across the entire scalp, dandruff is not a localized problem: flaky dandruff patches can be found all over the scalp.

By contrast, head lice have definite preferences for their home. They’ll usually be found behind the ears and on back of the neck, both areas where they like to lay their eggs. Head lice symptoms are usually focused on these areas as well.

Now that you’ve done the hard work and know which of these conditions you have, it’s time to talk about treatment. First up: dandruff.

Treating dandruff

Compared to head lice, dandruff is fairly simple to deal with. A proven dandruff shampoo will help soothe the symptoms of dandruff, while helping to neutralize the cause and washing away any flakes.

For best effect, use your dandruff shampoo every time you wash your hair. Dandruff is a chronic condition which will come back if untreated.

Dealing with head lice is an entirely different story.

Treating head lice

Head lice hatch every seven to ten days, with a total life cycle of about four weeks. Any treatment, therefore, needs to take this into account.

Start with an over-the-counter head lice solution. Most of these will target the hatched lice, so you’ll need to repeat the process every week or so to make sure you get them all.

While you do this, you should also invest in a metal lice comb. These fine-tooth combs are designed to remove the eggs from the hair follicle. You should use your comb every day for about an hour, cleaning the comb of nits and lice on a disposable tissue or towel between strokes.

Unfortunately, as we’ve mentioned, the lifecycle of head lice is about four weeks, so you’ll need to keep up treatment for at least this long to make sure you’re completely louse free.

Or you can always call us at Larger Than Lice, we’ll be more than happy to assist you!

Moms and Pros Tackle Lice

Head lice is one of the top reasons children miss school, yet there's no single, foolproof remedy.

One of the most time-honored approaches is nitpicking. This involves picking lice eggs, known as nits, out of hair. 

Robin Meigher of Potomac, Md., became a nitpicker after her 8-year-old daughter, Natalie, was sent home from school with head lice. She just never imagined that she'd still be picking a year later.

"They like to hang out close to the hairline," Meigher says of the nits as she searches through Natalie's hair using a pet comb with long metal teeth. 

When she spots one, she isolates the strand of hair. The tiny egg is no bigger than the tip of a ballpoint pen, and it's cemented to the hair with a natural glue-like substance made by the mother louse. 

"You can feel this little bump on the hair, and it doesn't come off easily at all," says Meigher. To remove the egg, she yanks out the strand of hair.

'No Nits' Policy Flawed?

Meigher hopes her diligent work will pay off. The goal is to keep Natalie in school. She's been sent home five times since her initial head-lice outbreak last year. School administrators enforce a "no nit" policy in an effort to contain the spread of head lice, yet there's little evidence to suggest that the policy is effective. Nationwide, it's estimated that 12 million to 24 million school days are lost annually.

During the initial outbreak, parents are encouraged to use over-the-counter head lice shampoos. Studies show these work well to kill off the live bugs, yet recent research has found that the bugs may have become resistant to the medicated shampoos.

Lice expert Richard Pollack of the Harvard School of Public Health says there's no real trick to prevention, short of isolating a child. 

“The more social your child is, the more friends he or she may have. If there's lots of head-touching, rug wrestling, these sorts of things, the more likely they may encounter head louse," Pollack says. 

This is why elementary school children seem to pass it around. Lice are blood-sucking parasites that live only on the hair of people, explains Pollack. They spread through direct head-to-head contact.

"The commonly held belief, which is folklore, is that lice are shared through things like combs and brushes and hats and helmets," Pollack says. 

Some authorities believe these personal items can help transmit head lice from one person to another. But Pollack explains the bugs cannot fly or jump. And studies show that once the lice are off the scalp, they die within hours. 

Since head lice don't transmit disease, Pollack views them as a nuisance. Usually, the only symptom is an itchy scalp. Pollack argues that school administrators should abandon their "no-nits" policy, and the nation's leading pediatric groups agrees.

In 2002, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its head-lice position, stating that no healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school because of head lice, and that "no nit" policies for return to school should be discouraged.

Myths about Head Lice

Head lice and humans go way back; the parasites have been found with their little claws locked around prehistoric mummy hair. And our eons-long relationship has given us plenty of time to build up myths about lice, too. Here, Harvard lice expert Richard Pollack dispels some of the most persistent folklore:

• Dirty Kids Spread Lice: Head lice have no preference for dirty hair or clean hair. "If you wash your hair three times a day or more, the lice on your head will just be clean lice," Pollack says.

• Pets Spread Lice: Human head-lice infestations don't come from pets -- our lice only like our blood.

• Brushes Spread Lice: Combs, brushes, headphones, hats and helmets have very little role in spreading lice. It's all the tumbling, playing and hugging that does it. In the vast majority of cases, lice are spread by direct head-to-head contact.

• Clean House to Get Rid of Lice: If your house is dusty or dirty, go ahead and clean, says Pollack. But that won't prevent or cure a lice infestation. The parasites can't survive for more than a day without a meal of human blood, and they generally aren't going to let go of your hair to hang out on your couch. Changing bed linens or vacuuming a car seat can only help, but chances of a louse being on a bed or a car seat are incredibly small.

• Shave Heads: "It's like using a cannon to kill a housefly," Pollack says. Completely shaving a head will get rid of lice eggs, but Pollack says that's a needless tactic when there are so many other effective and less drastic ways to solve the problem.

• Head Lice Can Kill: Nope, that would be body lice. Those parasites do thrive in dirty environments and are perhaps most infamous for spreading deadly typhus in the 19th century. Head lice just make you itch.

• Coat Your Head in Vaseline: Some people swear by the Vaseline or olive-oil treatments -- the idea is to suffocate the lice. But lice are extremely hard to suffocate, and to date, no studies have evaluated the efficacy of either substance. "Why not chose something that's been tested and shown to work?" Pollack says.