Head Lice: Care Instructions (2024)

FAQs

How do you treat lice step by step? ›

If your child has head lice, the best way to get rid of the lice is to comb their hair every day with a nit comb for two weeks. Nit combs should be metal (not plastic) and have long teeth. Several brands of nit combs are available at your local pharmacy. Metal flea combs found at pet stores may be used as well.

But for best results, try using lice shampoo as directed. Applying it 2 days in a row or leaving it on overnight won't make the treatment any more effective — but it may irritate your scalp.

Many lice medicines recommend a second treatment in 9 to 10 days. This will kill any new nymphs that have hatched since the first treatment. Do not treat a person more than 2 times with the same medicine without talking to your doctor.

Spinosad (Natroba).

Spinosad is approved for adults and children age 6 months and older. It can be applied to dry hair and rinsed with warm water after 10 minutes. It kills lice and nits and usually doesn't need repeated treatment.

Washing, soaking, or drying items at a temperature greater than 130°F can kill both head lice and nits. Dry cleaning also kills head lice and nits.

Lice treatment medications

Your doctor might prescribe one of these drugs to deal with lice. Ivermectin (Sklice). This lotion kills most head lice, even newly hatched ones, with just one use. You don't need to comb out lice eggs (nits).

In the past, kids with head lice were kept home from school. But now doctors don't recommend these "no-nit" policies. In most cases, a child who has lice should stay at school until the end of the day, go home and get treatment, and return to school the next day.

The female louse secretes this glue-like substance when she lays her eggs to protect them until they hatch. The glue hardens upon secretion and does not dissipate when a nit dies. For that reason, dead lice remain cemented onto the hair shaft until you manually or chemically remove them or the hair grows out.

Can lice be killed with hair dryer? ›

There are many ways to eliminate lice, one of which is heat. Heat must be above 130°F (54°C) for more than 5 minutes to kill lice. But at that length of time, the heat from a blow-dryer could burn the scalp. Medications and topical shampoos are available over the counter and with a prescription to eliminate lice.

Head lice eggs are small (the size of a pinhead) and oval. A live egg will 'pop' when squashed between fingernails. Dead eggs have crumpled sides and hatched eggs look like tiny boiled eggs with their tops cut off. To optimise treatment remove as many eggs as possible.

Wash all clothing and bedding your child has used. Wash in hot water and dry on a hot cycle. The heat will help kill off any living lice. Stuffed animals, pillows, and other items that cannot be washed easily can go in the dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes.

You shouldn't see any crawling head lice after the first treatment if you applied it correctly. If you are still seeing live crawlers, then you may have missed a step or the treatment is not effective against the type of lice your child has.

Treatment Didn't Work

Over-the-counter lice treatments and prescription ones kill live lice and their eggs (nits), but they might not catch all of them. Because of the life cycle of lice, over-the-counter and prescription treatments may require two treatments, 7-9 days apart.

TREATMENT OF PUBIC AND BODY LICE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends permethrin 1% lotion or pyrethrins 0.3%/piperonyl butoxide 4% shampoo as the first-line agent, and malathion 0.5% lotion or oral ivermectin as an alternative.

A louse goes through three stages: Eggs that hatch after 6 to 9 days. Nymphs, immature forms of the louse that become mature adults after 9 to 12 days. Adult lice, which can live for 3 to 4 weeks.

Lice and nits can be removed by wet combing. You can buy a special fine-toothed comb (detection comb) online or from pharmacies to remove head lice and nits. There may be instructions on the pack, but usually you: wash hair with ordinary shampoo.