How to check
What you will need:
NitNOT Comb
NitNOT Comb
NitNOT Comb
NitNOT Comb
I always recommend checking on wet hair as combs can glide through the hair and the usual debris (you will be surprised at the things found in kids hair).In the summer it can include lots of pollen and sand, while glitter is a winter favourite. Just general dirt from playing outside can sometimes look suspiciously like an egg or dead insect when they are not.
step 01
After washing hair and while still damp, use the longer tooth comb head.
Take a section of hair from just below the left ear along to just below the right ear. Clip or tie the hair above and out of the way.
step 02
After washing hair and while still damp, use the longer tooth comb head.
Take a section of hair from just below the left ear along to just below the right ear. Clip or tie the hair above and out of the way.
step 03
Wipe on a tissue to see if there is any debris. Continue and repeat in sections according to the density of hair.
step 04
When you reach the crown, comb from the front hairline and back with several long strokes from the scalp to the tip of the hair and then off again.
step 05
Pay special attention to the nape of the neck, behind the ears, and the crown of the head. This is where you will find eggs and nits, please see photo.
step 06
If you have found an egg or an insect that looks like the photos below and the hair has not yet been treated, then it is definitely a live infestation and treatment is needed as soon as possible
It is not easy to see the nymphs (baby lice) or eggs as they are so small. For scale I have put a nymph and an egg together to give you an idea of the size. Sometimes
Tips
It is a good idea to take a photo on your phone and enlarge it to just to make sure. Adults grow to the size of a sesame seed.
If the hair has been previously treated and there are no insects but just dark or white eggs (empty nit shells), then, as long as for the next two weeks there are definitely no insects,the infestation has been broken with just empty dead eggs left over.
It is advisable to check once a week as part of their hair washing routine. As an early infestation is easier to deal with and less likely to have spread through the family.
Dandruff and nits are the same colour but a way to test is that if it rubs off when rubbed between a finger and thumb it is dandruff. Eggs are on a cylinder and need to be slid off the hair strand.
