Conditions
Nits and Head Lice
No need to scratch your head over head lice. In fact scratching your head will make the problem worse. These little critters, which live in the hair and leave behind their eggs, which are called nits, are very common in kids under 11, and they are very easily treated.
Lice are tiny insects, just a couple of millimetres long. They have no wings so they cannot fly, they cannot jump from head to head, and you can’t catch them from sharing hats or pillows. The only way to catch lice is through your child’s hair touching the hair of someone who already has them. It takes about half a minute for lice to transfer themselves from one head to another, and it’s not true that lice only like dirty (or long) hair either. Lice can make their home on absolutely anyone, and it might be up to three months before you notice them.
Once the lice get into the hair, they start to feed off the scalp. After a week or 10 days they start to lay eggs, and 10 days after that the eggs will hatch, giving birth to new lice. There might be up to a dozen living on your child’s bonce at any one time. Nits are the empty eggs which cling to the hair and which, without special treatment, are difficult to remove. Nits look like dandruff, but can’t be combed out. Ordinary shampoo won’t get rid of the problem either. For most people, the only symptom of lice or nits is an itchy head.
If your child’s hair comes into contact with the hair of someone who has lice, there’s not much you can do to stop the lice spreading. Fortunately, for such a common problem, detection and treatment is very easy. If you think your child has lice, wash their hair normally and then check it very closely with a fine-toothed comb. Then you’ll need to use a special insecticide shampoo or bug-busting kit, which you can get from any chemist. This will kill the lice, but nits – the eggs – can sometimes remain. After treatment for lice though, nits can be combed out and eventually they’ll fall out of your hair by themselves.
For more facts, photos and info on nits and headlice, checkout the website hairnits
Comments and Questions
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
Hi, my 12 yr old daughter has had head lice for about 5 yrs now, we are still battling it. I have tried all the over the counter lotions and potions none of them work, I have been to the dr's more time than I care to remember, I even got her a referal to the dermatoligist dept at our local hospital who told me to SHAVE her hair off....! I don't think so!!!!! My 6 yr old daughter also gets them but we manage to get her clear, I just don't know why I can't get rid of my eldest daughter's problem. My two son's don't have this problem thank goodness! Please help as I've reach the end of my tether and don't know what else to do :-(
can anyone help my daughter comes to see me every week she is 6 and for 2 year just about every week she has head lice ive tryed all the remidies from the pharmacy to no effect her mother tells me she regulary checks her hair and even my daughter says her mam and her auntey combs her hair now the lotions dont work she has thousands of eggs im at my whitts end please help tryed conditioner vinigar dont think there is anything i have hot tryed
i have had them for 7 months now i dont know what to do i cant find i clinic help please
My daughter used the hairforce lice assassins and she is completely clear now.
im 16 and i have had head ice since i was 11 all because my babysitters kids had them, they have come and gone but now i have them again. i think a girl at school gave it to me but every time i check i dont find any thing but then i look around with my fingers and i find one. its so annoyig they just wont go away. anyone know how to get rid of them quikly.
Hi I have had them for along time too! I put vinegar all over my hair and leave it over night then go threw my hair and then wash and then go threw it again. That might help of you buy this really good nit comb which is like about £10 it gets rid off eggs and lice easily and it's metal. Maybe put conditioner on your hair and go threw. Don't buy those cheap plastic nit combs cause they don't help. Hope I helped :)
My 10 year old has a flaky scalp, DEFINITELY NOT NITS. I have tried TGel and Oilatum but it still comes back, there are visible flakes in her hair which is shoulder length.She swims once a week and we shampoo with Head and Shoulders after that then only wash her hair up to 3 times in one week. She is getting embarrassed at school.
Hi. When I was younger I had the exact same problem. I tried T gel and that didn't work. What I used and still use now is Nizoral. It's quite expensive but well worth it. I strongly recommend. My doctor prescribed me on it. You should definitely try it.
My 5 year old daughter only has to be in the same room as someone with lice and she gets them, she has got very thick hair which I have had to cut in a short bob. Every night I brush through her hair with the 'nitty gritty' comb and twice a week I sit there for 3 hours wet combing her hair. It doesn't matter how much u check/treat your childs hair there is always a 'parent' who doesn't check their childs hair. Headlice are a part of school u can't prevent, you just have to believe that every other parent checks thir childs hair because that is the only way WE can get rid of them! (By all working together)
yep
very true
I have had nits for ages now but on a on off base. My other two sisters 14 and 12 have them but manly my 14 year old one, I'm 13. I just want them gone for all of us but if one of us forget then it will start all over again!! I hate it! We have tried lotion/chemicals and conditioning anf combing but NOTHING works. Please help me!! I'm so embarrest and feel that people can see them!!!
I'm 13 and I've got headlice. I have tried combing it with the nit comb and conditioner but it's not working! Nobody has noticed at school luckily but I'm goin to France with school for a week soon where I can't check my hair for nits because I don't want people to know :( does anyone have any products or treatments that will rid the lice forever and quite quickly? Desperate here, please help :( xoxoxx
I couldn't get rid of them either, but I used The Hairforce Lice Assasins - absolutley incredible! They got rid of my head lice for me...
Hi I'm 18 years old from the uk , I have long black fine hair . I keep having head lice ! Every morning my mom (she is indian and my dad is english)takes me to the back yard to pick through my hair for lice and nits removing them with her fingers , its a daily habit . I think this is the best way to get rid of lice.
This won't remove the eggs. You should look up ways to remove those too, or they will keep coming back.
hi im 14 and i have headlice for about 8 years of my life ... i try and hide them in school and comb them nearly every night but they just wont go ... the nits are used to the chemicals i use and im sick of scratching all the time my scalp is red and full of scabs and i cant take it any more, please i need someones help :| x
Hi, I have recently caught head lice and I hate them! I wouldn't advise to use chemicals because they are expensive and as you have said, the headlice get used to them. Simply wet your hair and put conditioner in it and run a nit comb through it. Hope this has helped xox
hi amy, thats a long tym, i sufferd with them wen i was younger and had them for 4 years . the best thinng to do is get ur parents to take u to ur local health nurse like mine did and 2 or 3 treatments frm them youl be nit free !!!!!!:) x
Important Notice
The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here