Understanding Head Lice Eggs (Nits): Identification & Removal

Lice are parasitic six-legged insects that feed on human blood and live on the head. It is most common among school-aged children and despite popular belief, is not a dirty person's affliction.

Lice Eggs (nits)

• The most cumbersome of a lice infestation is the lice eggs (nits). Many over-the-counter treatments do not kill lice eggs, just the lice bug (louse) itself.

Getting rid of the eggs

• If you are lucky enough to find a product that kills eggs, it is still highly recommended that careful examination and combing of the hair are performed.

Cutting the hair

• The lice eggs are glued to the hair shaft, which makes them extremely difficult to remove. By far the best way is to meticulously go through each strand and physically cut out the strands of hair that have the eggs on them.

Dead or not?

• If by chance you have used a remedy that kills the eggs, a good way to tell if they are in fact, dead, if you find one a week or two later, is the color. If the color of the egg is translucent or whitish, there's a good chance it's dead.

Live eggs

• Live eggs are shiny, brownish ovals attached at an angle to the hair shaft.