Nit Picky

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.” – Old Testament

It is said that head lice is as common with children as having colds. And during emergencies if you’re sleeping in shelters or packed tight into tents, the chances of lice are increased. Lice are highly contagious and spread quickly from person to person in group settings. Since head lice do not jump or hop, they spread by direct contact with infested people or with items that their head has touched like chairs, beds, hats, etc. While schools are prime locales for transmission, other common “transfer zones” include movie theaters, costume parties and slumber parties.

“The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice aren't dangerous and they don't spread disease but they do cause the scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.” [KidsHealth.com]

Nits (eggs) “look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the skin's surface, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can't be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more common to see nits than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp.” [KidsHealth.com]

An old folk saying says there is no sin in catching lice but there is sin in spreading it and not stopping the infection.

• Families should periodically check child and each other's hair for nits.
• One treatment is not likely to remove all lice and nits (eggs), so check hair nightly until all nits have been removed. Continue checking for two weeks after the “last” nit in case unseen eggs hatch and the infestation is restarted.
• A female louse lays 3-5 eggs a day. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days and it takes another 7-10 day for the louse to mature and lay their own eggs. So when eggs hatch you have one week to kill every louse before the next round of egg laying begins.
• Most lice feed on blood several times a day, but they can survive up to 2 days off the scalp. It’s important to wash clothes, stuffed animals a child sleeps with, sheets and pillows daily in hot water for infected individuals. Otherwise you can kill every louse in the hair and have one climb back on from the pillow.
• Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car) every 3 days
• Soak hair-care items like combs, barrettes, hair ties or bands, headbands, and brushes in rubbing alcohol or medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You can also wash them in hot water or just throw them away.
• Pets can't catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.
• For really bad cases or during emergencies the ultimate "cure" is to shave off all hair.

Bottom Line

There are many folk remedies for killing lice like soaking the hair in cooking/olive oil or mayonnaise but these are not proven to work. Oft times prescription shampoos don’t work either. These can be very toxic but a few nits manage to survive if instructions are not followed exactly.

The consensus appears to be that nothing beats good old-fashion manual removal (think of monkeys grooming each other). There are two things that help with lice removal:

• A nit-comb: this has very fine teeth to catch nits
• Hair conditioner: by soaking the hair before combing, the lice and nits will slip off more easily. Lice have strong claws and nits are glued to the hair.

Here is a detailed account from one family and the nit-picking procedure they used:
http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/05/two_letters_re_dealing_with_un.html

CDC advice for lice