Head Lice Fact Sheet

FACT ONE. Head lice are common year round and right round the world. They are not dangerous, do not carry diseases and are not a sign of poor hygiene. In fact, head lice don’t much care whether the hair is clean or dirty.

FACT TWO. The head lice family consists of nits and lice: the nit (head lice egg), the nymph (adolescent louse) and the adult louse. There are female and male lice and head lice do reproduce sexually.

FACT THREE. Head lice cannot fly or jump but the do crawl at exceptional speeds. The lifespan of an individual louse is just thirty five days. However, within this time the louse can reproduce and create a large family of lice that continue the head lice life cycle.

FACT FOUR. The female louse can lay between fifty and one hundred and fifty eggs in her lifetime, we refer to these as nits. The nits are an oval shape and are between 0.5 millimetres and 2 millimetres in length. When laid they are a yellow / white colour but can turn to a tan or coffee like colour as the embryo grows, once hatched the shell appears white.

FACT FIVE. An adolescent louse, the nymph is between 1 and 2 millimetres in length and grows to around 2 to 3 millimetres as it develops into an adult louse.

FACT SIX. Head lice can only survive on human blood, the lice feed from the scalp 3 to 4 times a day. The lice bite into the scalp and extract the blood directly from the bite. The bite is what can cause irritation to the infested person but not everyone will have “the itch” as irritation levels differ between individuals. Once off the scalp lice can only survive for approximately 24 hours.

FACT SEVEN. A treatment product on its own won’t eradicate the infestation of head lice. It is essential to comb out all nits and head lice after the treatment has been applied. Currently there isn’t a product on the market that can penetrate the nit shell and kill the embryo inside. If nits are left in the hair they will hatch and start the head lice life cycle again.

FACT EIGHT. It’s not just fancy marketing when it is recommended to repeat the treatment process. As combing requires time and the nits are very small it is very possible some may be missed during the initial treatment. These nits will hatch in 7-10 days and be vulnerable to a treatment – stopping the life cycle.

Always read the label. Use only as directed.