5 Things To Know About Head Lice

In the movies, it’s always huge, indestructible aliens or spiders that suck human blood, creating the horrors of invasion. In real life, that role is played by tiny insects called head lice. Their invasion restricted to our heads, these minute pests seek to survive without any superpower. Well, except the strength with which they hold on to our scalp and hair… While lice aren’t intimidating in any way, an infestation can raise all kinds of fear in us. What if someone found a lice crawling on my, or my kid’s hair?! So let’s just treat lice as the little evils they are. The more we know about this nemesis, the easier it gets to eliminate it!

1. We hate them; they love us!

Lice depend on us to feed. These tiny insects live on or near the human scalp, so they can feed on blood multiple times a day. Talk about vampires… Living on our scalp, lice can survive for almost a month. But once they fall out, their life span decreases to 1 or 2 days at most. Well, unless they somehow get to another head to suck on.

2. One can get lice, regardless of the age

We should stop believing the myth that only kids get lice. Everyone, every age is prone to lice infestation if they come in contact with an infested (read invaded) head. If you have school going children, you’re at risk. If you’ve caught a lice or a nit on your child’s head, it’s better to check everyone in the house for a potential infestation.

3. Lice equals poor hygiene? Nope!

The cleanliness of your hair doesn’t affect whether you get lice or not. These insects are contracted mostly through head-to-head contact or by sharing hair accessories. Avoid close contact with other people’s head if you want to prevent infestation.

4. They may be camouflaged as dandruff

Nits are lice eggs, tiny and white in color. They’re small and oval shaped. Close to the scalp, these nits look similar to dandruff – except that they’re more firmly stuck to hair shafts. One way to differentiate is to slightly shake the hair and see if it falls off or moves away. Nits are so strongly attached that they’d hardly move.

5. Chemical treatments often don’t work

Over-the-counter or prescription based; chemical based treatments are virtually useless against lice. These insects are becoming more resistant to chemical treatments everyday so don’t waste your time and money. This is why we use natural treatments, combing and physical removal to destroy every last nit and louse. If your child or any other family member has head lice infestation, call our Miami Beach lice clinics today for professional lice removal!