Head Lice are tiny brown insects about the size of a sesame seed. Visible Nits are tiny, whitish ovals. They are firmly glued to the hair shaft, most often near the scalp. Nits may be mistaken for dandruff but unlike dandruff, nits cannot be brushed off or removed by normal shampooing and washing.

Nit: Nits are head lice eggs. They are hard to see and are often confused for dandruff or hair spray droplets. Nits are found firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval and usually yellow to white. Nits take about 1 week to hatch. Nymph: The nit hatches into a baby louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult head louse, but is smaller. Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live, the nymph must feed on blood.

Head lice are the insects that crawl around on your head. Nits are actually clusters of tiny white sacs that contain eggs. Nits generally cluster close to the skin but they can also appear on individual hair strands. If you try to remove the nits, you probably will pull hairs out because they are firmly attached. You need not worry about nits that you see further down on hair strands. These hatched a while back and they'll just grow out.

Nit: Nits are head lice eggs. They are hard to see and are often confused for dandruff or hair spray droplets. Nits are found firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval and usually yellow Nymph: The nit hatches into a baby louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult head louse, but is smaller. Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live, the nymph must Adult: The adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white.

No. Head lice are not selective. They don't care if hair is long, short, blonde, brown, washed this morning or last week. As long as they are warm, and have blood to drink, then they are content.

Head lice don't care what the condition of hair is. They are only interested in food, warmth and shelter. Unwashed hair will contain more debris and many head lice egg cases and shed skins but that only makes the situation appear worse than it is.

Visual inspection is a very poor way to check for head lice. In a study from Israel diagnosis of louse infestation using a louse comb was found to be four times more efficient than direct visual examination and twice as fast. The direct visual examination technique underestimates active infestation and detects past, non-active infestations.

Head lice CRAWL very fast and require head to head contact for transmission. It is possible that because of the way young children play, head lice are seen more widely amongst primary school children than adolescents or adults.

Live lice can be difficult to locate because they move quickly and don’t like bright light. But their nits are easier to see. Closely examine the scalp in natural light and look for the eggs attached to the hair shaft. Also, inspect under the child’s finger nails.

According to the National Association of School Nurses, children found with live head lice should be referred to parents for treatment. Data does not support school exclusion for nits (lice eggs). Because head lice do not cause illness or disease, schools are not advised to exclude students when nits remain after appropriate lice treatment, although further monitoring for signs of re-infestation is appropriate. Information from the Vermont Department of Health: http://www.state.vt.

Anyone can get head lice--it has nothing to do with cleanliness or poor hygiene. Head lice are common among school-age children, particularly those in elementary schools. Head lice are transferred from one person to another through close physical contact or from sharing items like hats, combs, brushes, headphones, etc.