Vitality News Health Articles

Lice deposit their eggs, known as nits, onto the hair after they feed on the human blood. They attach themselves firmly with a strong glue to the human hair or clothing. There are three different types of lice that can infest humans.

Removing the nits is an essential part of treatment for lice. Lice need the warmth of a person to live. A person’s body heat help the lice thrive. When then are removed from their source of warmth they die. By removing a nit the lice are killed. Lice need to be taken off or crushed to die. A special comb may be helpful to remove a nit because of their small size. There is also special lotions which help make removal easier.

Newly hatched lice have a life expectancy of 30 days. They leave their egg shell affixed to hair stalks when they hatch. These shells can be left attached to the hair for weeks or even months. As the hair continues to grow, the shells move further away from the skin. Nits are generally found further than 1/4″ away from the skin. In most cases, they’re found dead or already hatched.

Live nits are darker in color while Empty shells are white. The louse attaches one egg per strand of hair using natural glue. A female louse can deposit more than 60 eggs at a rate of about six eggs each day within 10 days after it reaches maturity.

First reaction that comes to our mind when we hear about hair lice is a sense of shame which is due to misperception that dirty people have hair lice but this is not true actually. Hair lice survive on small quantity of human blood. These lice lie preferably on scalp, behind the ears and at nape of the neck.

The most effective lice treatment is a head lice shampoo. Nits must be removed as a part of this lice treatment. It’s recommended that a fine-toothed comb, clear tape, and a strong light be used when searching for lice. It’s easier to have a magnifying glass and to wet the hair prior to searching.

First reaction that comes to our mind when we hear about hair lice is a sense of shame which is due to misperception that dirty people have lice but this is not true actually. Lice survive on small quantity of human blood. These lice lie preferably on scalp, behind the ears and at nape of the neck. Using a head lice shampoo is the most important and effective treatment. Removing nits with a lice comb is another form of lice treatment. One should search for head lice when hair is wet by using a fine-toothed comb, clear tape, a magnifying glass and a strong light.

- norman horowitz