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Head lice
Head lice

#Head lice

Treat head lice at home with lotion, spray and a special comb from the pharmacy – no need to see your GP. {:.lede}

##Check if you have them

lice Head lice are small insects, up to 3 mm long. eggs Head lice eggs are yellow or brown. If you see these you’ll know that you have head lice. nits The empty shells of the eggs after they hatch stay in the hair. These are called nits.

Head lice and their eggs are:

  • attached to the hair
  • sometimes itchy
  • can feel as though something is moving in your hair

As soon as you spot head lice you should treat them. You can do this without seeing your GP.

You can use sprays and lotions to get rid of headlice or a special comb if you don’t want to use chemicals.

Anyone can get head lice. They don’t have anything to do with dirty hair.

Medical detail about head lice

##Use lotion or spray to get rid of head lice These lotions and sprays kill head lice in any kind of hair, including afro hair:

  • Hedrin (leave overnight)
  • Full Marks Solution (leave for 10 minutes)
  • solutions with Malathion (leave overnight)

The head lice will die and fall out within a day. These products come with a comb to comb out the dead lice.

You should repeat treatment after a week, to kill lice that hatch from eggs already laid in the hair.

You can get them at the pharmacy, supermarket or online.

##Use a special comb if you don’t want to use chemicals If you’re allergic or don’t want to use chemicals you can use a comb with very fine teeth and comb the head lice out. It works on any kind of hair.

It’s sold as a Bug Buster comb. You can get it at the pharmacy or online.

##Check everyone in the house Fully grown head lice can crawl from one head to another.

Get a comb with very fine teeth (detection comb) at the pharmacy or online and comb through everyone’s hair in the house to check if they have head lice.

You should let school know if your children have head lice because other children in the class might have them too without their parents knowing.

##You can’t prevent head lice There’s nothing you can do to prevent head lice. However, if you know someone has head lice or is treated for them, avoid head to head contact.

If you’re worried about head lice you can run a detection comb (see above) through your hair to check if you have any.

Don’t use lotions or sprays to prevent head lice. They can damage your scalp when used all the time.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on head lice