Head lice are tiny grey/brown insects. They are about the size of a sesame seed (the seeds on burger buns). Head lice cling to hairs, but stay close to the scalp which they feed off. They lay eggs which hatch after 7-10 days. It takes about 10 days for a newly hatched louse to grow to an adult and start to lay eggs.
Nits are the empty white egg shells which are left when the lice hatch. Nits can look like dandruff, but stick strongly to hair. Unlike dandruff, you cannot easily brush out nits.

How can you tell if you have head lice?

An itchy scalp occurs in about 1 in 3 cases. Many infected people have no symptoms, but can still pass lice on to others. Head lice are difficult to find just by looking in the hair. If you suspect head lice, it is best to do 'detection combing' (described below). Some people advise that you do this to children's hair regularly, about once a week.

Wash the hair in the normal way with ordinary shampoo.
Rinse out the shampoo and put on lots of ordinary conditioner.
Comb the hair with a normal comb to get rid of tangles.
When the hair is untangled switch to a detection comb. This is a special fine toothed comb that you can buy at pharmacies. (The teeth of normal combs are too far apart.)
Slot the teeth of the detection comb into the hair at the roots so it is touching the scalp.
Draw the detection comb through to the tips of the hair.
Repeat this in all directions until you have combed all the hair.
Check the comb for lice after each stroke. A magnifying glass may help.
If you see any lice, clean the comb by wiping it on a tissue or rinse it before the next stroke.
Comb over a white surface such as white paper. This is so that any head lice that are flicked out by the comb are easy to see.
After the whole head has been combed, rinse out the conditioner.
While the hair is still wet, use an ordinary comb to get rid of tangles.
Repeat the detection combing in the rinsed hair to check for any lice that you might have missed the first time.
It takes about 15 minutes to do detection combing, depending on how thick the hair is.

What should I do if I find head lice?

See a pharmacist, practice nurse, or GP for advice on treatment.

Medicated treatments. You can buy lotions or a cream rinse which kill head lice from pharmacies. You can also get these on prescription. They usually work well.
A wet combing treatment ('bug busting') is an option if you do not want to use medicated treatments. To get rid of head lice you need to do this twice a week for at least 2 weeks.

All people in the same home, and other close 'head to head' contacts of the previous 4-6 weeks should be contacted. Tell them to look for lice and treat if they find any. All people with head lice in the same home should be treated at the same time. This stops lice being passed around again.

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