Head lice: The size of a sesame seed, grayish-white, football-shaped eggs clinging to hairs close to the scalp. After feeding is reddish-brown. The female louse lays yellowish white, oval eggs (nits), which she attaches to hair shafts. The eggs hatch in seven to ten days.
What you can do?
It is possible to get rid of lice through diligent combing alone, and many pediculosis experts recommend this as the treatment of choice.
Over the counter treatment
To make sure you get rid of all the lice:
Shampoo hair first with regular shampoo.
Dry the hair completely before applying the lice killing shampoo.
Go through the hair, a section at a time, with a fine-toothed lice comb, often included with the shampoo, to pick the nits
Dip the comb in water after each pass.
Clean nits and debris from the comb with a toothbrush or dental floss.
Boil the comb after use, and vacuum the area.
Shampoo the patient's hair once more, seven to ten days later, to kill any new-hatched lice.
Twenty-four hours after this treatment, the patient should be free of live lice, and able to return to school or work.
To prevent reinfestation:
Wash clothes, hats, personal items, towels, and bedding in hot water. Dry for 20 minutes using the hot cycle of the dryer.
Vacuum the house. Lice don't survive long away from people. There's no need to use insecticides on the couch or carpet.
Since headlice cannot live more than two days off the host, and are rarely found off the host, spraying or bombing the premises is of little use
