The head louse, also called Pediculus humanus capitis, is a parasitic insect. Each year, more than 100 million people are infested with lice. This infestation is called pediculosis. Head lice are lodged in the scalp of humans, because they find all the comforts of an ideal habitat: high temperature, humidity and food. They feed by biting the scalp of its host to remove blood.

This is what creates the itchy rash and the little red marks left on the scalp. Deprived of a blood meal, the louse can only survive for a day or two.

Lice are transmitted fairly easily from head to head either through direct contact between two people or through an object: hat, cap, comb, hairbrush, bedding, etc. They spread more easily in daycares or schools because children are often close to each other.

Lice don’t jump and fly. To move from one head to the other, they must be able to grip on a new hair shaft, hence the need for proximity. Head lice, unlike other types of lice, are in no way caused by a person’s hygiene.

It is possible to discover the presence of a louse during all the different phases of its life: slow, nymph and adult louse.

Spring : The nit is in fact the egg of the head louse. White or yellowish in color and oval in shape, it is quite difficult to spot, mainly on blond hair. Indeed, it is often taken for a film. The nit usually takes 5-10 days to hatch and is firmly attached to the hair.

nymph : The nymph stage lasts about 7 days. During this period, the lice look the same as the adult lice, but are a bit smaller. Much like adult lice, nymphs must feed on blood in order to reach their full size and survive.

Adult louse : The adult louse is brown in color and therefore very difficult to see. It is 1 to 2,5 mm long. In addition, the female is usually larger than the male. She can lay 200 to 300 eggs in her lifetime. In the presence of a human, an adult louse can live up to 30 or 40 days.

The best indicator of the presence of lice is the constant itching of the scalp. On the other hand, it is possible that no discomfort is felt. In other cases, symptoms may appear only one to two weeks after the infestation, ie the incubation time of the nits. Another sign is the presence of nits which will be easily visible on dark hair.

Don’t get me wrong, it might not just be just dandruff. Sometimes you may notice a small lesion where there is a new bite, but it is more difficult in a scalp.

It is first necessary to inspect the different places where the lice prefer to lodge, that is to say, the back of the neck, the back of the ears and the top of the head. Then, the easiest method to validate that there is the presence of lice is to use a very fine comb designed for this purpose. The latter allows the eggs to be removed from the hair shafts. This type of comb is available in pharmacies and drugstores.

As soon as the presence of lice on the head has been confirmed, a shampoo, lotion or cream should be applied, which usually contains pesticides. However, it is possible to find some that do not contain any. The effectiveness varies from one product to another and the thoroughness deployed during the application. In some cases, more than one treatment will be necessary to completely eliminate the lice. After each application, make sure that the lice, nymphs and nits have all been destroyed. To do this, we use the fine comb again, passing it carefully over each strand of hair.

Then, all the items likely to harbor lice: bedding, clothing, head accessories, hairbrush, etc. should be cleaned in very hot water, dry or packed in sealed bags for a minimum of 10 days. You also have to sweep the carpets, dust the furniture, clean the car seats, etc. Thus, we make sure to eliminate all species that remain alive.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment to permanently stop the infestation of head lice. On the other hand, it is possible to adopt behaviors that minimize the risk of having hair invaded by these unwanted insects. For example, we avoid exchanging clothes, caps, hats and headphones. You tie your hair to prevent lice from easily clinging to it. Finally, we do not hesitate to frequently examine our head or that of our child, especially when there is an epidemic.