What Do Lice Eggs (nits) Look Like?

Do you know what to look for during a lice check? We examine some lice and nits under a microscope.

[@sherylclements2846]

Extremely helpful and informative! Thank you so much!

[@scapuzello]

Sheryl Clements Thank you! Glad we could help.

[@marilynegli1779]

How to check for head lice when you live alone

[@andresteele2402]

I still have know idea if it’s lice or dandruff it’s a bunch small year drop things that I think is nots but I don’t see any actual bugs and stuff is this lice

[@RonaldLagas-rs6ct]

💯 I came looking for information and found that I need a microscope to determine whether it's eggs or dandruff 🤦

[@susanashcraft7067]

I got a magnifying glass at hobby lobby and it has been a life saver when my daughter got it . i could see them so well and thats what u want. Trust me🧐

[@scapuzello]

Agreed! In our clinic we use lighted magnification head bands. It is so important to have the right light and be able to "zoom in".

[@Headlice56]

So helpful

[@AnnieFerrigno]

My daughter went to Disney her children got lice or two of them got lice. I got lice from sleeping with one of my granddaughters did two treatments. I was using the lice comb the silver comb and cleaning my head over the sink in my bathroom, which is white and I saw a little tiny black specs. I don’t know if these things are alive or if they’re dead, but could be black but these look like very tiny. How would I know if it’s dead or alive or just had hatch because the ones I’ve seen they’re sort of light the nets are so I don’t know what these little black things are that was in the sink and they were not hanging onto the.

[@marthacollier5068]

Thank you so much!!!😆💓

[@rjsyoung4796]

That bug on the side scared to outta me 😮

[@melanietejada1972]

My sister head has been itching very much and my mom checked her hair she has nits and I can't get near her

[@camilahernandez7814]

Lice are hard to get off these days

[@scapuzello]

Much harder than in the past. Mainly due to the overuse of the OTC products which has led to stronger, resistant lice - or Super Lice.

[@bigsmoke1295]

@@scapuzello YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME. WILL THEY GO AWAY IF I SHAVED?????????????????????

[@HillbillyYEEHAA]

​@@bigsmoke1295 lol just wet comb the hair every day till theyre gone

[@shannonmarie474]

That’s the hard cold truth. Very hard to get off of any type of hair

[@clawdine_3117]

Hi , not too long ago I combed my hair with those special combs, ( because I felt unsure of lice) , and I saw these small , white , oval "things(?)" , I squashed it with my finger and it looks like dandruff to say. But neither to say, I've wet combed my hair for a few hours because I was very scared that It was a nit. Through photos or internet I didn't really get the results I needed. Pls what are these white things?? (They are like white white, not transparent or brown)

[@scapuzello]

I would not be able to tell you what you are looking at unless I could see it. Nits are usually brown unless hatched - then they look clear.

[@bigsmoke1295]

@@scapuzello Oh lord Im 100% sure that i have lice Can they fall by just rubbing your hair?? Cuz i saw one falling in it look like a circle ( sorry for bad English ) anyway And it had small legs and it was *brown* and i always feel like something moving in my hair Pls help

[@susanashcraft7067]

@@bigsmoke1295 sounds like it

[@itssous4373]

Clawdine, I had the same thing I'm unsure what it is.

[@gabbycamargo6572]

How to tell if it’s dead nits I need help my daughter had lice and I just find 1 every other few days why ?!

[@mylittleponehrawr4731]

I check my daughters hair all the time but it keeps coming back!😫 When she’s at school, she asks me to check her head and wash all her clothes, hats, and more👚👖👟🧦🧣 It’s super frustrating, and really gross🤢🤮

[@scapuzello]

Unfortunately, it sounds like you may need help from experts. The common over the counter medications and even some prescriptions from the doctor are no longer effective on lice. They have developed resistances over the past years and are hard to kill. The most effective and quickest way is by using heated air. Over 99% effective.

[@FlrxAlfredosauce]

@fit_jadexox probably yes

[@shirleyellinger]

I don't know if you still struggle with lice but the problem is adult lice could be lurking on pillows, sheets, in laundry. How I got rid of mine was left my house to my mom's so the nits at home would die, meanwhile at my moms I did a typical lice treatment, followed by a mayonnaise hair soak! The vinegar in it dissolves the eggs from the hair and make you're hair too greasy for them to stick, and it suffocates them...they all washed right out!!!!

[@zachschannel6161]

@@shirleyellinger I'm a single father of a 3yr old and that is exactly what I do for him. I check his hair once a week and if I do ever find just 1 bug or nit I do a prescription lice treatment on both of us we wash it out and then put mayo all in out hair for 8 hours then wash it out again. I've had to do it a couple times but it's kept me from inviting an infestation

[@tonia9941]

How do u get rid of nits permanently...and does it cause hair loss or shedding?

[@scapuzello]

Hi Tonia, Nits are tricky! You need to either comb every one out using a good metal nit comb or get professional services where they dehydrate them. Nit combing can cause hair loss but should not be much more than you combing your hair in the shower. If you are nit combing yourself the suggestion is that you do the entire combing (30 minutes or so) EVERY day for 10 days. If you don't, you run the risk of missing a handful of nits and that will cause you problems in a few weeks - those nits will hatch 7-10 days after being laid and they will mature in another 10 days. Once mature, they mate within 24 hours - a pregnant louse remains pregnant for the remainder of her life (20-30 more days) and will lay eggs 2 times a day (3-5 eggs at a time) in your hair.

[@maevebrain]

Thanks, this was very informative. What do I look for when running the nit comb thru the hair? I see white egg shaped things. Your examples are brown.

[@scapuzello]

Eggs will be brown or black when viable (healthy) Lice eggs (nits) are not white. You MAY however have some "hatched" eggs that you are seeing from an old infestation. Those will look clear but still not white.

[@sarah-marievanoosten4142]

Hi, Im curious to know, if the thinness of hair, can make the lice differential in size? And allergies for all kind of blood sucking bugs, including mosquito’s? Please…

[@mylittleponehrawr4731]

Also, my daughter came back from school and her hair was very frizzy at the top, she told me she spotted two nits just sitting in one strangle. She grabbed them out and she told me they were clear, with a black line in the middle. Could this maybe be lice😬😞😞

[@EMBYRR]

My little poneh Rawr It could be.. but if you try to pull nits out it’s stuck you have to pick it out. It could be food, dandruff or possibly lice. Take her somewhere professional to check her head

[@KanchanSingh-bx6ni]

So help

[@ashleythompson7519]

So helpful, thank you!

[@riri4788]

Is it possible to find one egg and there not be anymore ?and how long does it take a egg to hatch ?

[@liceclinicsofamericaconnec2809]

Possible but not probable. Lice lay eggs in clusters - 3-5 eggs at a time twice a day.

[@sophiaramirez632]

Lyrics i’m pretty sure it takes about 14 days for the eggs to hatch

[@mylittleponehrawr4731]

Riri, I’m definitely sure that the eggs hatch in seven days. And no. Unless the mothers have hopped on somebody else.

[@scapuzello]

Once an egg is laid it takes 7-10 days for it to hatch.

[@aaronthompson2]

No because when my mom checks my hair it feels like she's cutting it off with the knife😖😖😖😖😖

[@scapuzello]

Nit combing can be a bit uncomfortable if you are tender headed. You should wet your hair first and if it is longer use some conditioner. The key is to be sure you have no knots in the hair when combing.

[@amyayalavalle862]

I can’t have lice they fall of they only leave eggs and then when they hatch they also fall off

[@babosaeditz956]

Must be nice

[@JohnDoe-tb3rv]

Lice must live on something other than humans, because how did the first person in the world get them?? They must of come in contact with something else, other than human. If they only live on humans, then why can't it be eradicated? ...And how do they get on human's hair in the first place - without hair to hair contact? It seems that know one can answer these questions. If anyone can answer these question, I would love to hear it. Thanks.

[@zachschannel6161]

Very fascinating question. I'm commenting to see if anyone answers

[@rakiahbaker5589]

That's what I think sometimes 🤔

[@user-fm9dq2xg2m]

hard to hear :( can you re uploade with editing to increase the volume by 2/3xs.. thx!!

[@CBDDAILY4LIFE]

I am sure I have lice: So I am black female and this super lice in my hair is happening every spring. It has never been cured andnive been put in 24-hour care a couple of times so now I don't even go to the emergency room because they have me listed as 5150. It started off looking like glitter to me I went to the hospital 4 years ago they said there was nothing there, meanwhile my scalp was itchy and the Selsum blue dandruff product or any of them were not stopping the itch at all. I have tried every cream I think know to stop this. Three years I went to the hospital again I was put in 24 holding tank because I was argumentative and claimed something was crawling all over me and in the mornings and lunchtime I feel like a meal ticket. And then I don't sleep because I'm in the shower for hours trying to rid myself of this issue. It has taken control of my life and now ff 4 YEARS later I'm still dealing with this with no cure in sight not even the super lice kit will get rid of this. So now my head feels like a fish net is pulling on my scalp. When I comb my hair some places feel and sound like I am pulling nails out of wood, and it's painful and my scalp bleeds if I use the nit comb in that area. Do you have recommendation I am losing my friends and family. Knobidy believes even when I trybti show them proof. The dermatologist has yet to use a comb to see if it is live. I have sent photos and videos and asked for labs he denies me every single time. This is what black people have to deal with. Please advise. I can send pictures and videos. Please 🙏 help me 🙏

[@scapuzello]

I'm sorry you are dealing with this! Have you seen live bugs?? At this point you should be seeing tons of bugs. I'm not saying there is nothing going on but I have seen this often where there is some other condition and it is treated as lice so the scalp gets irritated and raw due to the chemicals and the patient is still suffering. If I were you, I would go to a professional lice company for a check (not an ER, or a hospital). If you have lice, they will definitely find either live lice or nits (eggs.) If they say you do not have lice ask for a written letter that you are CLEAR of LICE and take that to a dermatologist. We have seen many other conditions that make you "feel"as if something is crawling around (but finding no evidence of an active infestation.) White Piedra is a hair fungus that looks like eggs but won't come off the hair shaft, Excema, or an allergic reaction to a product may cause itching or the sensation of "crawling". You can create your own issue by over using dandruff shampoos which are very drying and irritating to the scalp. If you are not getting the answers you need from the health professionals you visited, find a different professional that is an expert in the condition you feel you have. I wish you the best of luck.

[@maryg5339]

Names of both the magnifiers you are using and where to buy please...thanks

[@scapuzello]

The small loop is called a Carsons loop (~$10). The microscope is by InfiniView (~$300) Both were purchased from Amazon

[@thekellanator2642]

Im so scared I got them idk how about almost 2 mknths ago and im feeling stuff in my hair with my fingers, but im nkt itching I think its dried syrup though from my breakfast im going to wash it in the mornign hopefullt im right

[@tozenki]

are the lööps ready brother

[@RedHeart1]

Hello, do they get on the little hairs on your face or can they get bad and get on your body too? I know there’s body lice but can head lice get on your body? Also, when you treat your hair will they crawl down to face or body to try to escape treatment? Thanks

[@scapuzello]

Lice can get on the little baby hairs that surround your face and they can try and escape by crawling on your forehead or neck but they can not migrate to your body for an extended period of time. Head lice can only live, feed and breed on your head so they will always need to find a way back to your head. If you have lice that burrow into your skin on other parts of your body, those are body lice and would require medical attention since unlike head lice they can spread disease.

[@RedHeart1]

@@scapuzello ok thank you. I watched a video where a doctor said that body lice could be treated just from washing your clothes and drying them and regular showers. Since unlike head lice, body lice lives in your clothes and doesn’t stay on the body. That’s what he said, but I don’t know. I don’t think I have body lice anyways, or at least I hope not. Lol. I was just afraid the head lice would get on my face or neck. Thanks for clarifying. I’ve done a Nix treatment and combed the nits out best I could. Plus the house cleaning. So we’ll see what happens. There was lots of white stuff in the Nix comb, so I don’t think it was all nits, maybe dandruff or dry skin where I was scraping my scalped with the comb?

[@royalqueens6419]

I have this white stuff in my hair

[@tanyastephenson9866]

they are tiny

[@scapuzello]

They are tiny, which can make them challenging to spot even for school nurses and doctors.

[@LOLO-mn6qw]

Your child...? I'm sixteen...

[@bigsmoke1295]

Bro i think she wasn't talking about people in ur age or older

[@LOLO-mn6qw]

@@bigsmoke1295 no shit

[@babosaeditz956]

I'm also 16 man

[@Maya_bm]

@@babosaeditz956 same bruh

[@mathewstanley414]

I know RIGHTTT❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@nightangel972000]

Not combs look like flea combs with longer teeth.

[@tiaangioy9342]

I seen a lice in my best friends head and she’s always cuddling me, what shall I do !

[@liceclinicsofamericaconnec2809]

I would definitely get a check to set my mind at ease. Professional checks can be $10-$25. If you know how to a check (or watch one of my tutorials on the subject) you can try to do it yourself. It's sometimes challenging to nit comb our own heads. Best of luck.

[@lean.4.real.898]

It’s really not that deep

[@PantherMistress88]

I used a treatment on my 8 year old and checked her hair today. I did the treatment a few days ago. I saw no live lice. I did find some white tiny oval shaped objects (I’m assuming eggs) but they were white and not at the base of the scalp. They came out fairly easy on the comb or just by using my fingernails. Are these dead? Can I assume the treatment was a success?

[@scapuzello]

PantherMistress88 I would not make that assumption for at least 2 weeks. The box treatments only kill about 44-60% of the live lice and does not kill the eggs. So any eggs left over will hatch between day 7 and 10

[@ShootingHimDown]

Those are dead if you try to pop them and they make a noise its alive but it's probably dead

[@ashleyjarnigan3068]

I need this questioned answered as well