How to Prevent Head Lice Infestation

There are a few ways to prevent head lice infestation, including treating all household members and avoiding head-to-head contact. It’s important to remember that head-to-head contact is bad for lice and therefore you should not share hats, stuffed animals or other personal items with others. If you cannot avoid head-to-head contact, you should wash all items in hot water and dry on a hot setting. You can wash clothing in the washing machine or put them in the dryer on the hot setting. Afterwards, you should place items in a plastic bag to prevent the spread of lice. It is also advisable to soak hairbrushes in hot water to kill lice.

Head lice are highly contagious insects that live in the hair. Their eggs are attached tightly to the hair fibers, about 1.5 cm from the scalp. The eggs need the warmth of the human head to hatch. Lice are not able to fly or jump, and thus are spread by direct head-to-head contact. As a result, head lice are most prevalent among children and their families.

Head lice are small, six-legged insects, which look like dandruff and may be red if they’re filled with blood. The eggs are yellowish-white or brown and are attached to the scalp. You may need to use a magnifying glass or fine-tooth comb to locate the lice or nits. The eggs themselves look like tiny seeds attached to individual hairs near the scalp.