Got Head Lice? Here Are Some Signs to Look For

How to Tell if Your Child Has Head Lice and What to Do About It! 

Got head lice? Not to worry. Head lice can happen to anyone at any time and are very common with children, especially around the holiday season when children tend to interact more with other family members.

It’s Not You, It’s THEM (the Lice)!

One of the common misperceptions about head lice is that it only happens to people with poor hygiene, but this is simply not true! Head lice are spread through direct, head-to-head contact. This can occur at home, school, playground, sports/activities, camp, sleepovers and through selfies, etc. Many families come to our clinic in a state of panic or with a cloud of shame and embarrassment over their heads, but we always assure them there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about! Would you be ashamed if someone in your family caught a common cold? Of course not! 

Signs That Your Child Might Have Lice 

Do you suspect that you or your child has head lice? If you or a family member are experiencing any of the symptoms listed below, you will probably need to do a head check. 

• • Excessive itching that is out of the norm for your child (caused by an allergic reaction to the bites of the louse).
  • You notice nits/eggs (teardrop shaped specks ranging in color from white to amber) around the nape of the neck, above either or both ears and at the crown of the head. 

• Sores on the head caused by scratching. 
• See something moving through the hair. 
• Someone has called to let you know their child (who has spent time with yours) has head lice.

How Do I Do a Head Check? 

Before you begin, you will need a fine-tooth comb (like our Terminator Lice Nit Comb) and seat your child in a well-lit area of your home. You can start by visually looking in small sections for brown insects that are about the size of a sesame seed moving around your child’s scalp, behind the ears and neckline (they move fast). It helps to have a bright light that you can shine directly on the scalp. 

If you spot any small, teardrop-shaped eggs (nits) glued to your child’s hair, it is likely that they have lice. Nits are often found within 1/2 inch of the scalp and are usually white to amber in color. They will not move without being pinched and pulled down the hair shaft with your fingernails and it will feel like a piece of sand. If your child has dandruff, it will not be stuck on the hair and will move if you brush or blow on it. 

*Remember that a louse does not jump or fly, it only crawls, so your hair needs to be touching someone who has it in order to contract it. They also have a very keen sense of smell which is why they want to move from host to host. A common misconception is that if you do not see a bug you do not have lice. There are more times than not, that you will not find a bug but there will be nits.*

If you are still unsure whether your child is infected with lice, we advise that you schedule an appointment at your local Pediatric Hair Solutions head lice treatment clinic for a head check. We are a medically-based office that specializes in fast, efficient, and non-toxic lice treatment that works. Our head lice experts are always here to answer your questions about head lice — no matter the season. You can reach us by going to gotheadlice.com or contact one of our locations directly. 

Pediatric Hair Solutions provides the safest and most effective treatment for head lice removal on the market today, delivered by medically trained professionals. Our non-toxic treatment solution kills all live bugs, and our heated air device dehydrates all nits. You’ll leave our treatment center lice free. Click here to view the location nearest you. For more information visit gotheadlice.com.  

COVID-19 Precautions

Our attention to preventing cross-contamination has always been top of mind at Pediatric Hair Solutions. Our lice treatment clinics have always exceeded the recommended infection control guidelines, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for us to implement even greater infection control measures. At the time of publication, we are doing the following to keep your family and our team safe: 

• We are taking temperatures of all visitors, and only allowing one family in the clinic at a time. 
• All visitors are encouraged to wear masks while inside the clinic.
• When your family arrives for an appointment, you will need to ring the doorbell and return to your car to fill out paperwork or wait outside. 
• Family members can then be brought into the clinic if all previous treatments/consultations are complete and checked out. 
• We are performing enhanced disinfection routines between each appointment and will clean and disinfect all surfaces that our clients come into contact with, such as pens, clipboards, door handles, restroom handles, and all other common touchpoints. 
• You will see that all Pediatric Hair Solutions staff are now required to wear the KN95 masks throughout treatment and patient/family interaction in the clinics. 
• You will notice that glass partitions have been installed in all clinics at check-in/out windows so that you can communicate with our admin team while being protected against airborne transmission.
• You will notice that our reception area will no longer offer magazines, toys, brochures, etc., since those items are difficult to keep clean and disinfected.