Head lice information: for children
Although children are most at risk of catching head lice, there's very little information aimed specifically at them; to help young people recognise the symptoms, and deal with the problem.
The information below comes from the botanicals head lice kit. You can download a copy of the leaflet here (500K pdf).
Head lice: the facts
Most children will catch head lice at some time during their school days.
Head lice cannot jump, swim or fly, and can only move from one head to another during close and persistent contact.
Head lice feed on blood taken from the scalp.
They've been with us throughout human evolution, and don't present any serious health hazard.
Head lice often don't cause any discomfort. But secondary infection from germs entering the bite may lead to scratching after a month.
They move very quickly through hair, making them difficult to find and remove.
The first signs of head lice are usually their eggs (known as nits) found glued to hair strands.
Female lice can lay up to 100 eggs during a life span of around 30 days.
These eggs are laid close to the scalp, each glued to an individual hair.
The further away from the scalp the eggs are found, the greater the time since they were laid.
Hair grows at around a centimetre a month. Meaning that eggs found 5cm from the scalp may have been laid 5 months ago. So there's a chance that any head lice may have hatched and died some time ago.
Health professionals are aware of the dangers associated with applying insecticides to children's heads. Which is why they always stress that chemical lotions should never be used unless a live louse has been found.
The most successful natural alternative to chemical lotions is known as 'wet-combing' or 'bug-busting'.
