Head lice information: for parents
Head lice: have you got head lice? - notes for families
Please note: This information is taken from the UK Public Health Medicine Environmental Groups website at www.phmeg.org.uk.
Detection combing - how to do it
You need;
Plastic detection comb (from the chemist)
Good lighting
Ordinary comb
Wash the hair well, then dry it with a towel. The hair should be damp, not dripping.
Make sure there is good light. Daylight is best.
Comb the hair with an ordinary comb.
Start with the teeth of the detection comb touching the skin of the scalp at the top of the head. Draw the comb carefully towards the edge of the hair.
Look carefully at the teeth of the comb in good light.
Do this over and over again from the top of the head to the edge of the hair in all directions, working round the head.
Do this for several minutes. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to do it properly for each head.
If there are head lice, you will find one or more lice on the teeth of the comb.
Head lice are little insects with moving legs. They are often not much bigger than a pin head, but may be as big as a sesame seed (the seeds on burger buns).
Clean the comb under the tap. A nail brush helps to do this.
If you find something and aren’t sure what it is, stick it on a piece of paper with clear sticky tape and show it to your school nurse or family doctor. There can be other things in the hair which are not lice.
Notes
You can buy a plastic detection comb from the chemist.
If you need help and advice, ask your local chemist, health visitor, school nurse, or family doctor.
Don’t treat unless you are sure that you have found a living, moving louse.
