How to Find Nits & What They Look Like
Some time after your child starts school or engages with other children on a regular basis you may experience a head lice outbreak. Even if your kid isn't directly affected, it's likely that you'll get a letter home advising that a case has been identified in class and to be on the look out. Head lice, although small, are visible to the naked eye and can be picked up in a thorough examination. Their eggs, often referred to as nits, can be a little harder to find.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic gloves
- Nit comb
- Magnifying glass
- White paper
Instructions
Put on your plastic gloves and thoroughly examine your child's scalp. Make sure your child's hair is dry. Comb it into sections to check for any lice on the scalp, around the ears and near the nape of the neck. Use a magnifying glass to examine hair close to the scalp. Lice like to lay their eggs in this area because conditions are perfect for the incubation of their young. The eggs are generally yellow, tan or brown dots before they hatch. Search thoroughly for nits, which are white and often mistaken for dandruff. The nits have a gluey, translucent quality and are usually stuck to one side of hair shafts around one-half inch from the scalp. Tap the comb onto a sheet of white paper intermittently to examine what you've found and distinguish between dandruff and nits.
