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Head Lice
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services - School Health Services
How to Check Your Child's Head for Lice
- STEP 1: Gather your tools: Your glasses if you wear glasses, a magnifying glass, a pointed stick for separating the hair. A letter opener, toothpick, paint brush handle, chop sticks or any pointed object that will not scratch th
e scalp will do. Hair clips to separate the hair are very helpful.
- STEP 2: Find a good spot to examine your child’s head: it must be comfortable, under very bright light-or better yet, natural daylight. Explain to your child that you will be examining his/her head for at least five minutes, and maybe up to fifteen minutes. Use this time to talk to your child, but keep it pleasant. (In fact, many children quite enjoy having their parents pick through their hair. It can be very soothing if you are not hysterical).
- STEP 3: Start at the nape of the neck. Part the hair in a straight line and examine the exposed scalp. Study it for any speck. Look long enough for your eyes to focus and to spot any slight movement. Remember, lice are nearly invisible and they shy away from light. They also move quickly, but it is this nearly vague movement that may catch your attention. Look specifically at the root of each hair, as lice will hide at the bottom and behind the hair shaft. Also look for the eggs of lice which are called nits. The yellowish or grayish white nits are shaped like tiny teardrops and are attached to the hair shaft, close to the scalp, with a glue-like substance that makes them very difficult to remove.
- STEP 4: Cover the entire head in this way, making parts 1/4 inch from the previous one and examine the scalp as in step 3. If you have reason to believe your child has lice but you haven’t found upon first examination, go over the head again.