Learn to spot the signs of lice and you'll be able to act quickly so the lice infestation does not grow exponentially as nits hatch and more lice start laying eggs. Lice is a problem that seems to grow in magnitude by the hour; it's best to deal with it head on, right away.
Head Lice
Head lice is the most troublesome type of lice of all. You will feel intense itching on your scalp that will not go away. You might see tiny, wingless insects crawling through your hair, but most likely you'll only see the nits, tiny eggs attached to the shafts of hair, usually close to the scalp. The eggs look like grains of sand or tiny pussy willow buds, but these little eggs will be firmly attached to strands of hair. You may also have a rash on your neck, face or scalp, or even see individual bites. If you have suspect you have head lice, you need to start a lice removal treatment as soon as possible. This will involve shampooing and combing the lice and nits out strand by strand, as well as washing bedding, clothing, and hair items in very hot soapy water.
Body Lice
Body lice are easier to exterminate than head lice. Body lice leave a rash on the body which will be itchy and irritating. You might see the tiny wingless lice or the tiny nits in your clothing or bedding, but chances are you won't see very many. You'll simply have a rash that recurs when you wear those clothes or sleep in that bedding. The rash will be red and raised, but the bites won't be obvious bites-they will look like tiny raised bumps, nothing more. A hot soapy shower will kill any body lice that happened to stay on you, and a hot soapy washing and drying on high heat will kill any body lice in the bedding or clothing. Just make sure you can seal up anything unwashable in a plastic bag for over 30 days-body lice can live a long time off the human body.
Pubic Lice
You probably have pubic lice if you are experiencing an extremely itchy rash in your genital area accompanied by sand-like eggs attached to your pubic hair shafts. You will need to use an over-the-counter lice treatment, but use it carefully so as to minimize irritation to your genitals. Be sure to avoid sexual contact with others as pubic lice is highly contagious. You have a 90 percent chance of contracting pubic lice after just one sexual encounter with a person who has pubic lice. It can also spread to hair in other parts of your body, so be careful. Wash clothing that has been in contact with the lice in hot soapy water.
 | If you need to know how to get rid of lice, this primer will walk you through the process step by step. |
 | Need to know how to identify head lice? Use these cues to spot cases of head lice before it spreads. |
 | What does head lice look like? These troublesome insects need to be nipped in the bud. Learn how to spot them, take them on and emerge victorious. |
Need to know what body lice looks like? If you suspect you might have body lice, but aren't sure, check out this checklist. |
Perhaps you've heard about using mayonnaise to treat head lice. Read this article for the whole scoop. |
