How to check yourself for lice?

The itchiness you are feeling all over your head and you are already damaging your scalp by scratching and itching continuously. Yet you don’t know why this is happening. You have tried everything possible, shampooed your hair, cleaned it several times and still, it is not going. Rather it is getting higher and higher. 

If you are familiar with lice or at least know about it, you will immediately suspect the reason behind this annoying itchiness and uncomfortable thing. Lice are known for causing discomfort, and itchy scalp, sometimes being the source of dandruff and dirt. These little parasites live off of human blood by sucking it from the scalp. 

Hair is the main area where they infest. When one does not take care of it and let it be for a while, after infesting the whole hair area and scalp, they come down to the forehead, eyebrows, etc. God forbid, that’s the worst-case scenario and we hope that people would not neglect the infestation of lice and nits.

Lice can get on your head by coming in contact with an infested person, or using their comb, scarf, laying on their bed, pillows, etc. Children and teenagers are at high risk of getting infested by their classmates, playmates, etc since they spend a huge time of their day in daycares, schools, and playgrounds. If your kid or even you got lice in your head or your scalp is itching and you want to check whether lice are there or not, don’t worry. It is easy to inspect and know it if you know how lice look.

Places to check for Lice

Though it is hard to look for lice as they run too fast and hide away unless your head is full of lice, seeing nits will also help you determine. Nits stay in one place especially at the base and closer to the roots of the hair. They hold onto the hair and are persistent. Unless you pull them down to the edge of the hair, you cannot separate them from the hair. Only after hatching, their mobility improves. 

Anyway, lice can go and stay anywhere in your hair but they mostly stay at the crown of your head, the back of the head, behind the ears, and the very front side of the head that is closer to the forehead. Nits are also the same, though they stay mostly behind the ears, and at the back end of our head since blood flow there, is high and warm. Our crowns, behind the ears, and backs of the head are great places for sucking blood easily and that’s why lice stay there mostly.

Check yourself for lice

It is easier for one to check on others’ hair. However, that is not the case for one checking themselves. To check your own scalp and hair for lice, you can use two methods. Either use a mirror to check the possible places, although it is straining or use the combing method. Let us just describe both of them.

Checking in front of a mirror

In front of the mirror, use both hands. Separate the hair with your fingers and make a way all way down. As you part your hair, keep your eyes locked on the mirror. The hair parting will help you have a wide and clear vision of the scalp and roots of your hair. Look for the small or big lice crawling here and there or staying still on the scalp. They are way small than a sesame seed. However, don’t mistake dandruff for lice. The color of a louse varies. It can be pitch black or yellowish-white, or sometimes white.

Check behind your ears and check if you can see any lice or nits. Staring hard at the mirror for a long time may strain your eyes. 

If you have someone who can check your head for lice, feel free to ask for their help. They can see the places where you cannot see even using both front and back mirrors.

Use a comb

Combing is the best way to check for lice. You can even get rid of a few on the way if you have any. It’s like killing two birds with a stone. There are different types of lice combs you can find at any store or super shop. However, metal combs work the best, even though they hurt a little. 

• Section your hair in two parts.
• Use a regular comb to get rid of any tangles you may have.
• Comb your hair from the root to all the way down with the lice comb. Do it a few times and you will see whether you have any lice or not. If you have lice, they will come down with every combing. If not, congratulations.

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