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What are head lice?

The most common symptom of head lice is itching. Sometimes the scalp also appears red. Lice eggs—also called nits—appear white, grayish-white, or yellowish. They’re easiest to see at the nape of the neck and over the ears. They often attach to shafts where the hair joins the scalp.

Over-the-counter products are the most effective treatments for lice. Some people try wearing petrolatum jelly or mayonnaise under a shower cap overnight, which is thought to cause suffocation of lice. Shampoos containing permethrin usually work quite well also.

It's important to remove the nits. Nits can be removed from the hairs by making a solution of equal parts of vinegar and water and then combing the hair with a fine-tooth comb.

Combs and brushes should be soaked in hot water for 1 hour. Clothing and bed linens should be washed in very hot water or dry-cleaned. Items that can’t be washed, like stuffed animals, should be placed in a tied plastic bag for three weeks.

Medications cannot prevent you from getting lice again. The only prevention is to avoid physical contact with people and objects that still carry lice.

Sources:
Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. William Morrow & Co., 1996.
Habif, Thomas. Clinical Dermatology. Mosby-Year Book Inc., 1996.
Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, Churchill Livingstone, Inc., 2000.
Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, B. Saunders Company, 2000.
Diseases and Conditions, “Lice.” http://www.mayoclinic.com. Mayo Clinic Health. Last accessed 1/11/2007.
Medline Plus. Medline, 2007.

This answer prepared 10/25/2000.
This information updated 1/11/2007.