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(408) 539-7246 | 1155 Redmond Avenue, Suite A, San Jose, CA 95120

We’re here for you even if you are
treating head lice at home

Today’s options for head lice treatment range from ineffective home remedies, such as mayonnaise or vinegar, to potentially toxic over-the-counter treatments that contain pesticides to professional services including professional nit pickers and clinics in the Lice Clinics America who kill lice with heated air.

A home method you can try is lice combing, also called nit-picking. You’ll need a lice comb (nit comb) and need to be prepared to do this night after night for a week or so. Or, you could come into our clinic, where our treatment takes less than an hour. Or, you could come into our clinic, where our treatment takes less than an hour. to: Good News – our products come with expert help and the below guide is a step by step process to help you get rid of lice at home. Of course, while you’re at the clinic, you could choose our professional lice treatment that is over 99% effective in as little as an hour.

You Will Need:

  • A lice comb. A regular fine-tooth hair comb will not remove the bugs or eggs. You can purchase a professional-quality lice comb from the Lice Clinics of America online store here.
  • A towel
  • An open container of water
  • Paper towels
  • A lint roller
  • A vacuum or broom

For comb-outs on individuals with long hair, you will also need:

  • A hairbrush
  • 4 or more hair ties or hair clips

Before You Begin, Prepare to Comb

  • Familiarize yourself with how lice and their eggs (nits) look. Lice and nits are extremely tiny, and extremely easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
  • Protect yourself and others. Tie your own hair up if necessary; wrap a towel around the individual’s shoulders; have a lint roller nearby to catch loose bugs that may fall out of the hair, and a vacuum or broom to clean up afterwards.
  • Get comfy. Lice combing can take anywhere from 45 minutes to more than 90 minutes per session, depending on the severity of the infestation and the length or thickness of hair. The individual receiving the comb-out will likely want to have a book, a toy, or an electronic device to help pass the time. Make sure that they do not wear headphones during the comb-out.
  • Don’t panic! Lice may seem scary, but they’re not dangerous. Hatched lice struggle to move around on any surface that isn’t a human scalp. They also can’t jump or fly, and they are not known to carry diseases. If a louse lands on you, it will not bite, but will attempt to crawl towards your head. A lint roller can act as fly paper and will remove any lice that end up on your body or clothing.
How to Comb Out Lice
How to Comb Out Lice

Before You Begin, Prepare to Comb

  • Familiarize yourself with how lice and their eggs (nits) look. Lice and nits are extremely tiny, and extremely easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
  • Protect yourself and others. Tie your own hair up if necessary; wrap a towel around the individual’s shoulders; have a lint roller nearby to catch loose bugs that may fall out of the hair, and a vacuum or broom to clean up afterwards.
  • Get comfy. Lice combing can take anywhere from 45 minutes to more than 90 minutes per session, depending on the severity of the infestation and the length or thickness of hair. The individual receiving the comb-out will likely want to have a book, a toy, or an electronic device to help pass the time. Make sure that they do not wear headphones during the comb-out.
  • Don’t panic! Lice may seem scary, but they’re not dangerous. Hatched lice struggle to move around on any surface that isn’t a human scalp. They also can’t jump or fly, and they are not known to carry diseases. If a louse lands on you, it will not bite, but will attempt to crawl towards your head. A lint roller can act as fly paper and will remove any lice that end up on your body or clothing.

DIY Combout Procedures

The first step in combing for lice looks different depending on the type and length of hair. For thin hair, combing can be easiest if the hair remains dry. Thick, coarse, or curly hair may benefit from being saturated with water first. Longer hair should be tangle-free so that the lice comb can pass through the entire length of each hair strand.

For all hair types and all levels of lice infestation, we recommend generously applying Lice Clinics of America Active Rinse to the entire scalp, hair, and hairline, and then waiting 10 minutes before beginning to comb. This step will kill all live lice in the hair and will make it easier to comb out the nits.

Be sure to part long hair once down the middle and again from ear to ear, creating four even sections. If the hair is especially long or thick, create up to four additional sections as needed. Hold each of these sections with hair ties or clips. You will be combing one section at a time.

When beginning to comb, keep in mind that viable nits reside only ¼ of an inch or less away from the scalp on the hair shaft. This means that the comb must be flat against the scalp at the start of each stroke in order to be effective. For long hair, let out the hair of one section, comb, and clip or tie it up again.

Start with the hairline and move inward, towards the center of the back of the head. Pressing firmly (but not painfully) against the scalp, slide the comb into the hair and pull it through the full length of the hair shafts. The more hair that is passed through the comb in one stroke, the more easily the nits can be removed. If the comb is stopped by a snag in the hair, use your other hand to pull the rest of the hair’s ends through the comb piece by piece.

On the first pass, fan the teeth of the comb out over a container of water. To confirm whether the debris you’re seeing is dandruff or lice eggs, watch how it behaves. If it floats on the water, it’s nits; if it sinks, it’s dandruff. Approximately every 4 to 5 strokes, fan the teeth of the comb out over the container of water or wipe it off with a paper towel to remove the debris. Unless a louse is removed, it is not necessary to clean the comb after every pass, as lice eggs cannot re-attach themselves to the hair.

Comb each area multiple times, in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal directions, until the comb removes no debris. Comb especially thoroughly along the hairline, behind the ears, and at the base of the neck, where you will find the highest concentration of nits. Repeat until the whole scalp has been combed through. For long hair, finish by letting each section of hair out and comb multiple times over the areas where the hair was parted, in all directions.

If you pre-treated the hair with Lice Clinics of America Active Rinse before combing for nits, and cannot find any remaining lice on the scalp, you can choose to skip this step—you’re done!

If you did not apply Active Rinse, a second round of combing is necessary in order to remove any live lice that may remain. The entire scalp must be combed again, but this time in a random fashion. Lice move quickly and will be trying to escape the areas where the comb passes through. Comb until you feel confident that there are no more lice left.

Now that you’ve completed the comb-out, take care to lint-roll your clothes, as well as the towel wrapped around the individual’s shoulders. If possible, have both of your clothes and the towel run through the dryer on high heat, or placed into a bag for 48 hours. If Active Rinse was applied, wash the hair thoroughly to remove the product. Sweep or vacuum the area to clean up any fallen debris.

Congratulations, you are now lice-free! That is, unless reinfestation occurs, or if you happened to miss combing out any of the eggs, in which you will want to do a second combing session 10 days later. To prevent the cycle from starting over, take care to avoid head-to-head contact with others, especially while hugging, posing for photos, sitting side by side, etc. Make sure that long hair is always tied up in a bun or ponytail, and that hats, helmets, brushes, combs, and towels are not shared. You can also regularly apply Lice Clinics of America Preventive Spray to help keep lice at bay.

HOW TO SPOT LICE

Lice Clinics of America
San Jose

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San Jose, CA 56789

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