Head lice are tiny parasites which live on the human scalp and hair. They feed on blood several times a day and they cannot survive for more than 24 hours away from their human host.

Nits are not the same thing as head lice. They are the eggs that head lice lay. They are usually oval shaped and about the size of a grain of salt. They are fixed to the hair close to the scalp while head lice move around the scalp and hair.

No. Head lice are not fussy about cleanliness and are not an indication of cleanliness. All they want is a warm head and blood to feed on.

No, you can’t catch head lice from birds and animals. They are “host specific” and only live on humans.

Head lice can only live for about 4 to 5 weeks. Since the females lay eggs everyday and the eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days it may seem like they live for a long time.

The best way to tell is to do an inspection of the child’s head. You may see actual lice or tiny white or grey specks stuck to the hair usually found near the scalp. Children often complain of an itchy scalp but sometimes there are no symptoms.

Yes, they spread easily from one person to the next person. This may be through direct contact (heads touching) or indirect contact (sharing a hat or brush). Head lice can crawl onto objects like hats and brushes but they cannot fly or jump.

There are chemical pesticide products like malathion and permethrin. Head lice are developing resistance to some pesticides. Another type of product is based on natural essential oils. They have been criticised for lack of clinical studies. NeutraLice Natural Lotion and Spray are one of only a few natural essential oil products that have been clinically tested and proven to kill head lice¹. Resistance has not been reported to be a problem with essential oil products. Suffocation products have a physical mode of action and kill lice by suffocating them. NeutraLice Advance is clinically proven to kill head lice¹. It is a low irritant formula. Resistance has not been reported to be a problem with suffocation products.

All the members of the household should be carefully inspected and treated if head lice or eggs are found. You should notify the parents of friends that your child has been in contact with so that they are on the lookout for an outbreak.

There is no treatment available that can kill 100% of the eggs in 1 treatment. The eggs hatch around 7 days after being laid. That is why more than 1 treatment is required to break the head lice cycle.