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Lice: Removing Nits From Hair

Topic Overview

Lice eggs stick to the hair and can be hard to remove. It is possible that if some eggs survive treatment and are not removed from the hair, they may persist or spread to someone else.

You can try wet combing to remove eggs and lice:

  • Wet your hair and add conditioner, vinegar, or olive oil. Then comb your hair with a fine-toothed comb. Comb for at least 15 minutes (until you find no more lice.) Repeat this process every few days. Stop 2 weeks after the last session in which you found an adult louse.
  • If you are using medicine to kill lice, you can use a fine-toothed comb after you've rinsed the medicine from your hair. The combs are often packaged with over-the-counter lice shampoos.

Wet combing is an option for infants who can't use lice medicines. Also, some people use a comb to remove eggs after using lice medicine on the hair or just because they don't like the look of lice and eggs in the hair.

Related Information

Credits

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics
Last Revised November 22, 2010

Last Revised: November 22, 2010

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics

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