How to do a hair lice check

How to Check Your Child’s Head

Step 1:
Gather your supplies:
• Your glasses (if you wear them)
• Pointed object (i.e. toothpick, chopsticks)
• A magnifying glass (optional)
• Hair clips

Step 2:
Find a comfortable spot with the most light. Explain to your child what you are going
to do.

Step 3:
You are looking for nits and/or live lice.
Nits are the eggs the lice cement to the hair shaft.
Nits are white, gray or brown in color and may be confused with dandruff, fluff, or
dirt. A nit will not move unless you dislodge it from the hair shaft with a nit comb or
your fingers.

Step 4:
Divide the hair into 4 sections and examine one section at a time by making parts
1 ¼ inch away from the previous part. Check the WHOLE head from the scalp to the
end of the hair shaft. Remember, lice are very fast and will scurry away from your
sight as quickly as possible.

Step 5:
If you find a louse or a nit, remove it and throw it in the toilet or in a plastic bag
which can be sealed and thrown away.

Step 6:
Because head lice are easily spread, at home, all household members should be
checked.