Head Lice

Bulletin 893-01

Nit-Picking Step–by–Step

The initial steps as a nit-picker are to take several precautions to protect oneself from inadvertent transfer of head lice from the infected person. Make sure that you do not touch your hair while nit-picking. If necessary, secure your hair with hair clips, bobby pins, etc. or tie it back. Remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists (rings, watch, bracelets, etc.). Wear short sleeves. A convenient, inexpensive way to protect one's clothing is with a disposable apron cut from a large garbage bag such that it is open in the back and has holes to insert one's arms. When you have finished nit-picking, remove the apron by folding the plastic into itselfnot by pulling it over your head.

Nit-picking is a "seek-and-destroy" mission. Be sure to have both hands free. Disposable gloves are neither needed nor desired; they are a hindrance to picking nits off of the hair. Do not be afraid to search. Just follow these 10 steps for nit-picking:

1. Work under bright lighting. If needed, wear magnifying glasses.
2. Shampoo the affected person's hair and rinse well. An option at this point is to then soak the hair with non-diluted vinegar, leaving it on for approximately 1 hour. The vinegar helps loosen the gluey substance that attaches each nit to a strand of hair. Rinse the hair to remove the vinegar, then shampoo, and proceed to the next step.
3. Put a thick hair conditioner on the hair to detangle it and to aid in searching for and removing nits. This also may reduce discomfort associated with subsequent comb.

   Figure 1.	Figure 2.

4. It is a good idea to cover the affected person's clothing with a disposable plastic apron (described on page 4) or a towel. Inspect 1-inch sections of hair at a time (Figure 1& 2). Use a specialized nit comb and one's fingers to start at the scalp (Figure 3) and drag nits to the end of the hair shaft , then off. Nits are particularly difficult to see on very light, blond hair, and you may need to feel along the hair shaft. The nits will feel like a grain of sand.

   Figure 3.	Figure 4.

5. After inspecting each small section of hair, wipe the comb with a moist tissue, which then should be placed in a bowl of hot, soapy water (Figure 4). Periodically flush the contents down the toilet.

   Figure 5.	Figure 6.

6. Curl up the inspected 1-inch section of hair with a bobby pin, then inspect an adjacent section (Figure 5).
7. Keep combing and nit-picking until all of the hair has been inspected and no more nits are seen (Figure 6).
8. Remove the bobby pins, then shampoo the hair thoroughly and rinse well.
9. When you have finished, throw away any materials used during the process or sanitize them as outlined above. (See Some Steps to Eradicate Head Lice in the Environment.)
10. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water, cleaning under your fingernails where lice or nits could be trapped. Rinse your hands well.

After the major "seek-and-destroy" mission, inspect the entire family every day for at least 14 days. Proper treatment of the individual, their belongings, and the environment does not ensure against possible re-infestation from an outside source. Each time that head lice or nits are found, start nit-picking again as outlined above.