The Life Cycle of Head Lice

The Life Cycle of Head Lice

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If you find yourself in the midst of a lice infestation and choose to try and treat the head lice yourself, it is very important to understand and address the head lice in every life stage, not just one. Most head lice treatments only attack one or two different life stages at a time, and if you only use those products, then you will continue to struggle with head lice. Understanding the lice’s life cycle from nit to adult will help you win your battle with head lice and finally be lice-free.

There are three very different stages of lice for head lice. 

Nit

This stage begins as an egg. These nits are attached to the hair close but not typically touching the scalp. They are super tiny when they are first laid but grow and become apparent in the hair the third day. The most common reason why most lice treatments fail is that they do not adequately attack these resilient nits. Currently, the only real way to get these nits off of their hosts’ heads is to comb out each nit manually. This stage can last anywhere from six to seven days. 

Nymph

After the head lice hatch, they will pass through this stage, where they are considered nymphs. They are adolescent lice here and are incapable of reproducing, spending most of their time feeding off of the host’s scalp, molting, and growing. Without the protection of their egg, they are the most vulnerable to lice treatments. This stage usually lasts for about ten days. 

Adult Lice

After the third and finally molt, usually about ten days after emerging from the egg, the lice is now a mature adult louse. During this phase, the adult lice can be affected by specific lice treatments. Still, the overall effect will vary from lice to lice, which is why many professionals do not recommend treating lice with chemicals. The adult lice will also now begin to mate and lay around six to ten eggs per day. 

The entire head lice life cycle lasts around thirty days. 

Going to a professional for your head lice removal and treatment is really the only for sure way to know that you have entirely rid yourself of your head lice infestation. Fresh Heads, a lice treatment center in Jacksonville, Fl, Orlando, FL and Savannah, GA, uses a technique and tools to remove all lice no matter what life stage they are currently. They are able to do this by using a state-of-the-art tool called the Arielle. The Arielle uses no chemicals or toxins but is able to rid all of your head lice in only one appointment. So, if you are in the Jacksonville area and currently suffering from a head lice infestation, make your life easier and your lice’s life shorter by making your appointment today!

Schools Without Lice.

Schools Without Lice

At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, our mission is to get rid of lice in schools across the United States. We’ve partnered with the Lice Clinics of America to create the Schools Without Lice program. Through this program, we provide school nurses and teachers with free screenings, resources, and treatments. Together, we can have schools without lice!

the head lice life cycle what to know

The Head Lice Life Cycle: What to Know

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Having head lice is a condition that can cause itching, tingling, or tickling on your scalp. While this is common, the idea of having stubborn parasitic insects crawling on your scalp, living off of your blood, can lead you to be at your wit’s end. Worse, they are contagious.

The good news is that you can get rid of lice, and all you have to do is to visit one of our head lice clinics in Savannah, Jacksonville, or Orlando. Aside from that, one of the vital steps to addressing your lice problem is to know more about these insects. In this article, we summed up everything you need to know about their life cycle.

What Is the Head Lice Life Cycle?

The life cycle of head lice has 3 stages, nit, nymph, and mature adult:

• Nit

The life cycle of a louse begins as an egg, or also known as a nit. It is a whitish-yellow color and is about 1 millimeter in length. To start the parasitic relationship, a mature female louse lays the nit firmly to an individual hair strand close to the scalp.

• Nymph

The nit hatches and becomes a young louse or a nymph after 7-10 days. It is tan or white and is usually between 1.1 and 1.3 millimeters in length.

• Mature Adult

After about 9-12 days, nymphs mature into adult lice. They grow to be about 2 millimeters or less, and female lice are generally larger than males. Adult lice live for around 3-4 weeks.

What Is Their Life Span on Humans?

The nymphs need food immediately after the lice eggs hatch. They crawl using their claws from hair strands to the scalp, and they feed on their host’s blood several times a day.

An adult louse can live for as long as 30 days as long as there is a readily available food source. Moreover, they can reproduce and even lay up to six eggs every day.

Can Lice Live Without a Food Source?

Adult lice constantly need a food source or host. Otherwise, they won’t be able to survive more than 24 hours or more on nonhuman surfaces, such as carpets, clothing, headphones, hats, caps, hair accessories, helmets, hardwood floors, furniture, and more.

On the other hand, nits won’t be able to survive without a human host. The warmth of the scalp serves as their incubators before they hatch. Nits that are forced out from humans will most likely die before they even get to hatch. After they hatch, they need as much nourishment as possible from human blood to survive.

What Should I Do If I Identify Lice in My Home?

Lice can be bothersome and annoying, and getting rid of them for good can be challenging. Therefore, the moment you notice that there are lice in your home, you’ll want to immediately perform head checks on all of your family members and seek treatment. After all infected members are treated you can wash your sheets and pillowcases.

Reach Out to a Lice Expert

Removing head lice with OTC lice shampoos or a fine comb can be time-consuming and ineffective. To avoid a full-blown infestation, seek out the help of lice experts right away. With their knowledge, experience, and skills, you are sure to have a lice-free head and home in no time.

Head Lice Removal in Savannah, Jacksonville, and Orlando

Fresh Heads Lice Removal is a science-based treatment center that specializes in providing professional lice removal in Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville and Orlando, FL. We use an FDA-cleared medical device and offer the quickest single procedure that dehydrates and kills both lice and eggs. Contact us today to book an appointment!

Schools Without Lice.

Schools Without Lice

Our mission at Fresh Heads Lice Removal is to eradicate lice from schools across the United States. We’re partnering with the Lice Clinics of America to create a Schools Without Lice program. Through this program, we provide school nurses and teachers with free resources, screenings, and treatments. If we work together, we can have schools without lice!

How Long Do Lice Live on Stuffed Animals?

How Long Do Lice Live on Stuffed Animals?

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Lice infestations can be extremely stressful, and the idea of having to bag away every single one of your child’s stuffed animals only serves to further add to your stress and exhaustion. Currently, the CDC recommends that all non-washable clothing and toys that have had contact with an infected person be sealed in a plastic bag and stored for two weeks. Parents often follow this guideline and clean their house from top to bottom only to find that they can’t seem to rid their child of lice.

Fresh Heads believes that the secret to ending an infestation doesn’t lie in deep housecleaning or bagging your child’s stuffed animals. Instead, we believe the secret to effective lice removal lies in treating your child’s head, not their stuffed animals, and understanding the lice life cycle.

Understanding the Lice Life Cycle

According to The Centers of Disease Control, it is technically possible to contract lice from a stuffed animal. This is true especially with one that has recently been in contact with someone infected with lice. However, they also note that the lice life span is less than one to two days once the parasites fall off a child or household member and are unable to feed.

The lice life cycle relies on blood and warmth from a human host to support survival. Without the warmth and blood of the human scalp, survival is cut short as nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week.

This means that once a louse leaves your child’s head, it’s timeline for survival decreases exponentially. So, while bagging away all your child’s teddy bears may make you feel better, it’s important to realize that it’s impossible for a louse to survive on their stuffed animal. You should put the greater focus on treating your child’s scalp, as seeking treatment for lice removal means that all bugs and eggs, nits, are eliminated from the hair- reducing the chances of re-infestation.

Lice Removal Service in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Savannah

Today, lice removal treatment is easier than ever, and parents can rest assured that they are sure to find an affordable option. Here at Fresh Heads we are committed to safely and quickly removing head lice so your child can return to normal life as soon as possible. We have convenient locations in Jacksonville and Orlando, FL, and Savannah, GA. Contact us today to learn more about the lice life cycle and discover more about our services and featured products can help you!

How long can lice live on a couch lice this one?

How Long Can Lice Live on a Couch?

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After receiving treatment for lice, often the top concern of parents is whether or not their child or family member will re-contract lice from furniture, clothing, or other household objects. Parents often wonder in fear, “Can my child return home after receiving treatment, only to lay down on the couch and start this nightmare all over again? How long can lice live on a couch?” The answer lies in understanding the lice life cycle.

Head Lice Life Cycle

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is technically possible to contract lice by lying on a bed, couch, or pillow that has recently been in contact with someone infested with lice. However, they also note that the lice life span is less than 1-2 days once the parasites fall off of a person and are unable to feed. The lice life cycle relies on blood and warmth from a human host in order to support survival. Without the warmth and blood of the human scalp, the lice life cycle is cut short as nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week. For this reason, the risk of your child getting re-infested from your couch is extremely low. So, parents, you can breathe a sigh of relief!

Steps You Can Take at Home

Spending lots of time or money on housecleaning in order to avoid re-infestation is generally unnecessary. But for parents who wish to further put their mind at ease and ensure that any surviving lice that may have fallen from clothing or hair won’t be able to find their way back into your child’s hair, following a few simple steps can help.

  • The CDC recommends machine washing and drying clothing, bed linens, and other items that the infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment. It’s important to use the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle, as this ensures that any surviving eggs in the lice life cycle will be killed.
  • Non-washable clothing (and toys and other items) should be dry–cleaned or sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
  • Soak all combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Vacuum the floor and furniture, especially where your child or family member sat or lay after infestation.
  • The CDC also advises against using fumigant sprays, citing their toxicity.

Parents can put the stress of lice behind them and rest assured that direct head to head contact is the most common way that head lice are spread—making re-infestation from couches or other furniture highly unlikely!

Professional Head Lice Treatment

Fresh Head is a professional head lice treatment center. We are an exclusive provider of the innovative AirAllé® Head Lice Machine, an FDA-cleared medical device that dehydrates lice and eggs in one treatment. If you would like to know more about how long lice can live on a couch, or if you are looking for a safe, chemical-free way to treat head lice, contact us today.