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Visual Checks vs Combing: What’s More Effective?

Visual Checks vs Combing: What’s More Effective?

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Feeling a tickling sensation in your hair can be disconcerting, especially because then you can’t help but wonder if you are being attacked by head lice. If you suspect that you are dealing with creepy crawlers hiding in your hair, knowing how to spot the tell-tale signs of their presence is crucial if you want to treat lice symptoms in its earlier stages.

When proving your suspicions, there are some tried-and-true ways to identify a head lice infestation. Some of the most common methods are visual inspections and the wet-comb method. But this begs the question: which of the two would provide more accurate results?

Visual Inspection vs. Wet Comb

Head lice infestations are a common, albeit frustrating, occurrence in children. Parents can easily detect signs of lice in a child’s hair by looking closely at the scalp, but using the wet-comb method proves to be more effective at confirming lice’s presence.

Visual inspections often utilize an applicator stick, which is used to safely part the hair without running the risk of infecting other children. While it offers the fastest way of spotting head lice, the accuracy is only at around 70%.

While visual inspection can be a useful method when spotting a child with a highly active lice infestation, children that carry only a few lice can easily slip under the radar. Even a single nit or louse can pave the way for more lice, putting other children’s heads at risk.

Why Is the Wet-Comb Better?

Research has found that applying conditioner to children’s hair and using a fine-toothed comb yields better results compared to visual inspections. In an observational study involving 304 students, only 79 children were identified with nits when relying on eyes alone.

On the other hand, combing wet hair from the scalp down to the ends identified 91% of children in the test, proving that the wet-comb method is a more reliable approach to spotting lice in its different stages.

The Best Option for Detecting Head Lice

While there are two popular methods for identifying the presence of head lice, visual inspection and wet-combing, wet-combing has a higher sensitivity since it can easily detect lice even in its early stages. Although visual inspections can provide a quick pass for children in a classroom or other group settings, it can’t match the accuracy of the wet-comb method. Since wet-combing is the most thorough method, it’s the one you’ll want to use for checking your child.

Head Checks by Trained Professionals

Spotting head lice doesn’t have to be a tricky ordeal. Be sure to watch our video on how to check for lice, and don’t forget, at Fresh Heads Lice Removal, we conduct professional head checks for the entire family. If you are concerned you have an itchy head lice problem on your hands, visit our professional lice treatment centers in Orlando, Savannah, and Jacksonville to help you determine if you are dealing with a pesky situation.

Lice Removal Clinics in Orlando, Savannah, and Jacksonville

Fresh Heads Lice Removal offers lice prevention tips, head lice checks, and professional treatments. Get checked today so you can seek treatment before it spirals out of control. Call us or book your appointment online.

Schools Without Lice.

Schools Without Lice

Our mission at Fresh Heads Lice Removal is to eradicate lice from schools across the US. 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!

Lice vs. Ticks vs. Fleas: How Are They Different?

Lice vs. Ticks vs. Fleas: How Are They Different?

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Perhaps one of the worst things that can happen to a person is for their home to get infested with some form of insect. Even worse if their body becomes infested with a parasite such as lice, fleas, or ticks. Not only can an infestation of lice be itchy, but the discomfort can cause lack of sleep and other emotional distress.

As such, we have created this guide to highlight the differences between lice, fleas, and ticks, as well as how to prevent these pesky parasites from bothering you and your loved ones.

Lice

Lice are tiny, wingless insects that feed on the human scalp. This results in extreme itching for the host. It is particularly common among kids, spreading from scalp to scalp without abandon. It is the bane of many parents, as it can be incredibly difficult to deal with.

Adult lice are about the size and shape of sesame seeds, and lice eggs resemble small white or yellowish specks. Unlike dandruff flakes, they cannot be brushed or rubbed out of the hair. They are frequently and mistakenly associated with poor hygiene—hygiene is not a factor at all lice’s transmission. All that matters is that two people have managed to get their heads close enough together to allow the lice to move from one person to the other.

A lice removal specialist can perform head checks to confirm whether your family has head lice. The wonderful thing is that treatment is simple and fast at a professional lice removal clinic.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas are tiny parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts, which are usually furry mammals. This means that they can live on the fur of your pets if they’re exposed to fleas in the wilderness or to other animals that have them.

Despite their tiny size, fleas are capable of causing quite a bit of discomfort, leaving small, red, itchy bumps from their bites.

Ticks

Ticks, on the other hand, live out in nature on the skin of wild animals. They can be found in shrubs and other forms of wild vegetation, and can transfer to both humans and animals. They attach to the skin of humans and wild animals by burying their heads into the flesh, feeding on the blood for hours.

If not removed, they will fall off on their own, but not before leaving a welt or bite that is itchy or sore. Ticks are also responsible for a number of diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease.

Prevention and Treatment

Preventing fleas and ticks is different from preventing lice. For lice, the best way to prevent infestation (in your children, in particular) is to make sure they avoid head-to-head contact, and to keep your child’s hair in a ponytail or braid in order to prevent uninvited pests from grabbing onto loose hair. Fleas, on the other hand, are prevented by closely monitoring your pets and giving them flea prevention medication. To prevent ticks, it’s important to wear appropriate clothing when hiking or in nature, such as long sleeves or pants that protect the skin.

Lice Removal Clinic in Orlando, Savannah, and Jacksonville

At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, we are an award-winning, science-based lice treatment center with locations in Orlando, Savannah, and Jacksonville. If you need help getting rid of lice that are bothering your family, book 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!