How to Check For Lice

If you're waiting for someone to get itchy, you’ve waited too long. When it comes to head lice, it’s important to perform regular head checks.
How to Check for Lice

Do I have lice?

If you’re waiting for someone to get itchy you’ve waited too long when it comes to head lice. With that said, not everyone is itchy from lice but by the time someone is itchy from lice it’s usually been there for a few weeks. It’s important to understand how most cases of lice start. The majority of head lice cases come from head-to-head contact from hugs, playtime, snuggles, posing for pictures and sharing brushes. You don’t get lice from a hotel room, public seating, the forest, from sand or dirt, or items in a classroom. You get lice from direct contact with someone that has it. So how do you know if you have lice?

Lice Life Cycle
Life Cycle of a nit and what it looks like on a hair

How To Do A Lice Head Check

We strongly recommend that you follow our guide on how to check for head lice and do a preventative head check twice a month or every other week. A quick combing head check done every other week is your best defense against an outbreak. Check regularly and you are sure to detect any infestation before someone is contagious and before other family or friends are affected. Whether you’re performing your regular combing lice head check or you have a suspicion that lice may already be present, the process is exactly the same. The best way to check is with a “Peace of Mind Ponytail Head Check” and a professional grade metal nit comb.

We also have a video version at the bottom of this page if you’d prefer to skip down to that.
  1. Start just after a bath or shower, so hair is damp.
  2. It’s best to use a detangler to make the head check a little easier. If you’re a former client then you probably have some additional CLC Lice Defense & Detangling Spray which helps keep lice at bay while also providing detangling.Spray then comb or brush all hair back like you’re making a ponytail or for short hair like Elvis.
  3. Ponytail Head Check:
    Medium to fine hair: Use your CLC Nit Remover Comb and CLC Combing & Detangling Spay for best results. Comb wet/damp detangled hair back below the crown of the head like you’re making a low ponytail. Starting at the top center front hair line. Comb the nit comb with the teeth of the comb on the scalp straight back until below the crown of the head and then pull the comb down the length of the hair. Overlap the comb with every swipe to ensure you don’t miss a spot, the comb is 2” wide, so only move the comb over 1”. After 5 or 6 swipes of the comb, wipe the comb into the paper towel to inspect for any nits.
    Thick Hair: Section hair by parting hair down the center so you have a ponytail on the right & left side. Follow the Ponytail Head Check instructions for each side of the head.
    Short Hair: With a regular comb (if needed), comb all the wet hair straight back. Starting at the top center front hair line. Comb the nit comb with the teeth of the comb on the scalp straight back. Overlap the comb with every swipe to ensure you don’t miss a spot, the comb is 2” wide, so only advance the comb 1”. After 5 or 6 swipes of the comb, wipe the comb into the paper towel to inspect for any nits.
If you find evidence of nits/lice there are several options for treatment. Unfortunately, over the counter treatments by big national brands are often not unsuccessful at treating lice leaving behind viable nits and oftentimes live lice. That’s because lice have mutated and these treatments are no longer as effective as they used to be.

If you’d like to treat yourself, then the best option is our guaranteed effective CLC’s Professional Lice Treatment Kit which has everything we use in our CLC Treatment Salon and everything you need to successfully detect, treat and defeat lice. You can buy it on Amazon, our website directly or if you’re in the Philadelphia area at your local independent pharmacy.

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Shop Our Products

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CLC Professional Lice Treatment Kit
$44.99
We guarantee it’s 100% safe and effective. Our kit comes with everything you need to ward off and defeat lice the first time. Even super-lice!
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CLC LICE ATTACK SOLUTION
$22.95
Our Lice Attack Solution (8 oz) defeats all live lice with the first treatment. It contains no pesticides and is safe enough to use on people of all ages. This one bottle yields approximately 4-8 treatments.
CLC LICE DEFENSE & DETANGLING SPRAY
$15.00
Developed and used daily in our Center for Lice Control Salon to detangle all types of hair. Combing Spray makes comb-outs easier and contains natural Peppermint oil. Can be used on dry or wet hair.
NIT REMOVER COMB
$15.00
This is hands down the best and most effective lice and nit remover comb available. It’s patented fine-tooth design ensures you can get every last tiny nit and makes it what professional nit pickers use.
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