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Page Last Updated:
Monday, 17 October 2011
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Home>Council Services>Health Services>Head Lice
Please note the Knox City Council no longer provides a head lice treatment or education service. This page contains information on how you can identify and treat head lice yourself. There are also links to other useful sources where you can find advice On head lice treatment. There are some private head lice treatment companies that you can look for in the yellow pages.
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 What are head lice?
Finding head lice
Treating head lice
Preventing head lice
Things to remember
More information
| What are head lice? | | | Head lice are small, wingless insects that live, breed and feed on the human scalp. They do not carry or transmit disease. They have been around for thousands of years and, given the chance, will move from head to head without discrimination.  Top
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| Finding head lice | | Half of the people who have head lice never scratch their head so itching is not a reliable sign. Lice can be hard to spot because they move quickly. The easiest and most effective way to find head lice is to follow these steps weekly:
Step 1 Comb hair conditioner on to dry, brushed (detangled) hair. This makes it difficult for lice to grip the hair or run around.
Step 2 Wipe the conditioner from the comb onto a paper towel or tissue.
Step 3 Look on the tissue and on the comb for lice and eggs.
Step 4 Repeat the combing for every part of the head at least four or five times.
Step 5 If the person has been treated recently and only hatched eggs are found, you may not have to treat them again since the eggs could be from the old infection.
Step 6 If lice or eggs are found, the person should be treated.Top
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| Treating head lice | | The two preferred treatment options available for treating head lice are the ‘conditioner and comb’ method and the use of an insecticide.
Using insecticide products
Any head lice treatment product you choose should carry an Australian Registered or Listed number.
If you use lotions, apply the product to dry hair. For shampoos, wet the hair, but use the least amount of water possible. Head lice live in the hair and go to the scalp to feed. Therefore, head lice products must be applied to all parts of the hair.
Care should be taken when using these products:
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
• In children less than 12 months old
• In people who have allergies, open wounds on the scalp, or asthma. All products can cause reactions. If you are unsure, check with your chemist or doctor.
Insecticide resistance is complex and common, so you need to check that the lice are dead. If the insecticide has worked, the lice will be dead within 20 minutes. If the lice are not dead, the treatment has not worked and the lice are resistant to the product and all products containing the same active compound. Find a product with a different active compound or speak to your chemist or doctor. No treatment kills 100 per cent of the eggs so treatment must involve two applications, seven days apart.
The conditioner and comb method
If you choose not to use an insecticide, the comb and conditioner method described under ‘Finding head lice’ can be used every second day until no live lice have been found for 10 days.
Head lice combs
Head lice combs with long rounded stainless steel teeth, positioned very close together, are the most effective. However, any head lice comb can be used.
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| Preventing head lice | | | There is no product available that prevents head lice. However, tying long hair back and checking weekly for lice, using the conditioner and comb method, can help prevent the spread. Top
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| Things to remember | | • Head lice have been around for thousands of years and anyone can get them.
• Using the conditioner and comb method once each week will help your family control head lice.
• Head lice do not carry disease.
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| More information | | Visit the Department of Health Victoria website for more information on finding and treating head lice. You can also view or download an information brochure titled ‘Scratching for Answers’.
or you can contact them on 1300 651 160
Knox City Council has a limited number of these brochures. Contact us on 9298 8000 or email us at: Health Services if you would like one sent to you.
Visit the Better Health website for information about head lice
or you can contact them on 9096 0000.
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