If your child has head lice is it really obvious?

[confusedlots]

DD has had little flakes in her hair for months and I’ve just thought it was flaky scalp and didn’t look much more at it. No itching or any other symptoms. It was really noticeable when I was brushing her hair the other day and now I’m wondering if it’s headline? When I googled it said that if it was flaky scalp the flakes would be on the scalp, but with head lice they are attached to the shaft of the hair.

Her’s are on the shaft of her hair, but easily removed and when I try to look at it up close on my finger I think it looks more flaky, but it’s so small it’s hard to tell. But there’s loads of it throughout her hair and I’m worried that maybe it is head lice? But surely it would be more obvious if it was?

If it was lice they would definitely be obvious… little black dots but then bigger ones too 🤮

It sounds like dandruff at the moment, try combing her hair while conditioner is in, see if you find any headlice

The eggs can be tricky to spot but they soon hatch out and the actual lice are unmissable.
It sounds like your dd just has a dry scalp/dandruff/cradle cap

If it was months untreated trust me there would be an infestation of epic proportions.

If it comes off the hair shaft very easily it is unlikely to be headlice

No it's not always really obvious. I suspected we had headline and couldn't see anything with the naked eye until I used to comb and they all came out. I did learn that the eggs are tiny white spheres that are stuck to the hair. If you blow them they won't budge. Dandruff blows away.

By the way, I suspect mine were at least 3 weeks old as the lice were of all ages and some were so big they were falling out of my head (that's how I knew to get the comb). I asked my husband to check and he said he wasn't sure but thought he could see something. I was riddled!

IME it's blinking itchy

DD1 has just had headlice and trust me, they are obvious! If it had been this long without you noticing she would be completely infested. I suspected DD1 had had headlice for about 3 weeks as some were adult sized ones by the time I noticed one crawling near her forehead 🤢. They glue the eggs onto individual hairs and they are nigh on impossible to comb out....the only effective way I found of removing eggs was with my fingernails.

You can see head lice like little lobsters/ centipedes crawling around
Eggs are clear and pearly and stick to the hair shaft.

If he had lice for months they would be bigger than a large fleas, you would likely have shared them via, towels, pillowcases, sofas, car seats, combs etc

If no one else is scratching by now it is unlikely to be head lice as they are extremely contagious.

Run a little olive oil on any dry scalp areas

Thanks, appreciate the comments, I think it’s probably unlikely to be headlice, but I will get a comb and do a more thorough check just to be sure. Have never had to deal with head lice with my kids so just wasn’t sure and was feeling a bit freaked out with all these flaky bits in her hair but think it’s more likely to be a flaky scalp.

Sorry it’s not always obvious on people with thick hair. I have a lot of experience with head lice through work and I was recently speaking to a couple of school mums who didn’t know their dc had lice until they got a not comb. Lice are less black now and are actually see through at times. Unless it’s a massive infestation you could miss them in light or thick hair. I have had to get a torch on some childrens hair see them. The eggs are also very see through. They stuck to the hair and can’t be blown off.
get a torch and check with a bit comb section by section.

Get a Nitty Gritty comb, apply conditioner and comb onto a sheet of white paper.

Pay particular attention to around the ears and nape of her neck.

50% of infestations aren’t clear at all because it’s only people who are allergic to lice bites that scratch…

I’ve found them to be not so obvious to spot, we had the same, I thought it was dandruff. But she kept itching and eventually I combed through and only then did I see them. They were not obvious in her hair to look at, they were a brown colour. I would comb through to check for sure!

Have ordered the nitty gritty comb and will do a thorough check, but I’m pretty sure it’s not headlice, fingers crossed!

Aarrrghhh now I do think it’s headlice! I did a close inspection when drying her hair after swimming and I think they are eggs attached to her hairs as they didn’t blow off with the hairdryer. But I couldn’t see any actual lice and she’s not been itching at all. Also, I’m sure they’ve been there for quite some time so I don’t really understand it at all as surely she’d have a massive infestation by now if she’s had them for so long?

Hope you're nitty gritty arrives soon so you can check! Some people don't itch as they aren't allergic to the bites. Really hope shes all clear!

So I’ve used the nitty gritty comb and lots of
conditioner and what I assume were eggs have gone. Also used the Vosene shampoo and going to be using the nit comb regularly to make
sure they’ve gone. I did also get some Hedrin so think I might put that in overnight tonight too. Never did see an actual headlice, only the eggs, and they really weren’t that obvious so I’ll be doing more regular checks from now on. She was never itchy but does have a few bites around her hairline and on her ears.