Head lice facts

The CDC numbers

According to the CDC, an estimated 6 to 12 million children ages 3 to 11 are infested with head lice each year in the US. Because parents and older children often contract lice too, the real number of annual cases is unknown.

Super lice are real

Super lice make it almost impossible to get rid of lice yourself. They evolved from nearly 50 years of repeated exposure to the chemicals in popular over-the-counter (OTC) products, building resistance to virtually all similar treatments. Most people are simply wasting money on OTC products, and prolonging the misery, since it can take a week or more to realize a treatment has failed. Our process kills 100% of lice, even super lice, every time.

The real cost of DIY

Doing it yourself can quickly become more expensive than a professional treatment. Even non-resistant lice require multiple OTC treatments over several weeks because those products can't kill eggs, and the costs (and frustration) add up fast.

What lice and nits look like

An adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan; the color varies with your hair color. Nymphs (baby lice) are smaller and can be black, clear, or blood-red. Nits (eggs) look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots and are glued to the hair shaft, usually within ¼ inch of the scalp, very difficult to remove.

The life cycle

Eggs are laid by adult females and hatch into nymphs in 4 to 10 days. Nymphs mature into adults about a week later. Adult lice live around 30 days on a head, and a female lays 4 to 8 eggs per day, 100 or more in her lifetime. Off a host, lice typically die within 24 hours.

How lice spread

Head lice spread through direct head-to-head contact with an infested person. They can occasionally transfer via shared hats, hair ties, scarves, or pillows, though that's rare. Avoid head-to-head contact and sharing combs, brushes, and towels, and machine-wash and high-heat dry items used in the previous 2 days.