How do lice spread?

In the vast majority of cases, you become infected through direct hair contact.
Even a brief kiss on the cheek, or a moment when you are looking at the same screen, book, or game together, can lead to brief hair contact, which is sufficient for lice to make the transfer.

Head lice are genetically programmed to spread.
They seize every opportunity to find a new host.
An adult female louse only needs to mate once. She stores the sperm in her body and can then lay eggs day after day.

Therefore, it only takes one fertilized female or one unfertilized female together with one male to end up in your hair to become infested.
Especially fertilized females are very keen on roaming and actively seek a new host.

Transmission through swimming water

A louse does not usually spread through swimming water.
A louse can hold its breath for up to 8 hours and therefore has no need to leave a head underwater due to the risk of suffocation.
A louse also cannot swim distances. In the rare case that a head louse becomes detached from the hair, it can float well and, through the movement of the water, can end up in the hair of another person, but this chance is extremely small.

A common question is "can chlorinated water weaken or kill lice?"
Unfortunately, research has shown that chlorinated water will not kill lice. In a 2007 study, lice were found to become temporarily immobilized after submersion in chlorinated water for 20 minutes, however the lice recovered after being taken out of the water.
This means that it doesn’t actually kill lice.

Can I get infected through clothing?

In effect, no.
Lice have legs designed to climb from hair to hair, not to walk on surfaces.
They have very strong gripping claws on their six legs, precisely shaped to grasp a hair.


 

Climbing from hair to hair, they will never let go of the hair.
If a louse were to release from the hair and end up in the surroundings, it would die within a short time because it constantly requires the warmth and humidity of the scalp and the blood of the host.
Head lice would not have existed in our hair for at least 3000 years if they did not possess such strong survival skills, preventing them from accidentally or purposefully ending up in the deadly environment outside their host.

A louse has absolutely no reason to be on an object and certainly won't take the risk of seeking a new host via an object. However, there are three exceptions to the rule:

- Hairbrushes
- Hair ties
- Fur

Hairbrushes
When brushing, hairs with lice can end up in the brush.
Lice are photophobic and can hide in the small openings of the brush.

A louse cannot survive longer than 48 hours in a hairbrush. Only when a person infested with head lice has used the hairbrush shortly before, and a hair with a louse has ended up in it, can you become infected by using the brush.

When brushes are frequently used by multiple family members, there is a greater risk of cross-contamination.
In such cases, we recommend using plastic brushes that are made in one piece, such as the ‘Tangle Teezer’ or ‘Hercules Painfree Scalp’ brushes.
When you remove hair from these brushes, no louse can remain in the brush.

 

You can also put a regular hairbrush in the freezer overnight, but that is not practical for daily use.

Hair bands
When removing the hair tie, hairs with lice can become trapped in it.
A louse is photophobic and can hide in the small creases of the hair tie. The same advice for hairbrushes applies to hair ties.
Use plastic hair ties that are made in one piece, such as Invisibobble hair ties, and keep them free of hair.


 

Fur
In addition to the fact that real fur is cruel, it is also made of real hair, which could potentially lead a louse to mistake the fur collar for its host.

Who can get head lice?

Anyone with hair!
Regardless of whether you are a man, woman, young, or old.
However, they do favor warm, humid scalps.
People who radiate a lot of warmth or have a lot of thick (insulating) hair are generally more susceptible to head lice.
The reason why men/boys less frequently have head lice is because they usually have short hair, creating conditions where the temperature and humidity are too low for the survival of lice and their eggs.
They can still get them, but the louse will be highly motivated to seek a host that offers better conditions.
Even closely cropped hair is sufficient for a head louse to grip onto and attach their eggs, although the chance of the egg developing into a young louse is quite small.

What can I do to stay lice-free?

- The most important, and practically only way to stay permanently lice-free is to check your child once a week in a way that doesn't take too much time, and that ensures you don't miss anything.
This is only possible with our unique ‘Combing Method’.

Comb-screening this way every week, gives you a weekly confirmation of still being licefree.
If you do happen to find a louse, the infestation has had no more than one week to develop. The infestation is then still in its early stages without nymphs present yet, making it very easy and quick to eliminate.

 

Moreover, the infestation has not yet had the chance to spread to other family members or friends.
This significantly reduces the risk of your treatment being undone by reinfestation.
The earlier the infestation is discovered, the quicker and more assuredly you can get rid of it.

Thanks to our nourishing Comb Cream which is used in our combing method, conditioner is no longer necessary in your weekly routine, making the comb check hardly an additional time or effort per week.

- Wear your hair in a bun!
Loose hair, long tails, or braids are more likely to come into contact with another person's hair, allowing lice to transfer.
A louse is very flat and can easily maneuver between tied hairs of a braid or tail.

- Use plastic hairbrushes and hair ties where lice cannot nest!
Lice have climbing legs, not walking legs. They will only move through hair. However, brushes and ties often accumulate many hairs (potentially with lice).

- Avoid real fur!
Real fur is cruel and also poses a risk of getting head lice.
Fur is hair, and a louse can easily and quickly move into or onto the next fur collar.