How to Know for Sure if I Have Nits

Nits are lice eggs, which adhere securely to hair shafts and can be difficult to remove. You cannot have nits unless you have or have had lice. Nits do not bite or cause itching, as lice do, but they can be unsightly and embarrassing. Treating lice does not always eliminate nits; it takes a bit more work after you rid yourself of lice to remove the nits that remain. Positively identifying nits is the first step in treating the problem.

Things You'll Need

• Black paper
• Dark towel
• Lice comb
• Magnifying glass (optional)

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Instructions

• 1

  Pull a hair out of your head and place it on a piece of black paper.

• 2

  Examine it, looking for a white, oval speck attached to the hair's shaft. The longer you had lice, the farther away the nit will be from the hair's root. Be careful not to mistake hair lacquer or dandruff for a nit.

• 3

  Look at the hair follicle under a magnifying glass, if needed. Carefully examine the full length of the hair. The white globule at the hair's root is not a nit. If you still can't find anything, get someone to help you.

• 4

  Ask a friend to carefully check your scalp for nits. To make things easier, wet your hair beforehand, although the examination can be done with dry hair as well. If you don't want to ask for assistance, you can try doing this yourself while looking in a mirror, although it will be more difficult to do it yourself.

• 5

  Comb your hair with a fine-toothed lice comb over a piece of black paper or a dark towel. If you don't normally have dandruff and you see lots of white specks on the dark surface, you most likely have nits. If you normally have dandruff, you will have to examine the specks under a magnifying glass to be sure that they aren't just flakes of dry skin.