How to Tell the Difference Between Lice Eggs & Dandruff

A chronically itchy scalp is often a sign of an infestation of head lice. But determining whether the white specks in your hair are lice eggs, often referred to as nits, or dandruff can be especially hard since they share many common traits. Lice eggs and dandruff are nearly the same color, size and shape. They are also small, making it difficult to see the subtle differences that can be used to tell them apart.

Things You'll Need

• Chair
• Nit comb
• Magnifying glass

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Seat the person whose hair you are checking in a chair in a well-lit room. Check 2-inch sections of hair at a time, parting the hair as you go.

• 2

  Check for small, white to brown oval-shaped specks, about the size of dandruff, close to the base of the hair shaft.

• 3

  Pull at the specks using a fine-tooth nit comb or your fingers. If they do not come off easily, or at all, they are most likely lice eggs.

• 4

  Use a magnifying glass to get a better look at the specks to determine if they are smooth, oval-shaped and only attached to one side of the hair shaft -- a clear indicator of lice eggs.