Lice Check: Best Tools
There are affiliate links in this post. At no additional cost to you, I will be compensated if you click through and take action.
Doing a professional quality lice check isn’t easy. Especially when you don’t know what the best tools are to make the job as efficient and accurate as possible. Here’s a quick guide to what those tools are.
Lighting
If you don’t have good overhead lighting, an LED headlamp or bright flashlight will make it much easier to see what’s moving around on a dark scalp and identify what you remove.
Combs
A high-quality lice comb has metal teeth at least 1.5 inches long and very tightly spaced to catch as many adult bugs and nits as possible with each swipe. We prefer combs where the teeth are connected to a metal grip with solder instead of set in plastic to prevent the teeth from flexing and bending. Metal combs are easier to sanitize and have better durability after running through a hot dishwasher time after time.
A detangling comb, not a brush, will make quick work of knotted hair and make it much easier and less painful to use the lice comb, which can pull on kinky, thick, and or processed hair.
Lubricant/Hair Oil
Hair conditioner, coconut oil, or other hair oil traps the lice in place and helps the combs slide through the hair. It may suffocate some of the lice as well, but will not take care of all the nits. Don’t be afraid to really slather it on and soak the entire scalp and hair.
Photos
Taking good photos of what you find that you can send to a lice professional will give you a chance to have an expert take a look at what you’ve found and potentially save you a lot on money by preventing unnecessary treatment and time spent traveling, waiting, and being checked in a lice clinic.
Magnifying Glass
This is a huge help for those of use with imperfect eyesight. Use it to help tell if what you found is a tiny nit or just a piece of dirt or dandruff.
Paper Towels
Paper towels are the best thing you can use to pull everything you comb out off the lice comb and serve as a great background to inspect your findings for evidence of lice or for taking photos.
Arming yourself with the right tools will help you catch lice early and save time and money on treatment. Be prepared and you’ll always catch lice unprepared.