Nits are the eggs of lice. Three kinds of lice can infest humans. Lice deposit eggs on the hair shafts after feeding on human blood. They are attached to the hair streak or clothing with a strong glue. They are tightly attached to human hair.

Removing the nits is an essential part of treatment for lice. Lice need the warmth of a person to live. A person's body heat help the lice thrive. When then are removed from their source of warmth they die. By removing a nit the lice are killed. Lice need to be taken off or crushed to die. A special comb may be helpful to remove a nit because of their small size. There is also special lotions which help make removal easier.

Young lice have a life span of 30 days and they leave behind the empty egg shell attached to the hair shaft when they hatch. For weeks or months, these empty shells can remain attached to the hair. The empty shell moves further and further from the skin surface as the hair grows. Nits are found further than about a 1/4" away from the skin. They are already hatched or are dead when found.

You can identify live nits as being a darker color than empty shells which are white. A mature female louse lays her eggs on hair strands. She lays one egg per hair strand and attaches it securely with a natural glue. Each female will lay about 6 eggs a day for a total of 60 eggs per louse over a ten day period.

First reaction that comes to our mind when we hear about hair lice is a sense of shame which is due to misperception that dirty people have hair lice but this is not true actually. Hair lice survive on small quantity of human blood. These lice lie preferably on scalp, behind the ears and at nape of the neck.

The most effective lice treatment is a head lice shampoo. Nits must be removed as a part of this lice treatment. It's recommended that a fine-toothed comb, clear tape, and a strong light be used when searching for lice. It's easier to have a magnifying glass and to wet the hair prior to searching.