What do lice eggs and nits look like on hair? - briefly
Lice eggs appear as tiny, oval, ivory‑to‑yellow capsules about 0.8 mm long, firmly glued to the hair shaft close to the scalp. After hatching, the empty shells—known as nits—remain attached, looking translucent or brownish and slightly flattened.
What do lice eggs and nits look like on hair? - in detail
Lice ova are oval, measuring about 0.8 mm in length and 0.3 mm in width. Their shells are translucent to whitish, often appearing slightly yellowish when older. Each egg is cemented to a single hair shaft about 1 mm from the scalp, using a sticky secretion that hardens into a firm, glistening attachment point. The surface of the shell is smooth, lacking any ridges, and may show a faint, curved line that marks the embryonic development stage.
Nits, the hatched eggs, retain the same attachment but become smaller, typically 0.5 mm long. Their color shifts from pale ivory to a darker brown as the embryo matures and after hatching. The exoskeleton of a nit is more opaque, and the shell often appears slightly cracked at one end where the emerging louse has broken through. The remaining empty shell may remain attached for several days, resembling a tiny, empty capsule.
Key visual cues for identification:
- Size: eggs ≈ 0.8 mm; empty shells ≈ 0.5 mm.
- Color progression: translucent → yellowish → brown.
- Placement: fixed to hair shaft close to the scalp, usually at the base of the hair shaft.
- Shape: smooth, oval, with a subtle curved line in viable eggs; cracked opening in nits.
- Attachment: firm, glossy cement that resists easy removal.
The combination of size, color change, and the characteristic cemented position distinguishes lice eggs and their empty shells from dandruff or hair debris. Accurate visual assessment relies on close inspection with a fine-tooth comb or magnifying device.