7 Things You Probably Don't Want to Know About Head Lice

By Joni Hubred-Golden

Sarah Casello-Rees of Rapunzel's Lice Boutique knows head lice. 

Casello-Rees recently shared information with Patch about preventing and treating head lice, along with these buggy facts: 

1. Head lice will not infest your home. They can only survive for a short period of time without a host; at most, from 24 to 48 hours.
2. Itching is an allergic reaction to the louse’s saliva. Most people–about 60 percent–are not allergic.
3. A female louse can lay around 6 to 10 eggs (nits) per day, which hatch in about 7 to 10 days. It takes the newly hatched louse another 7 to 10 days to mature and reproduce its own eggs.
4. Dried up lice and their nits have been found on the hair and scalps of Egyptian mummies.
5. A female louse only needs to mate once and can continue to lay viable nits for the duration of her lifespan.
6. Head lice can infest anyone, regardless of personal hygiene. They prefer clean living environments just like we do. 
7. A louse can hold its breath for up to 8 hours.