Head Lice Treatment Series - Part 3
Head Lice Symptoms - Find Out When You Or Your Child Might Have Head Lice

Find out common head lice symptoms you should be on the look out for, to catch any case of head lice you or your child may have quickly.

The most common symptoms of head lice include:

• Itching scalp;
• Uncontrollable scratching of the scalp, many times to the point of possibly causing sores on your head from your own constant scratching; and/or
• The feeling of something moving around on your scalp and hair

That is about it. Of course, just because you feel your scalp itch does not mean you have head lice.

I bet just reading this has made your scalp a little itchy, hasn't it? Your scalp can itch for lots of reasons, including psychological, or just dry skin.

Do not panic just because your child scratches their head once. People scratch their head.

What you are looking for is constant scratching, almost compulsive scratching.

Further, the more people scratching their head in a given location, such as everyone in your child's class, or all of your family members, the more likely the scratching is not just innocent dry skin, but a head lice infestation.

What Causes This Itching? - An Allergic Reaction

This itching is generally caused by an allergic reaction that people have to the saliva of head lice, which is injected into their scalp when the lice bite them to suck a bit of their blood.

Gross, huh?

What this means, though, is that some people will not have this allergic reaction and won't really itch at all.

For others it takes a while to develop the reaction, so you can have lice for a couple of days without knowing it until enough saliva starts to trigger the allergic reaction.

Finally, some people will have a severe allergic reaction and develop a nasty red rash, that sometimes even crusts.

It ranges between all these extremes, so you should always check everyone in your family if one person shows head lice symptoms in your home or in one of your family member's classrooms.

This post is part of my 14 part series on Head Lice Treatment. Start at the beginning of the series, and read it all if you need instructions on this right now. Don't panic -- learn the facts before you act!

Previous part of the series: Part 2: Share Your Lice Treatment Stories And Experiences

Next part of this series: Part 4: Head Lice Information - Know Thy Enemey So You Can Destroy Him!

Related Links At Household Management 101

Head Lice Treatment - How To Get Rid Of Head Lice Series

Health And Safety Tips For Your Family

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