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How to Check for Lice & Nits — Step-by-Step Guide | Lice Treatment Portland

Lice Identification Guide
How to check for lice.

Stop guessing and stressing. Whether you're checking yourself or your child, here's how to do it — and what lice and nits actually look like up close. If you'd rather have a professional confirm it, head checks at our clinics take 15–30 minutes and are waived if you choose treatment.

Professional check
$45 — waived with treatment
Same-day available
7am–8pm, 7 days a week
Call for a check
971-484-1696

When to Check for Lice

When to check
If lice are going around, get checked.

Two strong signs you should check today:

  • Anyone in your child's classroom, daycare, camp, or close social group has lice or is talking about lice.
  • Persistent itching, especially around the nape of the neck and behind the ears. (But note: only about half of people with lice itch, so no symptoms doesn't mean no lice.)

Dry Check vs Wet Check — Which to Use

Two methods
Dry check vs wet check.

If you're in a pinch for time, do a quick dry check. If there's a high risk of exposure and you have time, do a wet check — it's significantly more accurate. We only do wet checks on our clients.

How to do a dry check
  1. Go to a well-lit area — bright daylight or a strong lamp.
  2. Use a rat-tail comb or pencil to part the hair at the nape of the neck, around the ears, and the crown of the head.
  3. Inspect the scalp carefully for adult lice, nymphs, and nits (see identification guide below).
How to do a wet check

Supplies: paper towels, hair conditioner, a detangling brush or comb, and a metal-toothed lice comb.

  1. Wet the hair and massage a small amount of conditioner throughout to prevent snagging.
  2. Hold the lice comb at a 15-degree angle to the scalp and comb from roots to ends in one smooth motion.
  3. Wipe the comb on a paper towel and compare anything you find to the identification guide below.
  4. Comb through the entire scalp in every direction, checking with the paper towel as you go.

A professional wet check takes 20–30 minutes depending on hair length, thickness, and texture. Expect your DIY check to take double that — one or two missed bugs or nits is all it takes to keep an infestation going.

What Lice and Nits Look Like

Identification guide
What lice and nits look like.
Head lice
Head lice size compared to a dime Head lice life cycle compared to a pencil tip Head louse on hair, close-up Adult head louse on a paper towel
  • Six legs, no wings.
  • About the size of a sesame seed when fully grown.
  • Translucent when not digesting; brown to reddish-brown after feeding.
  • Move quickly and avoid light — they scurry into shadows the moment you part dry hair.
Nits (lice eggs)
Empty nit casing on a hair shaft Head lice nit close-up Multiple nits close up on hair Non-viable hatched nit
  • Teardrop-shaped, about the size of a grain of salt.
  • Light to dark brown when viable; white when empty/hatched.
  • Securely glued to the hair shaft — if it flicks or blows away easily, it's not a nit (probably dandruff or hair debris).
  • Viable nits are usually within ¼ inch of the scalp where it's warm enough to hatch.

Why Professional Lice Checks Are More Accurate

Pro vs DIY
When to call a professional.

You can absolutely check yourself or your child — but even with mirrors and combs, it's easy to miss tiny nits close to the scalp, especially if you have light, thick, or curly hair. Lice move quickly and a single missed egg can restart the infestation in a week.

At Lice Treatment Portland, professional tools and experience make the difference. Our wet check uses oil to immobilize lice (they can't run from the comb), so we catch the nymphs and nits that visual checks miss. We'll show you exactly what we find on a white paper towel as we go.

If you want a definitive answer in 15–30 minutes, book a check. The check fee is waived if you choose to treat with us, so there's no penalty for being thorough.

Lice Check FAQ

FAQ
Lice check questions.
How do I check my own hair for lice?
Use two mirrors or ask someone to help — self-checks easily miss the back of the head, crown, and nape. A wet check with conditioner and a metal lice comb is most accurate, but it takes patience. If you suspect you've been exposed, a 15-minute professional check is more reliable than guessing.
Is it lice or just dandruff?
The flick test: if you can blow it off the hair or flick it away with a fingernail, it's dandruff or hair debris. Nits are cemented to the hair shaft and won't move. Nits are also more uniform in shape (teardrop) and located within ¼ inch of the scalp.
What if I find one nit but no live lice?
A single nit doesn't always mean active infestation — it could be empty (already hatched) or non-viable. But it's a sign someone in your circle had lice recently. Get a thorough professional check to confirm whether it's active or historical.
How long does a professional lice check take?
15–30 minutes per person, depending on hair length and density. We'll have a clear answer for you before you leave the chair.
What happens if you find lice during the check?
We'll show you the evidence on a white paper towel, explain treatment options, and you decide whether to treat with us. If you choose treatment, the head check fee is waived. If you choose to treat at home, we'll give you guidance on the most effective approaches.

Lice Check Service Areas

Service area
Lice checks serving the Portland metro.

Whether you need a professional check at our clinic or in-home, we serve families across the Portland metro area and Vancouver, WA.

  • Aloha, OR
  • Battle Ground, WA
  • Beaverton, OR
  • Bethany, OR
  • Bull Mountain, OR
  • Camas, WA
  • Canby, OR
  • Cedar Mill, OR
  • Clackamas, OR
  • Damascus, OR
  • Felida, WA
  • Five Corners, WA
  • Forest Grove, OR
  • Gresham, OR
  • Happy Valley, OR
  • Hillsboro, OR
  • Lake Oswego, OR
  • Milwaukie, OR
  • Newberg, OR
  • Oak Grove, OR
  • Oak Hills, OR
  • Oatfield, OR
  • Orchards, WA
  • Oregon City, OR
  • Portland, OR
  • Rockcreek, OR
  • Salmon Creek, WA
  • Sherwood, OR
  • Tigard, OR
  • Troutdale, OR
  • Tualatin, OR
  • Vancouver, WA
  • Washougal, WA
  • West Linn, OR
  • Wilsonville, OR
Stop guessing. Get checked today.

Same-day head checks are almost always available. We'll give you a definitive answer in under 30 minutes.

Call 971-484-1696 Book a check