What is the difference between nits and lice?

Answer 1

A common misconception with this is that nits and lice are the same thing. In fact this is not the case, the truth is:

Lice are the tiny grey or brown insects that are found in the hair. The lice are about the size of a small seed (i.e. Sesame seed) and cling to the hair staying close to the scalp which they live off. These lice lay eggs which take from 7 to 10 days to hatch and each new hatchling takes around 10 days to fully grow to an adult.

Nits are the empty shells left after lice have hatched. It looks very much like dandruff but as it clings to the hair it makes it hard to brush out.

Answer 2

Dandruff is a skin condition of the scalp that causes flakes to appear and is marked by itching. When your body renews the skin cells in your scalp, the old, dead ones are pushed to the surface. In some people, the body renews the skin cells too frequently for the old ones to be shed inconspicuously, causing a mass amount of dead skin to gather on the scalp, resulting in the condition known as dandruff.

Nits are head lice eggs. Coincidentally, having head lice can actually cause or increase flaking of the scalp, resulting in or worsening a case of dandruff. You can recognize nits because they are attached to the hairshafts and are usually present closer to the scalp. They do not comb out easily, and even when pinched between two fingers and tugged on may still be difficult to remove.

Dandruff, on the other hand, comes out easily and is flat. If you can scratch your scalp gently or brush your hands through your hair and white flakes fall out, it is dandruff. If there are white spots clinging to your hair and you cannot seem to remove them, they are most likely nits.

Answer 3

The term "nit" is just another name for egg.

Answer 4

Yes, a louse egg is called a 'nit'. Now you know where the term 'nit-wit' comes from.