The problem may not be head lice at all. Often we think there are lice when there aren’t really any there. We all start to itch as soon as head lice are mentioned.

There are other causes for itching of the scalp. Using head louse lotion can make these worse.

Using lotion over and over again can cause dermatitis, which itself makes the head itch.

When living, moving lice are found, they can almost always be cleared by using the right lotion. This will only work if enough of it is used, if it is put on in the right way, and if any other family members who have lice are treated properly at the same time.

A day or two after using the lotion, you sometimes find little lice still there. These have hatched out of the eggs since you put the lotion on, and will be killed if you put the lotion on again after seven days.

When you have got rid of the lice, you might still itch for two or three weeks. This doesn’t mean you still have lice. Check the head carefully. Remember, you don’t have head lice if you can’t find a moving living louse.

When you have got rid of all the lice, the nits (empty egg cases stuck on the hairs) will still be there. This doesn’t mean you still have lice, and you shouldn’t treat again no matter how many nits there are if you can’t find a living louse.

People who think their children keep on getting head lice may have made the mistakes listed above, and may keep on "treating" lice which have long since been cleared, or were never even there in the first place.

If children do really keep on having living lice, this is most likely to be due to not doing the treatment properly and not treating all those close contacts who have also been found to have lice. Remember, if infection really does keep on happening, it is almost always from a member of the family, or a close friend. It is rarely from other children in the classroom except from a "best friend".

If you still have problems, ask your family doctor, health visitor, local chemist, or health visitor if a wet-combing method to remove the head lice might help.