Lice are small parasitic insects that live on the human scalp and feed on blood. Here is what lice look like at different stages:
- Adult lice are about the size of a sesame seed (roughly 2–3 millimeters long). They are gray, tan, or sometimes reddish-brown depending on when they last fed. They have six legs with hook-like claws that help them cling tightly to hair strands. Adult lice move quickly but cannot fly or jump
- Nymphs are immature lice that hatch from eggs (nits). They look similar to adults but are smaller, about the size of a pinhead, and are usually grayish-tan
- Nits (lice eggs) are tiny oval-shaped eggs attached firmly to the hair shaft close to the scalp. They can be white, yellowish, tan, or brown and often look like dandruff but do not brush off easily. Nits are about 0.03 to 0.08 millimeters in size and are glued to hair, making them distinct from flakes of dandruff
Lice are most commonly found near the scalp, especially around the back of the neck and behind the ears. They can also sometimes be found on eyebrows or eyelashes. Because lice are small and can camouflage with hair color, a magnifying glass may help in spotting them
. In summary, lice look like tiny grayish-tan insects about the size of a sesame seed, with eggs that resemble small, firmly attached dandruff-like ovals on hair shafts near the scalp
