Irritant itch caused by headlice is something most of us have experienced. They look like miniature ants with the difference that they infest only human hair. It is to be noted that the term headlice refers to the lice that infect the scalp and neck hairs only. Pubic lice (infest pubic hair) and body lice (infest human skin) are the two other type of lice. There can be many more varities like these.

Even though these creatures are smaller in size, if observed carefully they can be seen with naked human eye. They appear generally in bronze to gray-white in color. The common misconception and belief of these lice are that they jump from a person to another person's hair, but in reality these lice can't do this because they lack hind legs to hop or either wings to fly. From, this we can assume that it is not viable for these lice to jump from person to person.

Headlice survive on human blood. They use their legs to grab hair follicles, and then make an incision into the scalp with their teeth to suck blood, thereby causing the common irritant itch that they are known for. Other than that itch caused by the the irritation to the scalp, headlice do not directly cause humans much harm. However the bleeding that is caused by scratching the itching scalp does greatly increase the probability of acquiring microbial infection.

Human headlice infestation methods have been widely studied. The most common way headlice are spread is direct contact between two people, one of which is a carrier of headlice. Sharing personal articles such as helmets, pillows, combs, towels, hats and so on with headlice carriers is another way to spread infestation.

Different types of lice removal treatments are available in the market today. These treatments soothe the irritant itch and eliminate the headlice. Some of these are lice shampoo, lice removal brushes, lice removal hair oils, prescription drugs containing malathion, lindane, permethrin, pyethrins etc.

All treatments include both "active" and "inert" ingredients. Active ingredients are those which target the lice and destroy or kill them. On the other hand, inert ingredients are basically means to carry the active ingredients. Inert ingredients include solvents, oils etc. and aggravate the toxic power of the active ingredients. It is always better to use a natural remedy for lice removal. However, the choice of treatment would vary from person to person depending on several factors. Good personal hygiene which includes hair-care goes a long way in protecting infection and infestation arising from these parasites.