Lice Eggs Vs. Dandruff: What’s the Difference?

No matter the reason, having an itchy scalp can be a pretty miserable experience. There are a few different reasons why this might be happening, two of which are lice eggs (nits) or dandruff.

Though both may sound intimidating, luckily, both are pretty easy and affordable to treat at home. However, both look quite similar; sometimes, telling them apart can be difficult. In this blog, we’ll walk through the difference between lice eggs vs. dandruff and how you can effectively treat both.

Is It Dandruff or Lice?

First things first, let’s take a closer look at what lice eggs vs dandruff are, their common symptoms, and causes to help you know which one you or your child are experiencing.

What is Lice?

Head lice is one of the most common scalp conditions worldwide. According to the CDC, annually, around 6 to 12 million people are affected by it in the United States and it is more common in children between the ages of 3 to 11 years. 

Lice are insects or parasites that live and lay eggs on your scalp. They feed on your blood (which is how they can stay alive on your scalp for a while). They are contagious, meaning you can pass them to another person. Lice can be spread by sharing hair tools like brushes and combs, making head-to-head contact, and passing through soft surfaces like clothes, furniture, or bedding.

These annoying crawlers can exist in three forms on your scalp:

1. Lice nits/eggs: the nits are laid near the base of hair shafts by female lice.
2. Young adults/nymphs: after 8 to 9 days, these eggs hatch and appear as tiny lice.
3. Adult lice: After a week or two of feeding on your blood, these nymphs turn into adult lice and start laying eggs.

Head Lice Symptoms

Some of the common symptoms of lice in your hair are:

• Itchy scalp
• Red bite marks
• Lice eggs attached to hair like water drops
• Small black spots on the scalp

One of the first and most prominent symptoms that you will experience if you have lice is itching. Itching can be very intense, making it hard for you to resist the scratch, and it can also give you the feeling of something crawling on the scalp. 

What is Dandruff?

Dandruff, on the other hand, is a common chronic skin condition that causes tiny white or yellow flakes on the scalp that may fall on your shoulders and clothes. It is a less severe form of a scalp issue known as seborrheic dermatitis or cradle cap in babies. 

It usually appears on the scalp but can also be seen on the eyebrows and beard. The dandruff flakes that you see are actually the dead skin cells on the scalp. When, for any reason, their lifecycle is disrupted, they start to shed quickly.

This can cause them to accumulate and take the form of flakes. The good news is dandruff isn’t contagious and can easily be treated at home.

Symptoms of Dandruff

Along with those iconic flakes, there are other symptoms you may experience if you have dandruff, such as:

• Itchy skin
• Flaky skin
• Oily skin or dry skin
• Small yellow or white flakes
• Redness 

The itching associated with dandruff is a little less severe than head lice. However, you may notice that the itching gets worse when your dandruff flares up and soothes when it gets better. 

What Causes Dandruff Vs Lice?

Dandruff is believed to be caused by various factors, two of the most common being Malassezia yeast and dry skin. When your scalp loses moisture very easily due to any reason, such as extreme weather or eczema, the skin becomes dry and, as a result, starts to flake off. This is also known as dry dandruff. 

When the scalp starts producing excess sebum, either in order to keep the scalp moist or due to some other factor, it works as a breeding ground for Mallassezia yeast and helps it to thrive at a much faster rate. When the flakes and sebum mix, they appear as thick, greasy flakes. 

While dandruff is caused by things happening inside and outside your body, Lice eggs are caused by the infestation of head lice, those tiny blood-sucking insects. It is contagious and is usually transferred from one person to another through head-to-head contact. 

It can also be transmitted by sharing a comb, brush, towel, or pillow with someone who is already experiencing it. Even though it can not jump or fly, a slight wind can easily blow it into your hair like Spiderman.

What Do Lice Eggs Look Like Vs Dandruff?

If you’ve ever wondered what do lice eggs look like vs dandruff, here’s your answer. Lice eggs look like tiny yellow or white eggs shaped like a teardrop. Dandruff usually looks more like thin flakes of flat skin. Dandruff under the microscope looks like shredded coconut.

Head Lice Eggs Vs Dandruff Pictures

These pictures can help you tell lice eggs apart from dandruff. 

Difference Between Lice Eggs Vs Dandruff in Hair

How to Get Rid of Dandruff and Lice Eggs

Even though both lice and dandruff may feel miserable and uncomfortable at the moment, they’re both relatively easy to treat.

Head Lice Treatment

If you are wondering how to get rid of lice eggs in hair, here is your answer. Lice and lice nits can be treated with the help of 

• Use a medicated shampoo made for lice as instructed on the packaging or as prescribed by the doctor. 
• For lice eggs specifically, you also want to make sure you comb out any of the nits or eggs with a special metal nit comb, starting about one-quarter inch away from the scalp.
• Since lice nits can also live on non-human surfaces, you also want to make sure you thoroughly clean any hair tools like brushes, as well as any soft surfaces you may have touched with your head while you had lice.
• Avoid using conditioner while you are using a medicated lice shampoo or until the lice and nits are completely gone. 
• Avoid sharing personal items like combs, brushes, towels, hats, clothing, and pillows. 
• Avoid any activity that involves close head contact. 

Dandruff Treatment

Dandruff can be easily treated with the help of an anti-dandruff shampoo. Various over-the-counter dandruff shampoos are available to treat flaking, itching, and irritation. However, some of the common ingredients that you should look for in your shampoo are:

• Pyrithione zinc
• Coal tar
• Selenium sulfide
• Salicylic acid
• Ketoconazole 

Use the medicated shampoo for dandruff at least two to three times a week during a flare-up. On other days, you can use a mild Daily Shampoo to clean your scalp. You can also use a cradle cap brush to gently remove the loose scales from the scalp to prevent them from falling on your clothes.

For both lice eggs vs. dandruff, if the over-the-counter options don’t seem to be working, see your healthcare provider. They can prescribe you the best and most effective treatment plan according to your condition.

If My Child Has Lice, Do They Have to Come Home Early From School?

According to the CDC, if your child has lice, they don’t actually need to be sent home early from school. They can go home as usual at the end of the day and begin one of the treatments mentioned above. It’s also worth noting that personal hygiene or cleanliness at home has nothing to do with lice—sometimes, these things just happen!

In fact, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses have advocated that schools get rid of policies that require students to be sent home with nits—largely because sending students home puts an unnecessary burden on students and families and the risk of spreading nits is actually not that high.

Most nits are usually more than a quarter inch away from the scalp, meaning that they’re usually not viable or likely to hatch into live lice. Sometimes, these nits are even empty shells—but it’s often hard for nonmedical personnel to tell the difference.

So, if your child’s school calls to tell you they’ve found nits on your child’s scalp, you don’t have to panic. They’re not likely to be passed on to any other children, and they can be easily treated at home using the methods mentioned above.

Treat Dandruff With Happy Cappy

Looking for shampoo to get rid of the itchy scalp and dandruff flakes? Try Happy Cappy Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Body Wash, a gentle option that’s free of harsh, synthetic chemicals like fragrances, parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.

It contains Zinc Pyrithione as an active ingredient that helps control the production of Malassezia yeast on the scalp and eliminate the flaking, inflammation, and itching associated with dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. 

Key Takeaways

• Lice eggs and dandruff are both common scalp issues.
• Lice eggs are insects that infest your scalp and grow by using your blood as food. Dandruff is caused due to dry skin and Malassezia yeast.
• Both conditions can cause itching and irritation and may look similar but are quite different.
• Lice eggs are of teardrop shape and located near the hair shafts. In comparison, dandruff looks like snowflakes and sticks to the scalp.
• Dandruff flakes can easily fall off, but lice eggs will not. 
• A dandruff shampoo can help you get rid of dandruff. A medicated shampoo for lice, along with regular combing, is used to get rid of lice eggs.

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Dr. Eddie Valenzuela

Dr. Eddie Valenzuela is an award winning pediatrician and the founder and CEO of Pediatric Solutions, LLC.

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