Use a comb made for the purpose, ideally white so the lice can be seen easily and with teeth no more than 0.3mm apart in order to trap head lice – research has found detection combing was four times more effective than visual inspection

Comb through the hair using a conditioner, which can help make the process more comfortable

Ensure the lighting in the room is good

Make sure you divide the child’s hair into sections and insert the comb at the roots before gliding outwards

You are looking for a living, moving louse. They range in size from a full stop to a sesame seed depending on their age. When it first hatches, a young louse (known as a nymph) is transparent but after its first blood meal, it will darken to a greyish brown colour. Head lice live on, or very close to, the scalp and don’t wander far along the hair shaft unless encouraged to move to a new head.