Start at the base of the neck and divide the hair into small sections. Lice can be difficult to see with the naked eye, using a magnifying glass can help if you have one.
Dandruff consists of white, oily-looking flakes of dead skin that dot your hair and shoulders, and a possibly itchy, scaly scalp. The condition may worsen during the fall and winter, when indoor heating can contribute to dry skin, and improve during the summer.
The good news is that dandruff usually can be controlled. Mild cases of dandruff may need nothing more than daily shampooing with a gentle cleanser. More-stubborn cases of dandruff often respond to medicated shampoos. See a doctor if over-the-counter (OTC) dandruff shampoos aren't helping, or if your scalp becomes red or swollen.
Dandruff isn't contagious or serious. But it can be embarrassing and sometimes difficult to treat.
Learn more here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dandruff/home/ovc-20215279
Ticks are small arachnids, require blood meals from humans or animals, and can carry serious diseases. Ticks do not jump, fly, or drop. They simply reach out with their legs and grab or crawl onto a host.*
If you find a tick attached to your skin, there's no need to panic. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers will remove a tick effectively.
Learn how to remove it safely here: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html
And check for symptoms of tickborne illness https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/symptoms.html
* http://www.medicinenet.com/ticks/article.htm
Bed bugs can be hard to find and identify, given their small size and their habit of staying hidden. Bites on the skin are a poor indicator of a bed bug infestation. Bed bug bites can look like bites from other insects (such as mosquitoes or chiggers), rashes (such as eczema or fungal infections), or even hives. Some people do not react to bed bug bites at all.
A more accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs. When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home, look for:
- Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.
- Dark spots (about this size: •), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would.
- Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.
- When not feeding, bed bugs hide in a variety of places. Around the bed, they can be found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard.
Bed bugs are not known to transmit or spread disease.
For more information, visit: www.epa.gov/bedbugs/