Is It Lice or Super Lice?

Are you scratching your head wondering, what even are super lice? It’s an understandable question as super lice become more and more common.

Since the first pesticide-based lice treatments were developed in the 1970s, lice have adapted. Over the years they’ve built a genetic resistance to traditional ingredients in common over-the-counter (OTC) pesticide lice treatment products. This genetic mutation has made over-the-counter treatments that contain pesticides, like permethrin or pyrethrin, less effective. These pesticide-resistant lice are called super lice and have become the dominant type of lice, present in at least 48 states.

Super lice may sound dramatic, but they’re ultimately not that different from the insects we call lice.

Like lice, super lice are parasitic insects that can live on the scalp and feed on human blood. They also spread in the same way as regular lice. Lice and super lice cannot fly or jump, but they can crawl very quickly. To help keep lice from spreading, avoid head-to-head contact and don’t share  personal items with someone who has lice. The symptoms of super lice are also the same as regular lice. The most common sign of a lice infestation is itching, but they can also cause no symptoms at all.

Ultimately, the main difference between regular head lice and super lice is which treatments can kill them. Because super lice look the same as regular head lice, be sure to use a lice treatment that is proven to kill super lice.

To ensure your lice treatment product is proven to be effective against super lice, reach for any of our RID SUPER MAX Lice Treatment Kits. Products like the SUPER MAX Lice Treatment Solution available in the RID SUPER MAX 5-in-1 Treat & Defend Complete Lice Treatment Kit or the RID SUPER MAX Sensitive Skin Lice Treatment Kit are both clinically shown to be 2X MORE EFFECTIVE than the leading permethrin-based lice treatment.*

For prescription strength lice treatment without the prescription, try RID One & Done Lice Treatment. Formulated with Ivermectin 0.5%, RID One & Done is clinically proven with just one application and with no nit combing required.

Learn more about effectively treating lice.

*Clinical Study on File: RID^® SUPER MAX Lice Treatment Solution versus leading pesticide hair treatment (Permethrin 1% Crème Rinse)