Head lice are tiny insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. Head lice most often affect children. The insects usually spread through direct transfer from the hair of one person to the hair of another. Having head lice isn't a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean living environment.

What causes head lice to begin?

A person gets head lice because the insects crawl from person to person by direct contact or by sharing items — including combs, brushes and hats — with another person who has head lice. Poor hygiene doesn't cause head lice.

Can you randomly get lice?

You can only get them through direct contact with someone who has it, or direct contact with something they've recently used. Because of that, it's actually pretty uncommon to get lice any way outside of head to head contact.