Lice don't care if hair has been colored. As long as a louse can grab on to a hair strand, it can make its way to the head where its food supply (blood) is. Myth #6: Lice like dirty hair. Head lice actually prefer clean hair since it is easier for the female to attach her eggs.
Hair dye may kill lice as it contains chemicals such as ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, which lice may be sensitive to. However, it is not likely that hair dye can kill nits, which will return as lice once hatched.
Hair color does not make a difference with head lice. Whether you have blonde or dark hair, you are as susceptible to lice as anyone else. So it's better to prevent the infestation before it spreads. Early detection is key to preventing a severe infestation.
Head lice are only contracted via head to head contact, and they don't discriminate. The tiny critters simply transfer to the nearest head that has hair, and in truth, they aren't too picky about color or type.
Hairspray makes it harder for the louse to grab hold. The smell of hairspray and the use of solvents (sad but true) in them can also deter creepy crawlies from finding their way in. Not to mention that if you're tying longer hair back, you've got a double whammy.
Where are head lice most commonly found? Head lice and head lice nits are found almost exclusively on the scalp, particularly around and behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head.
Lice and nits can't survive the high heat. It's true that lice and nits can't survive temperatures above 113°F (45°C). This makes them susceptible to any heat source, such as a hairdryer or the plates of a hair straightener.
There is no specific hair type that lice prefer. All lice need is a clean strand of hair to attach to. It doesn't matter the thickness, the length, if it's been colored, if it's straight, or if it's curly. It has been found that people with longer hair tend to report getting lice.
Lice don't care if hair has been colored. As long as a louse can grab on to a hair strand, it can make its way to the head where its food supply (blood) is. Myth #6: Lice like dirty hair. Head lice actually prefer clean hair since it is easier for the female to attach her eggs.
Suffocate the Lice
Soak your child's head in olive oil or coconut oil. Cover with a shower cap for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight). When ready, remove the shower cap, and separate the hair into small sections, then use a metal nit comb to carefully remove the lice and eggs. Rinse the hair well with shampoo.
Hair bleach contains strong chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, ammonium persulfate, and stearyl alcohol. Unfortunately, these chemicals still do not guarantee to kill all louse and will not penetrate the hard casings of nits.
The head lice may have become resistant to the treatment. If the treatment used does not kill the head lice, your health care provider and pharmacist can help you be sure the treatment was used correctly and may recommend a completely different product if they think the head lice are resistant to the first treatment.
Here's the short answer: all types. Lice do not care what color or thickness your hair is, whether it has been dyed, or whether it is straight or curly. Lice only want to find a strand of hair to which they can attach so they can climb up to the scalp in order to get their food i.e. your blood.
If your clippers have been exposed, you'll need to know how to clean them so that the lice aren't spread from person to person. This means that you'll need to clean and disinfect your clippers and kill the lice.
The lice will be dark in color and the size of a poppyseed. Look for nits near hair follicle about ¼ inch from scalp. Nits (eggs) will be white or yellowish-brown. Nits are often more easily seen than lice, especially when the person has dark hair.
Adults are not immune to head lice. In fact, if you have any close contact with children or even parents of children you can be at risk of catching them if they have them. Lice transfer primarily through head to head contact, so you would have to get close to the other person.
Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes. Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.
Firstly, it is important to understand that all types of hair can get head lice and no hair type is immune to them. In fact, curly hair is often more vulnerable to catching them because it has more volume than straight or thin hair.
Body lice, close relatives of head lice, die when exposed for 5 min to a blow dryer delivering air at 50°C. Researchers in Salt Lake City, USA (Brad M Goates and colleagues. Pediatrics 2006;118:1962–70) have assessed six different methods of killing head lice using hot air.
Typically, 10–15 head lice are found. The number of lice often depends on personal hygiene, for example, how often the person bathes, shampoos, or changes and washes his/her clothing.
Vinegar contains properties that kill and get rid of nits and lice. This mixture should be applied directly to the whole scalp. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of warm water. Next, distribute this mixture onto the scalp and cover your hair with a hair cap.
Lice move in dry hair and they may therefore be easier to spot, at least if there are many.
While head lice do prefer to be warm, the winter does slow the spread of lice. Nits won't hatch if they get below room temperature. Lucky for them they survive off the heat of their human hosts not the outside temperature.
Not everyone feels lice moving around on their scalp, but some people do. Dr. Garcia says that most of her patients say they “don't feel anything,” but others may get a creepy, tickling sensation as lice move around their head.
They don't stay living inside the dreads because there they have nothing to live on, they have no food. However, they can use the root zone a little further from the skin to lay eggs and breed (the baby louse is called a nit). Lice usually go to dense hairs where it's easier for them to find a hiding place.