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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The common braid, a French braid, a fish tail braid, or a crown braid are all excellent hair styles to keep your hair up and out of the way of others. Any braid type that keeps your hair pulled back and contained is perfect for helping to prevent your contact with head lice.
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.
Lice move in dry hair and they may therefore be easier to spot, at least if there are many.
Dyed hair doesn't repel lice and won't stop you from becoming infested if you come in contact with head lice again.
Myth #5: You cannot get lice if you have colored hair.
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.
Lice are attracted to the blood they get through your scalp – short, long, clean or dirty.
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.
Some believe that lice are drawn to dirty hair, or that they prefer the hair of specific nationalities over the hair of others. Because it is easier to spot lice in blonde hair, some people even believe that lice like blonde hair and are drawn to it more than to other hair colors. That is false reasoning.
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.
Do lice prefer blonde hair? Lice do not prefer one color of hair over another. They can sometimes, however, adapt their color slightly according to the characteristics of their host. That doesn't mean that they gravitate toward people with blonde hair.
Any braid type that keeps your hair pulled back and contained is perfect for helping to prevent your contact with head lice. A bun keeps all of your hair gathered together and pulled back out of your face, also a great style for keeping it away from lice.
Stylists sometimes misidentify lice (dandruff and oil buildup are commonly mistaken for lice), according to Monica Veley, CEO of Nitorious B.U.G. LLC and a stylist in Green Bay, Wis. Here are the characteristics you should look for: They're always teardrop-shaped.
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.
While you may feel comfortable with your personal stylist and confident in his or her ability to treat your case of head lice for you, going to a hair salon to seek treatment for head lice is not an option.
You may not experience itching until about 4 to 6 weeks after lice exposure. This is because the lice take time to multiply and cause symptoms of itchiness. The itching reaction is usually due to your skin becoming sensitized to the saliva that lice release when feeding.
Lice on pillowcases can be killed by heating the pillowcase by immersion in water at > 60 degrees C, by a hot wash, or by 15 min in a hot clothes dryer.
No one is immune, but frequent head checks help
Anyone can get lice, and personal hygiene has nothing to do with the likelihood of being infested, Rukke said.
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. Head lice don't carry bacterial or viral diseases.