In the United States, infestation with
It's not that the pesky critters prefer children's blood to adult's. It's the simple fact that kids are in closer contact with one another on a daily basis. Young kids don't have much regard for personal space. Because of this they frequently commit the number one lice spreading no-no: head to head contact.
Head lice are a common problem, especially for little kids. But teens can get them too. They spread easily from person to person, and sometimes are tough to get rid of. Their bites can make the scalp itchy and irritated, and scratching can lead to infection.
Head lice are common in children between the ages of 3 and 11 years old. These pests are more prevalent in Caucasian children. They are more frequently found in girls than boys. Head lice live in all types of hair, whether it's curly, straight, dyed or natural.
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.
Yes, males can get head lice. Lice feed off the blood in the scalp and if they can get access to a boy's head then they will go there. In fact, because girls generally have longer hair, it is easier for a louse to find and climb up the hair of a female. Nonetheless, each year many boys are diagnosed with head lice.
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.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Introduce natural predators (Ladybugs)
Ladybugs can eat 100 lice a day! Plant lice, anyway, but I'm sure it's the same with head lice. COVER YOUR CHILD IN LADYBUGS. You can purchase them at any of those “Brew 'n Grow” type stores where people grow weed by equipment and pretend to grow tomatoes with it.
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.
Getting Lice While Bald
They find it difficult to feed and quickly die off. Lice may attempt to attach, but the environment is unsuitable for their survival. While bald people may become temporarily affected by head lice they often leave for a better suited host or die off. Thin or sporadic hair can still attract lice.
In the United States, infestation with head lice is much less common among African-Americans than among persons of other races. The head louse found most frequently in the United States may have claws that are better adapted for grasping the shape and width of some types of hair but not others.
A preventative shampoo and spray can break the life cycle. A shampoo that kills lice before they can lay eggs is critical for closing the “bridge” from one head to another.
The basics about lice
Anyone can get lice, regardless of age, social status, race or gender. Luckily, lice don't spread disease contrary to popular misconception, but they do itch! Lice are parasites that live off human blood. They leave their saliva where they bite, which makes the bite itch.
In the middle ages, humans couldn't get away from lice. They were an unavoidable part of their life and lice didn't discriminate; they infected all parts of society from serfs to royals. People in the Middle Ages took lice to their grave as well. They lived a life of itch, itch, itch!
Anyone can get head lice. They are not a sign of being dirty. Most people don't know they are infested until they see the nits or lice. They are found throughout the world, most commonly on children.
Head lice seem to be more common in Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian American people than in African American people. For example, fewer than 0.5% of African American schoolchildren experience head lice compared with about 10% of schoolchildren of other races.
Body lice infestations (pediculosis) are spread most commonly by close person-to-person contact but are generally limited to persons who live under conditions of crowding and poor hygiene (for example, the homeless, refugees, etc.).
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. Head lice or head lice nits sometimes are found on the eyelashes or eyebrows but this is uncommon.
Shaving Will Not Get Rid of Lice.
The reason shaving will not work is because lice live on the base of the hair, and on the scalp. The nits are laid right at the base of the hair oftentimes against the scalp. Shaving will not get close enough to make an impact on the lice and nits.
It may be possible to have nits but no lice. If a person cannot find any nymphs or adult lice in the scalp and the nits are more than a quarter of an inch from the scalp, these may be dead and from an old infestation. However, the lice could be in hiding.
You may never know where your case of lice came from, but it started when either a pregnant louse or two live bugs made their way to your human head through head-to-head contact with another human head hosting an active case. If you just have eggs, then there was at one time one pregnant louse on your 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.
Lice can be prevented due to the same antiseptic properties through the use of lavender shampoo or by adding lavender oil to other shampoo. Because of the lower concentration of terpenoids, lavender oil shampoos are much safer to use than tea tree oils and provokes very few skin irritations.