What to do if you have hair lice

Lice are very tiny parasites that can infest your hair and live in it. Lice are mostly contracted through personal contact with someone that has it or through sharing of personal belongings with such a person.

There are different kinds of lice that can affect different parts of the body but the focus here is head lice that can be a pain in the butt (hair) if you contract it. Lice are actually very common and have nothing to do with whether you have good hygiene or a sign of underlying disease either - they are simply pests.

How do you know you have lice?

Some very commons symptoms of lice are;

• Itching; One tell-tale sign of head lice is the intense itching from lice eggs hatching on your scalp. There is often the ticklish feeling of something moving on your head
• Sores - You can develop sores from over scratching your scalp and they can turn to wounds 
• Difficulty sleeping - This is because the lice are more active at night when you are at rest so it may be very difficult to get a good night’s rest.
• White flaky objects - which could be lice eggs (nits) can appear on your hair strands which are very difficult to brush out

Lice infestation can be very tricky because it often mimics the symptoms of other conditions like the flaky scalp, dandruff, or eczema. 

To check for lice in your hair, do the following -

1. Wet your hair like you are about to wash it, this will slow down the lice from moving about 
2. Run a comb through it slowly and examine the comb afterward
3. If you see movements of brown or whitish insects the size of a mustard seed (they are very tiny) then you’ve got lice.
4. You can also part your hair and look it in the mirror but this is more effective if you do it with a partner as you might not be able to see clearly.

How do you treat head lice?

You can treat lice with Over The Counter medication or shampoos that contain lice treatment (pyrethrin or permethrin)

For a serious infestation, however, you may need to see a doctor provide a stronger medication for you.

Once you have treated lice, make sure to decontaminate all contact surfaces by washing all hair tools, towels, clothes, and even your bedsheet to prevent re-infestation. 

Contraction of lice has nothing to do with your hair care habits and what not but you must do the following to prevent getting lice;

• Don’t share personal belonging with anyone, whether for hair care or not
• Always carry your hair tools to the salon and do not allow the stylist to use any sharp objects that aren’t properly sterilized
• Launder clothes regularly, don’t let them fester as that can be a hiding place for lice
• Care for your hair constantly by providing it with necessary supplements like our Hair Growth Gummies and hair products like our hair oils and butter to stay healthy and fortify your hair against lice. Taking care and paying attention to your hair will also help early detection of lice so you can quickly treat it. 

 

 

Ever had lice? How did you detect and treat it?