Rumors about lice have been circulating since the highly contagious parasite first infested a classroom. Stigma has made it nearly impossible to know if lice like clean hair or dirty hair but it seems there is a good reason for that. As it turns out, lice are less crafty and less picky than we have been led to believe. So do lice like clean hair or dirty hair?
Years ago when lice circulated through school, the kids who had it were seen as gross and disgusting. Thousands of parents thought that keeping their kids squeaky clean would keep them from getting lice. Most of the time that was not the case and lice spread like wildfire, regardless of how clean a kid’s hair was. Some people began to see that lice like clean hair too and others still believed that having lice was synonymous with being dirty.
Do lice like clean hair?
Yes, lice like clean hair. They also like dirty hair. In fact, they just like hair. Lice use strands of hair, clean or dirty, to climb. They latch on and discreetly make their way to the hair follicle and scalp. There, they penetrate the scalp and feast on human blood 3x per day until they lay their eggs.
Some sources say that it’s easier for lice to attach to clean hair. Other sources claim that lice aren’t picky and will attach to any hair that gets close enough for them to attach to. This doesn’t mean that lice like clean hair. It also doesn’t mean they like dirty hair. The truth is lice just like accessible hair.
And that means hair close to where ever the lice are. Some experts claim that active children that spend time around other kids and on sports teams are often at much higher risk to contract lice than the poor dirty kids that were previously blamed for lice infestations. Lice spreads by close contact to any hair – clean or dirty.
Can you get rid of lice with clean hair?
Lice likes clean hair because it makes it easier for them to climb in some cases. It’s been said that lice can be killed by vigorous hair washing or by using questionable homemade concoctions. While some of those remedies will make hair cleaner, clean hair is good for lice. They are strong and usually have a tight grip on the hair strand they are using to get to the scalp. This means that a simple hair washing will do little to get rid of lice.
Instead it’s advised to use lice treatments provided by a doctor and to launder all of the personal belongings of the family member impacted. According to recent studies, lice have evolved and are now immune to most over the counter treatments available. Lice can not live more than a couple of days without a host so they don’t stay on clothes, bedding and car seats very long.
It is true that lice like clean hair. They like any hair that will get them to a person’s scalp for a meal.
