There's been a long-time myth that Black people cannot get lice. Well, that's not entirely true. Although the numbers are low, Black people can get infested.
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A study, shows that about 10 percent of White children got lice compared to 0.3 percent of Black children.
Why is it so rare?
There are several reasons that getting lice is rare for Black people. For starters, Europeans are the ancestors of lice. They brought it into America in the 19th century.
Second, the shape of African American hair plays a major part in lice being rare.
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White people tend to have a round-cross shape while Black people tend to have more of an oval shape.
Since lice crawl along a hair shaft and glue their eggs, this typically prevents Black people from developing lice because the lice have a hard time grasping their hooks onto the shaft.
However, there are lice in Africa that have adapted to the oval shape.
One myth is that cultural oils also play a role in Black people rarely developing lice. While they can serve as a deterrent, many patients who used particular styling products still developed lice.
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Now that we know Black people are not exempt from getting lice, here are the risk factors to look out for:
Risk Factors
- School, home, work and other places (sports activities, playgrounds, camp, and slumber parties) are the biggest places to develop lice.
Transmission
Lice can be transmitted through the following:
- Wearing clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair accessories worn by an infested person;
- Using infested combs, brushes or towels
- Lying on a bed, couch, pillow or carpet that has recently been in contact with an infested person.
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How to Prevent Lice
- Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact.
- Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms or hair accessories.
- Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. If an infested person uses the combs and brushes, you can disnfest them by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.
- Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person.
- Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person wore or used using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
- Vacuum the floor and furniture where the infested person sat or lay.
- Fumigant sprays or fogs are not necessary to control head lice. They can also be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Treatment: How to get rid of lice
While lice treatment for African Americans is primarily the same, it can be more time-consuming. Prior to treatment all hair extensions, weaves, wigs, etc. must be removed in order for the treatment to work because they can be a place for the lice to hide and seek shelter. Next, all live bugs must be killed or removed from the hair. No treatment can kill all the laid eggs, so those must be removed as well. Professionals recommend using a grade nit comb such as the Terminator for this.
Straightening the hair and using oils can speed the process up and make combing easier, especially for tender-headed people.
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Those that have dreads might have more of a challenge. In most cases, removal of the dreads by cutting is necessary to ensure that the treatment can be completed properly. The next option would be for the person to unlock their dreads before treatment. While there are a lot of products available to assist with this, most patients opt to remove their dreads before the treatment.
If you don't want to cut your dreads, try these options:
- Olive and Tea Tree Oil: Soak your scalp and dreads in a few spoons of olive oil and a few drops of tea tree oil. It's important to only do a few drops of tea tree oil because it is very powerful and can harm you if not used properly. Leave this on overnight and shampoo in the morning with vinegar and water. Blow-dry after. While this may leave your dreads feeling oily, it can be effective. People that have tried this method recommend doing it for two weeks to ensure you got all the lice out.
- Apple Cider Vinegar and Coconut Oil: The nits and eggs glue to your scalp so that they don't fall off. This solution will help unglue them and make them easier to remove.
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- Straightening Irons: This method has not been tested, but some people suggest that using straightening irons can kill the nits and eggs on the spot due to the high heat. When trying this method don't pull on the straightener as you normally would. Instead, apply it to your dreads a few seconds at a time to kill the lice.
If you do come in contact with lice, you can also contact your nearest clinic for the best treatment options.
