Lice infestation is not due to lower economic status or poor hygiene in the home. Lice can infest anyone. While lice do prefer some hair textures over others due to the ease of attachment, head lice are equal opportunists, infesting people of different races, cultures, ages, and genders.
Eggs are firmly attached to the hair, close to the scalp. Head lice feed on blood from the scalp and remain close to their food source. Although an infestation is generally painless, lice may create skin irritation, leading to characteristic head scratching that could be the first sign of lice in children.
Close conditions increase the likelihood of spreading lice from an infested person to other individuals since lice can transfer only by crawling. As a result, school-aged children and those who work and live with them are most commonly affected by lice. College students are another risk group due to close quarters.
Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Lice Infestation
Although lice can exist in environments of all types, they must attach themselves to a human host in order to survive. Head lice can live on a human’s head for up to 30 days, and their eggs can survive for a period of two weeks. If lice become detached from their human host, they are unable to survive for more than a couple of days.
Young children are at a greater risk for getting lice. Risky behaviors that children should be taught to avoid in order to prevent lice include sharing items such as scarves, hats, hair accessories and other articles of clothing. Children should be gently reminded not to share hair brushes or combs, and encouraged not to touch their heads to one another.
There is no particular hairstyle that will prevent lice from attaching themselves, although wearing your hair up may prevent loose strands from coming into contact with other people’s hair or with a surface that someone’s lice-infested hair touched.
If you have lice or have come in contact with someone who has lice, the use of a lice comb and an over-the-counter medicated head lice shampoo may be sufficient to remove the parasite and rid yourself of any lice before they become an infestation.
With these precautions, you can be more proactive in avoiding lice. Remember that contracting head lice is no cause for embarrassment. With the right diligence, you can treat an infestation promptly with little disruption to your daily routine.