Head Lice Prevention Tips

While it is not entirely true that black people do not get lice, it is a rare occurrence. Personally, I have had many close friends (non black) with head lice, and while the thought of it made me scratch my head for day or so, I have never had a nit make a home in my mane. It's a good thing too, I cannot imagine trying to get a nit comb through my thick hair! I also have never met a black person who has had head lice.

Here are the reasons most black people do not get head lice.

Hair type of black people prevents head lice: While lice in Africa have adapted to curly hair with a flat hair shaft, American lice have many other options. According to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources website, "Head lice found in the United States prefer hair that is round in cross section. Hair that is ovoid in cross section, such as the extremely curly hair of African Americans, is not as attractive to lice that are adapted to round hair shafts."

Grooming of black hair prevents head lice: As a child whenever a letter came home that there was head lice at school, the boys in my family would get a haircut, (close to clean shaven), and the girls would have their hair straightened. My mom said for the boys, it gave the lice nothing to hold on to, and for the girls she said no lice could survive a hot comb. (A metal comb heated on the stove used to straighten hair, much like a flat iron but with teeth). Many black people apply heat to their hair on a daily basis to smooth out the kinks and curls, making it a hostile environment for head lice.

Hair products black people use prevents head lice: Because African American Hair looks best when saturated with oils and conditioners, head lice cannot survive. Hair strands are slippery to the lice and the glue used to lay eggs does not stick.

So how can this knowledge help a non-black person prevent head lice?

While you may not be able to change your hair texture, there are still things you can do to prevent head lice.

head lice

Credit: CDC (public domain)

Copyright: CDC (public domain)