If you have curly hair, you might be wondering if you can still catch head lice. The answer: Yes, you can. All hair types can get head lice and no type of hair is immune to them. What makes head lice in curly hair more difficult is that nit combing is harder compared to straight hair.
If your household has members with curly hair, it’s important to know how to identify and treat head lice so that you can get rid of these pests quickly and easily!
Do Lice Like Straight or Curly Hair?
There is mixed information when it comes to what type of hair head lice prefer most – straight or curly. This Norwegian study found that people with straight hair had the least lice, and people with curly hair were in the middle. But this Patch article states that head lice prefer straight hair over curly hair. So what’s the verdict?
In our experience, we don’t see any difference between straight and curly hair. Head lice like both types of hair. In fact, curly hair can actually be more vulnerable to head lice because it tends to have more volume than straight hair. This allows the head lice to thrive.
What makes a difference is the head lice treatment you use. Chemicals that kill lice can dry out or damage curly hair because the hair is more porous than straight hair. Therefore, you will need to be very careful in the treatment products you choose to kill head lice if you have curly hair.
Managing Head Lice in Curly Hair
Head lice are very, very fast. They can crawl 23 cm in one minute, allowing them to move from head to head very quickly. They use their claws to run up the hair shaft and to the scalp where it’s warm and food (human blood) is readily available.
While curly hair is just as vulnerable to head lice as straight hair, it can be harder to remove lice and nits (lice eggs). For example, curly hair is more difficult to comb through because it’s thick and gets tangled more often. Some head lice combs have tight, small teeth that also won’t work on coarse, curly hair.
Fortunately, My Hair Helpers lice products work on ALL types of hair, including curly hair! Our products are safe and gentle – they will not harm your beautiful curls! They contain natural ingredients like peppermint, spearmint and tea tree oil. You can even use our products on newborns!
Other Tips for Addressing Head Lice in Curly Hair
Store-bought head lice removal products often contain harsh ingredients like insecticides that can damage curly hair. We recommend choosing products with natural ingredients that you can pronounce.
We also recommend wet combing your hair when it’s wet. Wet hair is much easier to comb through. Keep a water bottle in hand so that you can spray down your hair as necessary. Our lice comb works great in all types of hair, including coarse, thick or curly hair.
Finally, be sure to divide your hair into sections. This way, you can comb through each strand of hair and make sure that all lice and nits are removed. Many people with curly hair also have luck using a blow dryer because the heat helps kill lice, and if you use a round brush, it will straighten the hair making it easier to comb.
Target Lice in ALL Hair Types With My Hair Helpers
If your child has thick, curly hair and a case of head lice, rest assured that you can effectively combat this problem using natural ingredients. My Hair Helpers has everything you need, from dimethicone lice oil to trap and slow down bugs to foam mouse to loosen nit glue. You can also schedule an appointment at our head lice salon to have the lice professionally removed. Our head lice experts know how to work with curly hair without causing any type of damage.
