head lice

Loyal reader Ronisha writes:

“Hey,

I was reading your blog and you mentioned only straight hair getting lice, which is untrue. I work for one of the top lice places here in NYC. I’m African American, and although not to many cases are African American, I can assure you that we do get lice.”

Continued…

“I’ve seen the kinkiest hair get lice and it’s a complete pain to get out. The big misconception is that lice jumps from head to head, which is entirely false.

You get lice via head to head contact as long as you have hair and a bug crawls in it. That’s how it’s contracted. I’ve seen black kids get it with cases from 1-2 weeks to full infestations of 6-8 weeks. Hygiene also plays a part as well.

People think washing their hair will prevent lice infestation but that’s untrue again. I’ve gone to schools checking children of all ethnicities as well as teachers wearing weaves, and low and behold, there is lice in their hair weave.

Lice is very easy to contract. It’s simple as getting on a plane, hugging someone who has a bug in their hair, getting in a cab, or trying on a hat in a store, which here in NYC has become a huge no-no.

Although the child’s hair may be doused in coconut oil, it may be a little harder for her to get lice, but it can still happen. Hope this helps.”

Sent from my iPhone

*Email was edited for clarity