Lice in blonde hair can become a headache because it is extremely hard to spot them among the white locks! On dark strands, it is much easier to notice adult lice or their nits because they are typically white and you can easily see them. But on blonde hair, it becomes a tough task!
This is why we recommend you read this article very carefully!
We are going to tell you how you can check your hair for lice if you are blonde, what lice nits look like on blonde hair strands, and how you can get rid of them effectively and quickly. Also, we will share a few handy tips on how you can prevent lice from appearing on your hair in the future.
Ways to Check For Lice In Blonde Hair
What do lice look like in blonde hair? This is probably the question that every blonde person has asked if he or she has ever had to deal with lice in their life. Speaking of lice eggs, they are typically a tan color. You may say that one can easily notice tan-colored parasites on blonde hair but this is not quite so.
In fact, this is what makes lice and their eggs rather hard to spot in some types of hair! See, lice can easily adapt to the surrounding environment to survive. Once they find a host, they tend to change their appearance a bit to match the color of the host’s hair.
This is why lice can be tan, whitish-gray, or even dark brown, looking different in different shades of hair. This is an ideal survival mechanism, we agree, but it can make spotting lice in blonde hair especially challenging!
Those who have dark hair can spot these parasites much easier, and even if you have red hair, noticing lice or their nits will be less complicated than trying to find them among the blonde tresses. The task becomes even more challenging at the beginning of lice infestation in blonde hair.
Is it possible to spot adult lice or lice eggs in blonde hair?
Yes, it is! And the sooner you do it the better! Lice are parasites, as you all know. They attach to human hair and feed on the blood of their host. Another nasty feature of this parasite is that head lice can spread easily and quickly among people, including children.
And even though head lice typically don’t spread any disease, they can nevertheless cause a lot of other problems:
- Scalp itching
- Scalp discomfort
- Various health concerns like secondary skin infections
So we have prepared a description of a handy method of spotting lice that you should be aware of. You can easily use this approach at home to check your hair or the hair of another person for these parasites. But still, we would recommend you visit a doctor and have your hair properly checked and treated. So let’s go back to the lice spotting method!
Spotting lice will just take a bit of detective work. First of all, prepare all the necessary tools. You will need the following:
- a fine-toothed comb
- a hand-held magnifying glass
With their help, you will be able to look through your hair in small sections and then get those parasites out of there one by one. The scheme of action is going to be like this:
- Pay attention to the scalp first since this is where lice can typically be found if they are alive
- Also, don’t forget to take a look at the roots of your hair since this is the place where lice lay their eggs and egg casings
If you still can’t find any lice or their eggs with your own inspection but still suspect that you or your family member might have them, you should speak with a healthcare professional, for example, a primary care doctor or your child’s pediatrician (if you suspect your kid having lice). They will have a look at the scalp for a final diagnosis.
How Can You Tell You Have Lice?
As you already know, spotting these parasites on your hair is quite a tough task since they can mimic and adapt very easily, becoming almost invisible. However, there are certain symptoms that can clearly tell you lice are there on your scalp and hair.
- You have intense itching on the scalp
- You may have a tickling feeling from the movement of your hair
- You may see lice with a naked eye on your scalp, clothing, or hair. Adult lice may be about the size of a sesame seed or slightly larger!
- You may find lice eggs (nits) on hair shafts
- You spot lice nits around the ears and the nape of the neck
- You notice sores on the scalp, neck, and shoulders
- You have bite marks
Should you find any of these symptoms, you need to consult a specialist to get a final diagnosis and receive proper treatment to make sure you remove lice once and for all!
What Do Lice Look Like In Blonde Hair?
Now all the owners of blonde locks may start wondering how they can spot lice if these parasites are so hard to be found! If you have blonde hair, note that lice may look like specks of pepper or sand on your scalp.
Adult lice are about the size of a sesame seed and since they live on the human scalp, it might be easier to spot adult ones if you use a magnifying glass. Also, consider that living lice tend to be a bit darker than lice eggs.
What Do Lice Eggs Look Like In Blonde Hair?
With lice eggs in blonde hair, you may have more trouble spotting them since eggs (also called nits) are lighter in color, often being yellow or almost white! They can also take the color of their host’s hair. So spotting them on blonde locks is a challenge. To make it easier to find them, remember that lice nits may look like skin flaking, dandruff, or hair product buildup.
What Causes Lice Infestation On Scalp?
If you have lice, it is sad and it needs to be treated for sure. But in order to avoid lice in the future, you should know why they can appear at all. Like that, when you know where to expect them from, you will be able to easily prevent their occurrence.
As you already know, these parasites feed on human blood and can be found not only on the human head, but also on the body and pubic area. In general, one can get infested with lice by coming into contact with either lice or their eggs. At this point, remember that lice can’t jump or fly! However, they can spread in several other ways:
- Head-to-head or body-to-body contact. This often happens when children or family members play or interact closely
- Through closely stored belongings
- Through items shared among friends or family members, for example, clothing, headphones, brushes, combs, hair accessories, towels, blankets, pillows, etc.
- Through contact with furniture that has lice on it
- Sexual contact. Of course, this is about pubic lice only since they are usually spread through sexual contact and most commonly affect adults
And since now you are better aware of how lice can be spread and where they might come from, check out what can be done to avoid these parasites on your body and in your home.
How to Prevent Lice?
Preventing a problem is always better than treating and fixing it later. Preventing takes less time and requires less money and effort usually. It’s the same with lice. The rule of thumb is the following: if you want to avoid these parasites, make sure you don’t do the following things:
- Don’t store clothing that has lice close together with lice-free clothes
- Check your closets and lockers for any lice
- Avoid direct head-to-head contact with the person who has lice
- Never share your personal items like your comb/brush, hats, scarves, or your towel with other people, especially if you know they have or had lice!
- Avoid shared spaces where hats and clothing from more than one person are hung on a common hook or kept in a common locker
These tips will not provide you with a complete lice protection since these parasites are hard to avoid once they appear. However, with the help of these recommendations, you will be able to at least protect yourself and your family members from lice as effectively as possible.
How to Get Rid Of Head Lice?
The worst thing about lice is that they take quite a lot of effort and time to get rid of them! Treating your hair from lice is a complicated process that requires the use of different approaches and medications simultaneously. Typically, your doctor would prescribe you a complex treatment to get rid of head lice, which will include the following procedures:
- Taking oral medications
- Applying topical ointments, creams, and shampoos
- Supplemental measures, such as washing all bedding and sheets that have come into contact with the person who has lice
There are common lice treatments that have shown to be effective and people tend to start using them once they figure out they have lice. These treatments include:
- over-the-counter shampoos that contain pediculicides
- ivermectin
- lindane
- benzyl alcohol
- spinosad
- permethrin
- pyrethrin
However, we would not recommend you start self-treatment without consulting with your doctor! At the hospital, you will be thoroughly examined and they will find out which kind of lice you have. Also, they will find out how severe the infestation is. Depending on all this, you will be prescribed proper treatment.
But at least you can do a few simple yet effective things to pre-treat your living space:
- Apply essential oils diluted with carrier oils first to relieve the itching
- Washing your bedding and clothes
- Avoid any direct physical contact with the rest of your family
Now you know more about spotting head lice on your scalp and not only this. You are also aware of why lice appear and how these parasites tend to spread among people. In addition, we shared a few handy tips regarding how to get rid of them and what measures to take to avoid lice in the future.
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