About 6–12 million children between the ages of 3 and 11 are treated annually for head lice in the United States alone. High levels of louse infestations have also been reported from all over the world, including Israel, Denmark, Sweden, U.K., France, and Australia.
Because our afro hair is thick and dense, there are plenty of places for the lice to hide.
People will often find them behind the ears and on the back of the neck. The term nits can also refer to the empty egg casings that remain in the hair once the nymph has hatched. These are easier to see, especially on darker hair, as they are lighter, usually white or yellow.
Head lice have difficulty gripping onto coily hair. As a result, Black people with coily hair and others with this hair type may be less susceptible to head lice. Head lice are small insects that live in human hair.
However, for years, there's been a commonly-held belief in the Black community that Black people can't get or spread lice. It's not entirely true, but it also isn't entirely false: "The pediculus humanus capitis louse seems to prefer straight hair. Lice infestations are not as common in Black Americans," explains Dr.
Use fingers to separate hair and create a part. The part should allow you to clearly see the person's scalp. Look for lice crawling on the scalp where the hair is parted or on the hair shaft. The lice will be dark in color and the size of a poppyseed.
Wet-combing involves covering the hair and scalp in a white-colored conditioner, which may help brown or black lice stand out against the hair if the hair is dark. Using a nit comb, brush through the hair section by section removing all lice and nits, and throwing them immediately down the drain.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lice can look darker in darker hair. “You tend to see lighter, sandy-coloured lice in lighter hair and darker lice in darker hair,” says Faulkner. “But you can also see lighter lice on a dark head and vice versa.”
About 6–12 million children between the ages of 3 and 11 are treated annually for head lice in the United States alone. High levels of louse infestations have also been reported from all over the world, including Israel, Denmark, Sweden, U.K., France, and Australia.
White people get head lice more often than other racial groups. And girls and women tend to get them more often than boys or men because their hair is longer, says Dr Mervyn Elgart, emeritus professor of dermatology at George Washington University.