There are various assumptions related to bed bugs like do they file or can they bite via clothes. Another such presumption is can bed bugs get in your hair? Well, this is true, bed bugs do live on hair as it is the right spot for them to stay hidden. Various reasons clarify why hair can be the perfect spot for bed bugs to live.
Though bed bugs don’t remain on hair for a longer period still it is good to get rid of them. Several symptoms can be noticed to know if bed bugs are hidden in the hair. Additionally, some steps can also help in controlling the infestation of these parasites.
Can Bed Bugs Get In Your Hair?
Bed bugs can be found in many parts of most homes. Have you wondered, if can bed bugs get in your hair?
Once you find a bed bug in your house, it is only a matter of time before they have taken over almost the entire place.
There are some classical spots that bed bugs hide in, but there can also be a number of places that they can adapt themselves to hiding in. Your hair might also be one of them.
Why Do Bed Bugs Choose To Hide In Hair?
Yes, bed bugs can adapt themselves to any number of situations and places, but your hair seems to be an unlikely spot for bed bugs to live in. There are a number of reasons for that, some of them are:
- Your scalp is not the perfect place for bugs to reside in. That is because there is no open skin for them to penetrate to feed.
- The long hair on your scalp obstructs their movement. Bed bugs are much more comfortable waking through thinner and shorter body hair.
- Bed bugs have short and stubby legs that might get entangled in dense hair.
- Bed bugs do not have appendages on their back, the kind that is visible in fleas, ticks, or lice. They will therefore find it difficult to hang onto the skin of the scalp.
It is therefore unlikely that bed bugs would reside in human hair. You might find them crawling through your hair, but they must be probably just crossing over while on the move.
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How To Know If You Have Bed Bugs In Your Hair?
Some tell-tale signs will be able to give you an indication of an infestation that might have begun in your hair. Though bed – bugs won’t stay in your hair for a long time, it is most suitable to get them out as soon as possible. Look out for the following symptoms:
- Redness and itchiness in the scalp, or formation of small bumps.
- A stinging or itching sensation when you apply shampoo or any other hair products.
- Red bumps or bed bug bite marks along your hairline.
- Shells or exoskeletons might come out when your brush through your hair.
- Eggs of bed bugs around your hairline or in your hair.
- The bed bugs themselves, as they might fall out due to the constant head movement or brushing.
- A peculiar smell to your hair. Though bed bugs don’t have a strong smell, they do release pheromones when in danger. The dense growth of hair around them might make bed bugs feel threatened, which will make it easier for you to detect them in the hair.
What To Do Once You Find Bed Bugs In Your Hair?
It is obviously not a pleasant sight when you find bed bugs around, least of all in your hair. There are, however, a number of steps that you can take to control the infestation building in your hair:
- Get a haircut – This is the most sensible step as it will get rid of a number of them. Even the mere process of spritzing hair with water and piling them up in different directions is enough to scare them away.
- Raise the temperature – Though bed bugs are resistant to heat, there is only so much heat that they can stand. Sitting in a steam sauna for about 10 minutes should be enough to drive them away. You could also use your hairdryer or a heat cap for a while to create a hotter climate for the bugs.
- Rely on specialist products – There are special products manufactured in the market. These have a targeted action on bed bugs and other pests. Choose any shampoo with permethrin or pyrethrin as one of the ingredients. You can pick up sprays, shampoos, or lathering gels.
- Rubbing alcohol – It is another effective solution to try. Mix it in water and apply or mix it in your regular shampoo.
- Use a nit comb to comb through your hair – This will get rid of a number of the bugs and also their eggs.
- Use An Oil – A pungent oil, like neem, turpentine, or gooseberry, will cut off the air supply to the bugs and also suffocate them.
Closing Thoughts
While bug bites are not of serious concern to your health, if you could not control the itchiness of these bites and end up scratching them, this would lead your hairline region and other regions of the body skin where you suffer from bed bug bites a severe bacterial infection.
So this cannot be treated at home or by natural treatments. For this, you need to immediately contact a doctor to stop the rapid growth of bacterial infection throughout your body.
The doctor’s advice is also important to confirm whether the reddish bumps you are suffering in your hair are the bed-bug bites only or if this is some other underlying health issue. Bacterial infection due to scratching of bed bug bites can only be treated by the doctor’s genuine advice and his prescribed antibiotics.
Also, Read –
- What do Baby Bed Bugs look like?
- Does bleach kill Bed Bugs?
- Where Do Bed Bugs hide?
- Does alcohol kill Bed Bugs?
