Bed bugs are gross, there is no denying that. Having them in your bed where you sleep is bad enough, but when they are on your body and especially in your hair, that is the final straw!
Can Bed Bugs get in your hair?
The short answer is yes, but there is a little bit more to this. Bed bugs actually don't prefer to be on your body at all, especially in your hair, where it's difficult to navigate. Bed bugs prefer to be in dark, difficult to reach areas of your home, and bedroom, where they can hide.
They want to be close to you, because they need to feed, but prefer to hide-out when not feeding. The only time you'll generally find bed bugs on your skin is when they're feeding, otherwise, they are hiding somewhere else.
In the process of traveling to feed, or in the proces of actually feeding, it is possible for bed bugs to be in your hair. But, it's very unlikely, according to industry bed bug experts, for bed bugs to stay in your hair, nest, or lay eggs. More than likely, if you see bugs or signs of bugs in your hair, it's lice, fleas, ticks, or chiggers.
There have been many reports on the contrary from people that were severely infested by bed bugs. They swear that they have bed bugs living in the hair, and have even found eggs!
One thing to be aware of, is that while bed bugs are feeding at night, than can molt, meaning they drop their old skin (this is part of the bed bug lifecyle).
If you have a serious bed bug infestation, you may find this old bed bug skin in your hair. This does not mean that bed bugs are living in your hair, just that they've been through it.
Bed Bug Bites in your Hair
While bed bugs generally prefer to feed on exposed areas of your skin, they can and will also feed from your scalp.
While difficult to see, bed bug bites on your head and in your hair, will still itch, and often even more intensly due to your scalp having more nerves, and thinner skin.
Bed Bug Bites in your hair, should be treated the same as bed bug bites on the rest of your body.
How to get bed bugs out of your hair?
If you do think or know that you have bed bugs in your hair, the first thing you'll want to is wash your hair thoroughly, with hot water and shampoo.
Immediately after that, wash all of your clothes and linens, then dry them on the hottest temperature to be sure any live bed bugs or their eggs will be killed.
If after thoroughly washing and rinsing your hair in hot water, you still find you have bed bugs, we would recommend seeking out a medical professional, who can provide special shampoo that contains a safe insecticide.
NEVER treat your hair or body with any of treatment products we recommend here on our website. Doing so could be life threatening.
If you prefer to try to treat the problem yourself, before seeking out medical attention, here are a few ideas that others have found successful at getting bed bugs out of your hair:
- Mix 91% Isopropyl Alchohol into your shampoo. Alchohol can kill bed bugs, but you may need to repeat this treatment a few times. Warning, it will dry out your hair.
- Visit a local spa that has a Sauna that exceeds temperatures of 113 degrees Farenheit. Exposure to these temperatures will kill bed bugs and their eggs. Wash thoroughly after with soap and shampoo.
- Thoroughly wash your hair with hot water and a strong shampoo. After washing, comb your hair thoroughly over a sink to remove any bed bugs and their eggs. If you find any, repeat this process until your hair is combed clean. This process is indentical to the process used to remove lice.
- If you have a beard, we recommend shaving it off. If you can't or won't do that, you'll need to treat your beard like your hair and follow the same steps to remove bed bugs.
- Mix Essential Oils, like Almond Oil, Cedar Oil, or Peppermint Oil into your shampoo. Wash thoroughly. These essential oils can repel and kill bed bugs.
Get Rid of Bed Bugs in your Home First!
If you have signs of bed bugs in your hair, or have actual bed bugs in your hair, both are signifiant signs that you have a fairly serious bed bugs infestation in your home.
While you can wash and wash your hair, as long as you are being visited nightly, and bitten by bed bugs, your problem will not go away.
To get rid of bed bugs from your hair, you must first get rid of bed bugs from your home, and then put preventative measures in place to both monitor your home and to keep from reintroducing them.
For assistance with removing bed bugs from your home, you'll find the following articles helpful:
Wrapping Up
While it's possible bed bugs could be in your hair, it's unlikely, due to the bed bugs instinctually wanting to hide when not feeding. Even more unlikely is that bed bugs are living in and nesting in your hair. Your head is just not a favorable place for bed bugs, based on their normal behavior.
If you do have bed bugs in your hair, we hope our tips and information will be helpful for you, and we hope you get them out of your hair soon!
