Lice all along?

Okay, so. I started trying to dread my hair in May of this year, 2012. About halfway through, my mom decided I had lice so, crying the entire time, we painstakingly brushed all of the dreads back out. I used RID frequently and remained lice free towards the end of May, from there slowly adding one dread at a time to the underside of my hair (my work told me I couldn't do them, so I was waiting around to transfer and didn't want to give it away). I didn't have any problems that I was aware of. I finally finished dreading in August, still with no problems.

BUT.

I don't know when it started, but I was noticing white specks at the ends of the hairs that had pulled out of my scalp at the front of my ears and temples. At first sight, I inhaled sharply and tried to keep myself from having a heart attack, because I was terrified it was lice. However, I didn't see any other white specks on hairs still in my head, only the ends of detached hairs.

So, I thought perhaps this was just hair follicles or something of the sort, because it certainly wasn't dandruf (I can pull a loose hair out of my dread by these white specks, at first I was trying to see how easily they came off and they don't, really, the whole hair just as soon comes out before the white is detached) and I didn't and don't have much head itch except on the occasion where I go a bit longer than usual without washing my dreads.

Another thing; tea tree oil is supposed to be preventative for them? Or so I had heard. And I've been using Dr. Bronner's tea tree oil soap with baking soda since about June or July...so I wouldn't think I would have ended up with lice.

People end up with lice all of the time, though, so...I'm just trying to make sure. These white pieces are much, MUCH more visible after I get fresh out of a shower. None of them are yellowed, they are all very very white (I read that when nits hatch, eventually the shells turn yellowish?)

I'm thinking about trying the rubbing alcohol and head wrapping anyway just to be safe, and I've done about two ACV rinses with no burning...but my mother thinks I have lice, and I can't see the nape of my neck where they usually start off at. if I remember right, its usually a slightly larger problem if they atart appearing further to the front of your head.

I've also read that it is harder to pass lice if you have dreads because they must go to the end of a hari to transfer..whatever that's about. But, some of the ends of my hairs stick out of the dreads, and if I've had them long enough for them to be all the way at the front of my hair I'd assume they'd have time to transfer by now. My boyfriend and I sleep together often, and his head is usually RIGHT behind mine, even on my dreads but as much as I urge him to tell me ASAP he said he hasn't had any problems...

So I'm very worried, and I don't know if I have anything to worry about or not...like I said my head doesn't really itch unless I go too long without washing (I usually do every other or every two days), but I'd be lying if I said it didn't itch at least once a day. Which I assume is probably normal for dreads (mine drive me NUTS sometimes when I put them up because htey're a little dry and scratchy when against my scalp)

Has anyone had the same experience or can offer an advice?

updated by @boots-electrick: 02/14/15 05:19:52AM

sounds like folicule s lice itch would drive u insane

however lice u can have awhile b4 u get so itchy

some new facts i found recently

teatree helps lil but pepermint and citronela are more effective

if lice want ya nothing ewill keep em away

a single female only has to mate once..then is prego for life and continues layu=ing eggs till she dies so if u kill em and 1 signle female gets back on u u got a colony of hundreds or thousands in no time

i dont think they have to climb to the tip to transer neber heard that but

in hair and health experts theres a woman named .umm ellen or no ..da,n i should call her and get her to post info

anyways theres 3 hair experts panterra stephani and this other 1 who is a lice extpert

i found a way more effective safter and less harsh treatnent through her its olive oil baased but i think theres a less slipery mouse tooo

lil expensin]ve at 20 a bottle but well worth it kills em in 10 seconds flat

100% safe all natural

slippery as hell though

sit in the shower when u rinse or u will slip slide and fall

its called nit nanny

ill get her to post info

quell is extremely ti[oxxic i would never use that or nix again

heat over 130 will fry eggs so a blow dryer at very close proximinty fir a semi extended period will cook the eggs but dreads can insulate too much to fry em akll

so the oil should be used over and over to be safe

what else..well im 99% sure that your not infested its just folicules

but

ok 1 more thing your job cannot legaly say yoy cant dread you should b]not use a crochet hook ever and the backcomb or crochet may have caused the folicules

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/profile/IleneSteinberg?xg_source=profiles_memberList

thats our lice expert

macro photos would help

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I know they shouldn't but it was upon the job offer, I made the mistake of asking instead of doing, so they said they wouldn't extend the job offer if I planned to dread my hair.

Anyway, as for the crocheting, as hard as your comments are to read I know that you're a fan of the natural method. However, I only do it about once a month max, and it can damage the hair yes but palm rolling does not help my dreads for some reason. So it's the only way I have to keep them at least semi-comtained. I really just keep a hands-off approach, but I don't want congos. Completely natural is nice and all, but not for me.

I worry about using oil because, once again, with the way my hair is, I'm pretty sure I might have a problem keeping the knots in. I read that someone had a problem with vinegar taking them out too, so I was just going to go for the rubbing alcohol and cayanne.

I've read about using shaving cream after to kill eggs, but it's been my experience in general usage of shaving cream that it leaves a residue. I suppose this could be washed out when I wash my dreads, if not after a time or two, but does anyone else have any input on this method?

If my problem isn't solved by the time I take a shower next, I'll get a picture.

i dont think u have a problem to solve

palm rolling does nothing literaly dont bother at all

to prevent congos just seperate often thats it no crocheting just seperate

vinager soaks will melt the glue that hpl=olds eggs on making them easier to remove

but heres the thing

eggs are not on the end of the hair at the roots they attach to the side of the hair within 1/4 inch of the roots

if what your seeing is on the end..its the root itself not an egg

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

close up of a hair folicule attached to the end of the hair (root)

heavily infested lice ef=ggs

more detailed

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

It makes sense I know they aren't ON the root, I've had lice plenty of times before. But really those aren't what I was worried about. My mom was helping me with a bottom dread, at the very back of my head, and that's when she expressed her concerns. The rest I was just double checking. And I do separate. But, I do not like or want the loose hairs that have accumulated from having to separate them from each other.

Thank you for your help, I'm still open to other comments as well, and I'm just going to keep an eye on everything.

yiu gotta accept the loose hairs crochet will just create more by breaking hairs

those loose hairs belong there to protect the scalp too from skin cancer from the sun

ill tell u a story wich will tell u why u shouldnt trust your moms concerns

years ago i had a severe infection and was hospitalized in Oregon, while there they pumped mye full of nasty antibiotics (so nasty they had to run a tube up my vain into my aorta to prevent vein damage)

they pumped it in too fast which caused redman syndrome an intence itching

i already was traveling for 6 months (accidentaly hehe) so my scalp wasnt as clean as usual and had severe dandruff

the doctors that should know better and nurses deided i had lice ..they tortured me with quell ..daily (u never should use it more then every 10 pr 15 days cause its so taoxic ) the last time leaving it on for 4 hoirs not 15 minutes..my scalp was a bloody pussy mess chunls of scalp came off if i tiuchedit scabs everywhere..nasty then finaly 1 brave nurse looked at my head close enough to actualy see and said all i see is white flakes all uneven shapes nothing egg shaped

they denied me a nesacary surgery unless i shaved my head..

a surgery i didnt get for 6 more months cause of that and lost the function in my left hand

my scalp took years to recover in fact untill i used baking soda and now the dreadlocjkishampoo.com soaps my scalp stu]ill was a disaster 10 years later!

your mom might see flakes might see folicules might just see white things

unles u find an actual verufied nit or living crawling bug dont worry about it

im certain you dont have lice

if u find a live bug then we will fix u up

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I have read your story a few times, I'm sorry that happened to you. Like I said, I'm just going to keep an eye on it. I've seen all of those pictures, and googled heavily before coming here. I was simply wondering if anyone had a similar encounter. My scalp is not exposed, my dreads are not so tight as to have clear sections. Its simply for the long loose hairs that keep tangling into other dreads and forming bridges. I didn't touch a crochet hook until about two and a half months, because I got really tired of pulling out the groups of loose hairs that kept tangling into others every day. I know it will break more hairs, and that's fine because they are shorter and do not get into the other dreads. It's not a common practice, I only do it about once a month perhaps if it gets too out of hand and I have a bridging problem again. I don't trust her judgement because she has never made a correct call on lice, and I'm awaiting confirmation from someone else before I bother to take action, because it is not bothering me nor others. I've informed everyone I've come into contact with to keep their eyes out and let me know if they experience a problem. Until I know for sure, it's whatever. I can't go to a doctor just to check for lice, though, I don't have the money. So I'm going to ask others, who actually know the difference unlike my mother.

I hadn't managed to find a more verifying picture of follicles, because that magnified one that keeps turning up is too close it looks totally different. La-da-doo-doo just twiddling my thumbs until I get verification ^-^ I'm stuck here until Friday though. I'll follow up then.

I can post a pick of my previous flakes, roots and follicles that look just like cooties. I can't post in comments from my phone tho....