Lice all along?
Help! Save My Dreads
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
