This question has confused the public for years, growing up in an African-American household the saying was always, we (black people) don't get lice because our hair is too oily. Here are 4 facts that will blow your mind.
1. Black people in Africa have as many incidences of head lice as Caucasians in America. The reason lies in the hair type and evolution of head lice.
2. Lice do not care whether hair is smooth or coarse, thin or thick. Lice affix themselves to a strand of hair as a way to get up to the scalp to access their food supply: human blood.
3. The hair of black people has an oval/flatish cross-section and this is not as attractive to American head lice, they can't latch onto it easily.
4. No hair is immune to head lice. There is a misconception that African American hair, because it is coarse, is resistant to head lice.
For ways to treat and strategies to prevent lice visit www.hlemo.com and check out the article "Can black people get lice | Do you know ?"
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