It’s bad enough to have a bed bug infestation in your house, but getting those gross little bugs in your hair can be even worse.
The skin on our scalp is thinner, and therefore more sensitive than the rest of our body. That’s why, bed bug bites on your head can be irritating, uncomfortable, and incredibly itchy.
If you’re wondering how to cleanse bed bugs from your hair, we’ve got a list of five, effective treatments that can help!
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5 Remedies to Help Get Bed Bugs Out of Your Hair
1. Add Rubbing Alcohol for a DIY Bed Bug Shampoo
While there may not be a specific bed bug shampoo on the market to help you, there is another solution to treating your hair if you suspect it’s been infected by bed bugs. Alcohol is able to kill bed bugs if used repeatedly. However, it can dry your hair out.
This is why we recommend mixing some rubbing alcohol in with a strong, moisturizing shampoo and following up with a nourishing conditioner to help wash bed bugs out of your hair as well as keep your hair from getting damaged.
Remember to be patient and repeat this process a few times as it takes more than one wash to get rid of bed bugs entirely.
2. Use a Head Lice Comb to Remove Bugs
It is possible to remove bed bugs from your hair using a similar way that people use to remove head lice. Simply wash your hair thoroughly with your alcohol/shampoo concoction and detangle it with a wide-toothed comb to make sure that the lice comb can pass through your hair easily.
Once you’ve got your hair detangled, comb through your hair starting at the nape of your neck and working upwards using a finely spaced comb. Make sure to do this over a sink or in a tub – you don’t want to risk doing it in a carpeted room or anywhere the bugs might fall out and hide.
3. Remove Bed Bugs from Beards with Shampoo and Combs
Though it is unlikely, it is technically possible to get bed bugs in beards. In order to clear them out, you have two options: you can either shave, or you will have to treat them for bugs the same as your head hair. However, it would require a slight change of products.
Using a beard shampoo instead of regular shampoo to mix your rubbing alcohol with would be a smarter choice because it is specifically formulated for beard hair. It would also be wise to use a beard comb, and a lice comb that has more of a grip to make sure that you are able to get into your beard hair properly.
4. Use Essential Oils to Help Ward Off Bed Bugs
While you can use a diffuser around your house and bedroom to ward off bed bugs, if you’re treating your hair, you’ll want to use a more direct form of treatment.
Some report that certain essential oils can help keep bed bugs at bay, and even kill them. Oils such as eucalyptus, cinnamon, clove, cedar wood, and peppermint are just a few examples.
You can mix a few drops in with your shampoo and use it to wash your hair of bed bugs. This will, of course, need to be done repeatedly for full effect.
5. Steam the Bed Bugs Away
Heat treatments are a good solution for getting rid of bed bugs. If you have access to a sauna, that would be the ideal way to go. Exposing the bed bugs to higher temperatures – 113 degrees Fahrenheit or higher – will essentially kill the bugs and their eggs.
If you don’t have access to a sauna, you can still mimic that steam by using an at-home machine. Be careful to follow all safety instructions to make sure you don’t burn yourself. Follow up your steam with a good, deep cleaning rinse with your DIY bug shampoo.
Repeat at least twice to ensure that all bed bugs have been effectively cleansed.
Tips to Deal with Bed Bug Bites in Your Hair
Getting rid of bed bugs may take time. Any treatment you go through will take a few tries to completely eliminate the bugs. And it is only natural that the period in-between can be unpleasant, to say the least. Here are a few general tips you can follow to keep the discomfort and itchiness at bay.
- Use Olive Oil On Your Hair and Cover with Cap to Prevent Bugs from Biting
- Avoid/Replace Infested Wigs and Headpieces
- Take Anti-Allergy Medication to Reduce Symptoms of Bites
- Take Anti-Itch Medication
All of these suggestions are meant as temporary relievers until you are better able to get rid of the bed bugs for good!
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Your House for Good
Treating your hair and body is only part of getting bed bugs out of your home. The more permanent solution to keeping them out of your hair requires making sure the root cause is treated, i.e., you’ll need to get right down to their hiding place and cleanse it of their presence.
The likelihood of getting bed bugs in your hair is low because they do not have the kind of gripping mechanism necessary to hold on to your scalp or skin for long the way lice would, for example. While it is possible, they would still much rather prefer to hang out around your home in dark nooks and crannies and come out at night only to feat on your blood.
To make sure that they stay away from your home (and hair), you can take the following measures;
Wash Your Sheets, Blankets, and Clothes:
Wash out things you may have been affected by bed bugs and dry them at the highest setting to ensure you’re killing any remaining bugs.
Try Steaming Your Sheets and Furniture:
As mentioned before, heat kills bed bugs. Try steaming your belongings to make sure that any bed bugs that may be hanging around are taken care of.
Use Diatomaceous Earth:
Diatomaceous earth is a natural sedimentary rock that is crushed into a chalk-like substance. It has a high content of silica which can have an effect on bed bugs. Dust, some diatomaceous earth into the crevices of your bed and around areas you think, are infested. It should help keep the bugs at bay.
Get Professional help:
The only real, sustainable solution to getting rid of bed bugs is to seek professional help. These guys will know what they’re doing and can help get rid of your infestation once and for all!
Make sure that if you are throwing away any item of clothing or furniture that has been infected by bed bugs, you seal it and label it clearly to make sure no one else gets affected by it.
Once your home is cleared of the infestation, you can take measures to prevent a re-infestation by keeping your house clutter free and clean, so if there’s any chance of the bugs making their way back into your life, you can get them before they cause serious trouble!