Does a flat iron kill lice

Does A Flat Iron Kill Lice? Let’s Find Out

Flat Irons are a girl’s most possessed item. Women around the world use a flat iron on a day-to-day basis. Girls rely on their straightening flat irons more than they should, but we have got so accustomed to it that there is no way out now.

In the beginning, flat irons were more damaging due to the metal plates and how there was a way to change the temperature.

This is not the case anymore, things have changed since then. We now have better flat irons with great ceramic plates and a controller option to increase or decrease the temperature accordingly.

This article will dive deep into whether or not flat irons can kill lice. I will dissect every aspect of a flat iron and its relationship to killing bugs that reside in people’s hair.

If you are someone who has a lot of questions about flat iron killing lice, then you will find all your answers about this topic in this article.

Why Do We Get Lice In Our Hair?

Why do we get lice in our hair

Before you start getting rid of all these lice and nits, you must understand why these creepy crawlers infest your hair in the first place. Having a knowledge of this will further help you to prevent your hair from these filthy little creatures that cause you a great deal of discomfort.

Getting lice is not only uncomfortable, but it also causes a lot of problems. One of the major problems is always having an itchy head. The lice on our hair don’t just crawl around. They suck on our blood and reproduce to grow their family.

There are many ways lice and nits can make their homes in our hair. One of the most common and easy ways to get lice is by being in the same vicinity as someone who already has lice in their hair.

This is one of the prime reasons why our class teachers made sure we had clean hair. If one kid in the class had lice, there was a high chance for the rest of the class to catch it as well. We have seen students being asked to stay home to keep all the other students safe.

If you come in contact with anything that has lice on them, there is a high chance for you to attract it! Lice are attracted to blood, so no matter wherever they are, their ultimate goal is to find a headful of hair that will help them hide in bright daylight and suck your blood. These lice are notorious for sucking blood whether it is clean or not.

If your lice infestation is recurring, you must change your shampoo or whatever method you are using to get rid of it. You have to be a hundred percent sure that your hair is totally clean of these lice for the infestation to stop.

If you do not get rid of every single bug in your hair, you will face all the problems again and go through the same trouble.

Can Flat Irons Kill Lice?

Can flat irons kill lice

If your hair is infested with lice, there is a high chance you’ve thought of burning the living light out of those filthy insects. This might have been one of your resorts to get rid of them, and you are wondering whether or not this is a possibility.

There is no simple answer to this because the answer varies based on different scenarios. Flat iron does help you get rid of some of the lice and nits, but not all of them. You still have to seek professional help to get rid of them. You might need to use a certain shampoo that will kill the lice or other chemicals to make these crawlers leave your hair alone.

In most cases, when you straighten your hair with a flat iron, it uses a temperature higher than 200 degrees which is enough to kill lice. If you are expecting to wipe out all the lice by flat ironing your hair then that is not a possibility because lice are more clever than you can imagine.

When you start ironing your hair, some lice change their position or make high jumps from one part of your hair to the other, as soon as they feel the heat. This way they remain in the hair and freely chug on your blood, while some lice get caught between the plates of the flat iron and are burned to death.

How Can Flat Irons Kill Lice?

Eradicating nymphs and nits with a flat iron is tricky, but it is not impossible. You can get rid of SOME if you turn the temperature high enough. The eggs require more heat than the lice because it has a hard shell.

If the temperature of your flat iron can turn up to 400 degrees, and you can hold the straightener in place for a while, then you can burn the nits.

The flat iron will successfully be able to kill the nits at high temperatures, and by holding the flat iron in place for about five to ten minutes.

It will also cause a lot of damage to your hair. It may burn your hair and cause breakage due to the high temperature. If you go too close to your scalp you may end up burning your scalp too.

The lice require a temperature above 50 degrees to start to feel the heat, but these bugs can make long jumps, and they can freely move in the hair. This makes it extra difficult to get rid of them. The nymphs are egg-laying lice.

They infect a headful of hair and then infest them. If you do not get rid of them within three to four days, they lay eggs, and the cycle continues.

You can use the extra heat technique, where you crank up the heat and try to kill all the lice or the other way is to hold the plates over the same area for longer until the heat does its job.

At the end of the day, you have to understand that trying to kill lice by using a flat iron is not a good idea if you have a serious infestation in your hair. At the end of the day, the decision is yours to make whether or not you want to use a flat iron to kill lice.

How To Clean Flat Irons After It Kills Lice?

Clean flat iron

Now that you have decided to kill lice using a flat iron, you cannot just leave your flat iron like this after using it. You have to clean it properly for your next use. You have to sanitize your flat iron so that it does not collect bacteria on it.

Leaving your flat iron after doing the dirty deed, you must make sure that you get rid of all the remnants of your mass killing that you did, because failing to do so will result in a stained flat iron. These stains can be quite difficult to remove if left for too long.

Your flat iron will also leave a weird smell on your hair the next time you use it because you are not cleaning it properly. Below I have mentioned how you can clean your flat iron and make it hygienic. Follow these simple steps to achieve your goal.

Step 1: Unplug your straightener and let it cool.

Step 2: Once it is completely cooled down, set it aside, and take out the cotton balls and dip them in rubbing alcohol.

Step 3: Use the cotton balls that you dipped in rubbing alcohol to wipe the surface of the flat iron.

Step 4: Rub the cotton in a circular motion to clean the entire area.

Step 5: Repeat step 4 for both sides of the flat iron and on the external body as well.

Step 6: Wipe the flat iron with a microfiber cloth to avoid moisture from getting into the device.

You now have a clean flat iron that is ready for its next use.

Verdict

Making use of the flat iron to lice may seem like the logical and more time-saving thing to do, but it is not very efficient, nor is it good for your hair.

If your lice situation is getting out of hand, you have to consult an expert and do whatever you need to do.

Simply using a straightener will not help your situation at all. You may use the flat iron to get rid of some lice because the extra high temperature will do the desired job, but it will not be a job well done.

I am Emily. I am a hair care enthusiast, and I like writing about it. Reading books and styling hair is one of my greatest passions. I have a knack for creativity, and I find pleasure in making art. I love going out in the field and basking under the sun on a cold day. My life motto is: "you only live once."

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