Are you heading to college soon? Or are you in college but planning to move to a new hostel? Well, there are high chances that you haven’t thought about protecting yourself against head lice. But head lice in college? Yes, many students ask the same question and often wonder why they should be worried about head lice in college. The truth is, head lice do not discriminate. Living in a college hostel means that you will be in close proximity to other students all the time, and the potential of sharing a few items is very high. These items are the things lice love the most. To help you out, here are tips to help you stay lice-free in college:

1. Keep your laundry and clothing separate between your roommates: This is one of the best ways of preventing lice from spading via clothing. Although head lice cannot survive for long off the human head, they can still crawl and spread. If possible every roommate should have a separate closet and laundry hamper.

2. Avoid sharing things that touches the head: Strive not to share any item that comes into contact with your head such as scarves, hoodies, headphones, hair accessories, pillows, and hats among others. You should also avoid head-to-head contacts as it is one of the most common ways that head lice spread. Well, it can be difficult, especially when taking selfies, but you should always be cautious.

3. Take care at the gym: you will be sharing a lot of facilities while at the gym, so the chances of getting lice, while slim, cannot be ruled out. Accordingly, always try to bring your own items such as towel and strive to keep your personal items in a locker.

4. Mind your hairstyle choices: In most cases, ladies tend to get lice more often than boys since they have longer hair which not only makes it easier to get lice but the long locks also serve a great home for lice to thrive. To protect your hair from these lousy parasites, avoid wearing hair down, especially in environments with known head lice infestation. Additionally, try to wear your hair in a braid as it makes it a bit difficult for you to pick bugs from your surroundings and for the lice to move around and spread.

5. Take extra care when in movie theaters: Every time you share common head rests such as when you are on a bus, train, or movie theater, there are high risks of getting head lice. Always inspect the above mentioned types of seats before sitting down, paying more attention to the head rest. You can also use lint tape on the seat before sitting down. Lint tape will pick up critters that may be hanging out scouting for their next host. In case you forget a lint roller, you can drape something like a towel, sweater or blanket over the head rest.

College ought to be amazing place full of fun, learning, and friendship. Never let lice get in the way! If you detect head lice or if you know a friend who needs treatment, don’t hesitate to contact local head lice services near you or contact the administration for fast control.