can bed bugs travel through hair

Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair?

Bed bugs prefer not to live in human hair; they are not adapted to cling to hair or skin like lice or ticks. Their structure and feeding habits are more conducive to living in close proximity to a sleeping host, where they can feed unnoticed. Read on to understand why bed bugs are unlikely to infest human hair and where they actually reside.

• Bed bugs, or Cimex lectularius , can’t live in human hair due to their body structure and preferred environment. These insects lack the physical adaptations that allow them to navigate or cling to hair.
• Although bed bugs can’t live in hair, they might momentarily end up in your hair if displaced. Their anatomy, however, causes them to move towards smoother and more accessible surfaces where they can feed more easily.
• Bed bugs do not habitually stay on your body or skin. After obtaining a blood meal, they prefer to retreat to a safe, dark, and quiet location where they won’t be disturbed.
• It’s virtually impossible to find bed bug eggs in human hair. Bed bugs prefer to lay their eggs in undisturbed, secluded spots with easy access to a host–conditions that human hair do not meet.
• Bed bugs can feed on any exposed skin, including the scalp in rare instances. However, their unofficial ‘choice’ of feeding sites comprises areas that are readily accessible during sleep, such as arms, shoulders, neck, and legs.

Table of Contents

What are bed bugs and how do they survive?

What is the biological nature of bed bugs.

Bed bugs, known scientifically as  Cimex lectularius , are small, resilient, and elusive insects that feed solely on the blood of warm-blooded animals, including humans. They have a reddish-brown color and a flat, oval shape when unfed but swell and darken after feeding. They are about the size of an apple seed, measuring up to 5-7mm in length. Bed bugs don’t have wings but have a remarkable ability to move quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings.

Where do bed bugs commonly reside and how do they feed?

Despite their name, bed bugs are not strictly bed dwellers. They prefer to hide in close proximity to humans, their prime blood meal source, meaning they can be found anywhere humans congregate or rest. Common places include mattress seams, bed frames, box springs, cracks, crevices in furniture, behind wallpaper, under carpets, or in upholstery.

Bed bugs feed on their hosts without being noticed, typically during the night when people sleep. They use a long beak to pierce the skin of their host and withdraw blood, feeding for around 5 to 10 minutes before crawling away unnoticed. This stealthy and painless feeding habit makes them successful parasites.

Can bed bugs live in human hair?

Handling this pivotal question head-on, the answer is—no. Bed bugs cannot live in human hair. They’re not designed for hair residency, nor do they prefer it. Their bodies are not structured for clinging onto sleek and slender hair strands, unlike lice or ticks that come with specially designed claws to grip hair tightly and maneuver quickly.

How likely are you to get bed bugs in your hair?

The chances of getting bed bugs in your hair are slim to none. They are ill-suited for navigation through hair due to their relatively large size and flat body structure. They’d rather move on smooth surfaces; hence, they incline to targets like the arms, necks, or legs where the skin is readily accessible.

Why can’t bed bugs survive in human hair?

Several reasons contribute to why bed bugs can’t survive in human hair. First, bed bugs thrive in quiet, dark, and placid environments— attributes that human hair fails to offer. The constant motion of the head and the exposure to daylight presents an inhospitable habitat for these pests. Second, bed bugs lack the physical adaptations that would enable efficient maneuvering through hair—no grippers, no claws, no sticky pads.

And finally, the body heat generated from the human scalp is far higher than what bed bugs can comfortably sustain. They are more at home in cooler places with temperatures ranging from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, unlike the human scalp which maintains a higher temperature due to physiological processes.

What is the scientific explanation behind why bed bugs cannot live in hair?

Bed bugs are not ectoparasites (parasites that live on the skin) like lice or ticks, which have evolved to navigate through hair. Instead, they are temporary parasites, meaning they come for a quick meal and then retreat to their safe hiding spots. The science of their feeding and survival strategies just doesn’t support a lifestyle of living in human hair.

Can bed bugs crawl through your hair?

In what instances can bed bugs end up in your hair.

Although bed bugs predominantly reside in fabrics and furniture, and can’t live within human hair, an errant bug might end up in your hair. This could happen if the insect is displaced, such as when you toss around during your sleep or move bedding. The bug might crawl onto your hair for a brief period before it scurries off to a more conducive environment.

What actions do bed bugs typically take when they encounter human hair?

Bed bugs are not adept at clinging to or navigating through hair. When they encounter hair, they are likely to move away in search of easier access to a skin surface. Their anatomy is designed for traversing relatively flat and smooth surfaces like skin, so hair, with its multiple obstacles, poses a significant challenge for these critters.

Can bed bugs hide on your body or live on your skin?

Can bed bugs hide in your hair.

Bed bugs do not make a habit of hiding in human hair or on the body. They prefer dark, quiet, and sheltered places, and your hair sadly doesn’t make the cut. Also, they are more prone to be dislodged from your hair due to its constant movement.

Where do bed bugs hide on the human body?

Bed bugs primarily feed on humans when they are stationary, such as when lying on a bed or sitting on a sofa. Contrary to popular belief, they do not dwell on the human body because it doesn’t provide the kind of environment that they seek for rest or reproduction. After a meal, they prefer to retreat to their hiding spots close to the host.

Can bed bugs survive by living on human skin?

Bed bugs are not adapted to live on human skin. The continuous movement, body heat, and lack of protective crevices make our skin an inhospitable environment for these bugs. They are temporary ectoparasites, which means they only come to the hosts (human skin, in this case) to feed and don’t stay for extended periods.

How long do bed bugs stay on your body?

Do bed bugs stay on your body or skin.

No, bed bugs do not stay on your body or skin after feeding. They prefer to retreat to a safe location where they won’t be disturbed during their digestion and reproduction process. After taking their blood meal, they leave the host in search of a dark, quiet, and safe spot until they need to feed again.

How long do bed bugs typically stay on your body?

The feeding process of bed bugs usually lasts about 5 to 10 minutes. After finishing their sinister feast, they hastily retreat back to their hiding spots. They do not linger on the host’s skin beyond this short feeding period.

Can bed bugs stay on your body?

In rare cases, if disturbed while hiding, a bed bug might end up on your body, but it will not stay there for long. Given their nature, they would hurriedly attempt to return to their safer hiding areas or potentially get brushed off or crushed unknowingly.

Do bed bugs stay in your hair?

As reiterated throughout this article, bed bugs don’t stay in human hair. Human hair doesn’t provide the environmental conditions that bed bugs require for survival and reproduction. So, if you’re worried about finding colonies of bed bugs in your hair – the odds are remarkably in your favor. They can, at most, crawl through your hair momentarily if ever they find themselves displaced and looking for a way back to their hideout.

Do bed bugs bite the scalp?

How do bed bugs choose their biting sites.

When bed bugs decide to bite, it’s usually a matter of convenience rather than preference. Bed bugs will latch onto any exposed skin to feed, typically targeting areas like the arms, shoulders, neck, and legs. These are areas typically left uncovered while sleeping and offer the bed bugs comfortable feeding access.

Can you get bed bug bites on your scalp?

While it’s highly unlikely, it is not entirely impossible to get bed bug bites on the scalp. If you usually sleep with your arms and legs under the blanket, the scalp may become the next accessible spot for bed bugs to nibble on. However, their giant size (relative to hair thickness) and lack of hold make manoeuvring through hair and biting the scalp a challenging feat for bed bugs.

What are the symptoms of bed bug bites on the scalp?

Bed bug bites, whether they occur on your scalp or other parts of your body, often present as small, red, itchy bumps. They may develop into a rash-like appearance and can be arranged in a line or a zigzag pattern, showing the path the bug took as it was feeding. Though irritating, bed bug bites are typically not dangerous unless they cause severe allergic reactions or get infected due to continuous scratching.

What does a bed bug bite on the scalp look like and feel like?

A bed bug bite on the scalp will look and feel similar to bed bug bites on other parts of the body. You may first notice a slight tingling sensation or itchiness. Upon examination, you’ll find small, flat, or slightly raised red bumps. However, detecting these bites might be more challenging amidst hair.

What are the symptoms and signs of bed bugs in your hair?

How can one identify the presence of bed bugs in their hair.

Detecting bed bugs in your hair can be quite a challenge due to their nature of being transitory on the human body. Still, if you were to find an isolated bed bug in your hair, it’s probably as a result of displacement and not infestation. Signs of their presence should instead be sought in their more preferred hiding places such as your bedding or upholstered furniture. Look for live insects, shed skins, or tiny, rust-colored stains.

Are there any physical symptoms associated with bed bugs being in hair?

If a bed bug is in your hair—probably for a transitory period— it causes no physical symptoms apart from potential eventual feeding on the scalp, manifesting as bites. An actual infestation is unlike head lice, where itching can be intense, and you can find nits (lice eggs) upon combing or inspecting the hair closely.

Can bed bug eggs be found in human hair?

What are the ideal conditions for bed bugs to lay their eggs.

Ideal conditions for bed bugs to lay their eggs are secluded and undisturbed places with easy access to a resting host. This could include small crevices, cracks, mattress seams, or other tight spaces in furniture or around a bed. They prefer to lay their tiny white or semi-transparent eggs, the size of a speck of dust, sheltered from physical disturbance and light exposure.

Is it possible to find bed bug eggs in human hair?

No, it’s virtually impossible to find bed bug eggs in human hair. Unlike lice that attach their eggs to hair strands, bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded, relatively immovable locations. Your constantly moving head and hair are far from ideal for bed bugs to deposit their eggs.

Misconceptions about bed bugs living in hair

When dealing with a stressful bed bug infestation, it’s easy to worry about every possible place these bugs could be hiding, including our hair. But understanding bed bug biology and behavior can put some of these fears to rest.

Why is the belief that bed bugs live in hair so prevalent?

The notion that bed bugs might live in hair likely stems from confusion between different types of human parasites. For instance, lice and ticks are adapted to living in hair and on the body, respectively. These parasites are often incorrectly lumped together with bed bugs, causing an incorrect perception about bed bug habits.

What scientific evidence contradicts this belief?

Scientific studies on bed bugs have consistently shown that they are ill-suited to inhabiting human hair or skin. They lack the physical adaptations needing to navigate through or cling onto hair like some other pests. Furthermore, their preference for hiding in dark, undisturbed areas contradicts the idea of them dwelling in the regularly disturbed landscape of human hair.

Do Bed Bugs Bite Dogs?

Bed bugs do not bite dogs as they prefer human blood, but in the absence of human hosts, they may feed on pets. While bed bugs are not adapted to cling to pet fur for long periods, they can still bite dogs in areas with minimal fur, such as the belly or ears. However, these incidents are relatively uncommon, and bed bugs will usually seek out human hosts when available.

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Disclaimer: The content of this post is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be seen as professional advice. Exercise caution and consult a professional as needed before acting upon any information provided. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of this information, products, services, or related graphics, and are not liable for any decisions made based on it. Use of this blog is at your own risk, and we disclaim responsibility for any losses or damages arising from its use.

Bed Bugs FAQs

What are bed bugs, where are bed bugs found, do bed bugs spread disease, what health risks do bed bugs pose, what are the signs and symptoms of a bed bug infestation.

• How are bed bug bites diagnosed?

How did I get bed bugs?

Who is at risk for getting bed bugs, how are bed bugs treated and prevented.

Bed bugs ( Cimex lectularius ) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm (roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny), and can live several months without a blood meal.

Bed bugs are found across the globe from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Although the presence of bed bugs has traditionally been seen as a problem in developing countries, it has recently been spreading rapidly in parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe. Bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found.

Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep. These areas include apartments, shelters, rooming houses, hotels, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms. They hide during the day in places such as seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed. Bed bugs have been shown to be able to travel over 100 feet in a night but tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep.

Bed bugs are not known to spread disease. Bed bugs can be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep. Sometimes the itching can lead to excessive scratching that can sometimes increase the chance of a secondary skin infection.

A bed bug bite affects each person differently. Bite responses can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction. Bed bugs are not considered to be dangerous; however, an allergic reaction to several bites may need medical attention.

One of the easiest ways to identify a bed bug infestation is by the tell-tale bite marks on the face, neck, arms, hands, or any other body parts while sleeping. However, these bite marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people so it is important to look for other clues when determining if bed bugs have infested an area. These signs include:

• the bed bugs’ exoskeletons after molting,
• bed bugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets,
• rusty–colored blood spots due to their blood-filled fecal material that they excrete on the mattress or nearby furniture, and
• a sweet musty odor.

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How do I know if I’ve been bitten by a bed bug?

It is hard to tell if you’ve been bitten by a bed bug unless you find bed bugs or signs of infestation. When bed bugs bite, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that prevents a person from realizing they are being bitten. Most people do not realize they have been bitten until bite marks appear anywhere from one to several days after the initial bite. The bite marks are similar to that of a mosquito or a flea — a slightly swollen and red area that may itch and be irritating. The bite marks may be random or appear in a straight line. Other symptoms of bed bug bites include insomnia, anxiety, and skin problems that arise from profuse scratching of the bites.

Because bed bug bites affect everyone differently, some people may have no reaction and will not develop bite marks or any other visible signs of being bitten. Other people may be allergic to the bed bugs and can react adversely to the bites. These allergic symptoms can include enlarged bite marks, painful swellings at the bite site, and, on rare occasions, anaphylaxis.

Bed bugs are experts at hiding. Their slim flat bodies allow them to fit into the smallest of spaces and stay there for long periods of time, even without a blood meal. Bed bugs are usually transported from place to place as people travel. The bed bugs travel in the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, folded clothes, bedding, furniture, and anywhere else where they can hide. Most people do not realize they are transporting stow-away bed bugs as they travel from location to location, infecting areas as they travel.

Everyone is at risk for getting bed bugs when visiting an infected area. However, anyone who travels frequently and shares living and sleeping quarters where other people have previously slept has a higher risk of being bitten and or spreading a bed bug infestation.

Bed bug bites usually do not pose a serious medical threat. The best way to treat a bite is to avoid scratching the area and apply antiseptic creams or lotions and take an antihistamine. Bed bug infestations are commonly treated by insecticide spraying. If you suspect that you have an infestation, contact your landlord or professional pest control company that is experienced with treating bed bugs. The best way to prevent bed bugs is regular inspection for the signs of an infestation.

This information is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a health care provider. If you have any questions about the parasites described above or think that you may have a parasitic infection, consult a health care provider.

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Exploring The Concern: Can Bed Bugs Infest Hair?

• Last updated Dec 27, 2023
• Difficulty Beginner

• Category Wavy

Bed bugs are the sneaky little pests that can make our lives a living nightmare. And just when you thought you were safe, you start to wonder, can bed bugs get in hair? While it may seem like an unsettling thought, it's important to learn the truth about these resilient insects and understand how to protect yourself from their unwanted presence. So, let's dive deeper into the world of bed bugs and explore whether or not they can infest our luscious locks.

What You'll Learn

Can bed bugs actually get in your hair, how do bed bugs end up in your hair, are bed bugs more likely to infest hair that is dirty or clean, can bed bugs lay eggs in your hair, can bed bug bites on the scalp lead to any long-term complications.

Bed bugs are pesky critters that can cause a lot of discomfort and stress. While they are commonly found in beds, couches, and other furniture, many people wonder if bed bugs can actually get into their hair. The answer to this question is both yes and no, depending on the situation.

First, it is important to clarify that bed bugs are primarily attracted to warmth and the carbon dioxide we exhale, not our hair. They are known to feed on the blood of humans and animals, and they typically seek out exposed areas of skin like the arms and legs. However, if there is no exposed skin, bed bugs will bite through clothing or hair to reach a blood source.

Bed bugs have a flattened body shape, which allows them to easily hide in small crevices and seams. They are excellent hitchhikers and can travel on people's belongings, including clothing and hair. If you come into contact with an infested area, it is possible for bed bugs to crawl into your hair and hide, especially if you have long hair. Once in your hair, they can move around and bite your scalp or neck.

While it is rare for bed bugs to actively seek out your hair, it is important to take precautions to prevent them from infesting your home and potentially your hair. Here are some steps you can take:

• Inspect your home: Regularly check your mattress, bedding, and furniture for signs of bed bugs, such as small reddish-brown stains, dark spots, or the bugs themselves.
• Encase your mattress: Use a mattress encasement to prevent bed bugs from hiding and breeding in your mattress. This will also make it easier to spot any bed bugs that do make their way into your hair or onto your body.
• Clean and vacuum regularly: Bed bugs are less likely to infest a clean and clutter-free environment. Vacuum your floors, carpets, and furniture regularly to remove any potential hiding spots for bed bugs.
• Use bed bug-proof bedding: Opt for bedding that is specifically designed to repel bed bugs. These products usually have tight weaves that prevent bed bugs from penetrating the fabric.
• Tie up your hair: If you are in an area that is known to be infested with bed bugs, tie up your hair to minimize the chances of them crawling into it. This can be particularly helpful if you have long hair that provides more hiding places for the bugs.

If you suspect that you have been bitten by bed bugs or if you find them in your hair, it is important to take immediate action to eliminate the infestation. Consult a pest control professional who can inspect your home and provide appropriate treatment options. Additionally, wash and dry your hair on high heat to kill any bed bugs that may be hiding in it.

In conclusion, while bed bugs do not specifically seek out human hair, they can crawl into it if given the opportunity. By taking the necessary precautions and maintaining a clean living environment, you can minimize the chances of bed bugs infesting your hair and causing further discomfort.

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Bed bugs are common household pests that feed on the blood of humans and animals. While they are typically associated with infestations in beds, mattresses, and furniture, it is possible for bed bugs to end up in your hair.

Bed bugs are small insects that can crawl quickly across various surfaces. They have flat bodies and can squeeze into tight spaces, making it easy for them to hide in cracks, crevices, and linens. Bed bugs are most active at night and are attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide emitted by humans during sleep.

When bed bugs infest a mattress or furniture, they typically stay close to their food source, which is the sleeping person. However, if their preferred hiding spots become overcrowded or disturbed, they may venture out in search of a new location. This includes crawling along the surface of the bed and potentially ending up in your hair.

There are a few ways bed bugs can end up in your hair. One way is if you have a severe infestation in your mattress or bedding. As you shift positions during sleep, bed bugs may crawl onto your body and inadvertently end up in your hair. Another possibility is if you sleep on a bed or pillow that has a significant number of bed bugs present. In this case, the bed bugs may crawl up your body and into your hair.

It is important to note that most bed bugs do not prefer to hide in hair. They are more likely to hide in dark, tight spaces such as mattresses, box springs, and furniture. However, if they are searching for a new hiding spot or are disturbed from their current location, they may end up in your hair as a temporary refuge.

If you suspect you have bed bugs in your hair, it is essential to take immediate action to eliminate them. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to handle this situation:

• Identify the infestation: Look for signs of bed bugs in your bedding, mattress, and furniture. These signs include small, rust-colored stains on your sheets, tiny dark spots (fecal matter), shed skin, and a sweet, musty odor.
• Treat the infested area: If you find evidence of bed bugs, it is crucial to treat the area immediately. This could involve using insecticides, steam treatments, or heat treatments to kill the bed bugs and their eggs.
• Inspect your hair: Check your hair thoroughly for any signs of bed bugs. Look for live bugs, eggs, or fecal matter, which may appear as tiny black or brown specks. Use a fine-toothed comb to comb through your hair and remove any bugs or eggs you find.
• Wash your hair: After inspecting your hair, it is essential to wash it thoroughly with a suitable shampoo and conditioner. Use warm water and scrub your scalp to ensure that any bed bugs or residue are eliminated.
• Launder your bedding and clothing: Bed bugs can also infest your bedding and clothing, so it is crucial to wash these items in hot water and dry them on high heat to kill any remaining bugs or eggs.
• Prevent future infestations: To prevent future bed bug infestations, keep your home clean and clutter-free. Vacuum regularly, seal cracks and crevices, and use mattress and pillow covers to protect against bed bugs.

While bed bugs in your hair can be a distressing experience, it is essential to remain calm and take immediate action to eliminate them. By following the steps outlined above and implementing preventive measures, you can effectively deal with a bed bug infestation and prevent future occurrences.

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Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals. They are found all over the world and can infest homes, hotels, and other places where people sleep. While bed bugs are known to infest mattresses, furniture, and cracks in walls, there is a common myth that they can also infest hair. In this article, we will explore whether bed bugs are more likely to infest hair that is dirty or clean.

Firstly, it is important to note that bed bugs are not attracted to or infested in hair. Bed bugs are primarily attracted to warmth, carbon dioxide, and the scent of blood. They are nocturnal creatures that typically come out at night to feed on their human hosts. They are especially drawn to the warmth and carbon dioxide emissions from our bodies, which help them locate potential hosts.

Furthermore, bed bugs have specialized mouthparts designed for piercing the skin and extracting blood. These mouthparts are not designed to penetrate hair follicles, but rather to pierce the skin directly. Therefore, even if a bed bug were to come into contact with hair, it would not be able to feed or infest it.

In addition, bed bugs are not well-equipped to navigate through hair. Their bodies are relatively flat and lack the ability to easily move through dense hair strands. They are more adapted to crawling on flat surfaces such as mattresses or furniture. This further supports the notion that bed bugs are not likely to infest hair.

Moreover, bed bugs prefer to hide in tight cracks and crevices during the day, such as in mattresses, furniture, or behind baseboards. They are not typically found in areas with hair, as these areas are not conducive to their survival and reproduction. Bed bugs require warm and hidden spaces close to their hosts to thrive, which hair does not provide.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that personal hygiene does not play a significant role in attracting or deterring bed bugs. Bed bugs are attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide emissions from our bodies, regardless of whether our hair is dirty or clean. Therefore, the cleanliness of one's hair has no bearing on the likelihood of a bed bug infestation.

In conclusion, bed bugs are not likely to infest hair, regardless of whether it is dirty or clean. Bed bugs are primarily attracted to warmth, carbon dioxide emissions, and the scent of blood. They are not well-equipped to navigate through hair and are more adapted to crawling on flat surfaces. Personal hygiene does not play a significant role in bed bug infestations, as they are primarily attracted to the presence of a human host. Therefore, individuals should not be concerned about bed bugs infesting their hair.

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Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals. They are known for infesting homes and causing tremendous discomfort to their unsuspecting hosts. While bed bugs are commonly found in mattresses, upholstery, and clothing, some people may wonder if these pests can also infest their hair.

The short answer is no, bed bugs do not typically lay eggs in human hair. Bed bugs prefer to hide in dark, undisturbed areas such as cracks, crevices, and the seams of mattresses. They are attracted to the heat and carbon dioxide that humans and animals emit, making places like beds and couches their preferred hiding spots. While bed bugs are expert hitchhikers and can be found on clothing and other items, they do not have a natural inclination to infest hair.

Bed bugs have specially adapted mouthparts that allow them to pierce the skin and feed on blood. These mouthparts are not well-suited for clinging to hair strands. Instead, bed bugs prefer to have direct access to the skin, which is typically easier to find on exposed areas of the body such as the arms, legs, and torso.

It is important to note that while bed bugs do not typically lay eggs in human hair, they can still bite the scalp and cause itching and irritation. These bites can be easily mistaken for other insect bites or skin conditions. If you suspect that you have been bitten by bed bugs, it is important to thoroughly inspect your bedding and living areas for signs of an infestation.

If you find evidence of bed bugs in your home, it is crucial to take immediate action to eliminate them. Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate, and professional extermination may be necessary. It is also important to wash and dry any infested clothing or bedding using hot water and high heat to kill any remaining bed bugs or eggs.

In conclusion, bed bugs do not typically lay eggs in human hair. While they may bite the scalp and cause irritation, their preferred hiding spots are in areas such as mattresses and upholstery. If you suspect that you have a bed bug infestation, it is important to take immediate action to eliminate the pests and prevent further bites and discomfort.

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Bed bug bites are known to cause discomfort and irritation, but can they lead to any long-term complications if they occur on the scalp? While bed bug bites on the scalp are rare due to the preference of these pests to feed on exposed areas of the body, it is important to understand the potential risks associated with such bites.

Bed bug bites on the scalp can cause intense itching and redness in the affected area. The bites may also lead to the formation of small, raised bumps that resemble hives. Scratching the bites can further exacerbate the itching and increase the risk of secondary infections. However, in most cases, these symptoms subside within a few days to a week without any long-term consequences.

One possible long-term complication of bed bug bites on the scalp is the development of an allergic reaction. Some individuals may be hypersensitive to the saliva of bed bugs, which is injected into the skin during feeding. This can lead to the production of antibodies and the subsequent development of an allergic response. In severe cases, this can result in more persistent and widespread itching, as well as the formation of blisters or pustules.

Another potential complication of bed bug bites on the scalp is the risk of skin infections. When the bites are scratched, bacteria from the fingernails or surrounding environment can enter the broken skin, leading to an infection. This can cause symptoms such as redness, swelling, warmth, and pain in the affected area. If left untreated, the infection can spread and may require medical intervention.

To prevent long-term complications from bed bug bites on the scalp, it is important to take immediate action to alleviate symptoms and prevent further irritation. Over-the-counter anti-itch creams or oral antihistamines can be used to relieve itching and reduce the risk of an allergic reaction. It is also essential to avoid scratching the bites to minimize the risk of secondary infections.

Maintaining good hygiene practices, such as washing the scalp with a mild cleanser and keeping the area clean and dry, can help prevent infection. If an infection does occur, it is important to seek medical attention to receive appropriate treatment, such as antibiotics.

In conclusion, while bed bug bites on the scalp can be uncomfortable and itchy, they typically do not lead to any long-term complications. However, in some cases, individuals may develop an allergic reaction or skin infection as a result of the bites. Taking prompt action to alleviate symptoms and practicing good hygiene can help minimize the risk of these complications. If any concerns arise, it is always advisable to consult a healthcare professional for further evaluation and guidance.

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Frequently asked questions.

No, bed bugs do not typically infest the hair. Bed bugs are wingless parasites that usually live in mattresses, furniture, or cracks and crevices near sleeping areas. They are attracted to the warmth of our bodies and the carbon dioxide we exhale, but they prefer to feed on exposed skin rather than burrowing into hair.

How do bed bugs spread?

Bed bugs can spread through infested furniture, luggage, clothing, or other belongings that have come in contact with an infestation. They can also crawl from one room to another through cracks and crevices in walls and floors. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers and can easily travel from one location to another, making it important to take necessary precautions to prevent their spread.

Can bed bugs lay eggs in hair?

No, bed bugs lay eggs in hidden locations close to their food source, which is typically the sleeping area of humans. They prefer to lay eggs in cracks and crevices, such as along mattress seams, behind headboards, or inside furniture. While they may crawl through hair, they do not lay eggs in it.

What are the signs of a bed bug infestation?

Signs of a bed bug infestation include red, itchy bites on the skin that are often arranged in a line or cluster. You may also notice dark spots on bedding or furniture, which are bed bug feces. Shed bed bug exoskeletons or live bed bugs themselves may also be found in the area. It is important to seek professional pest control if you suspect a bed bug infestation, as they can be difficult to eradicate on your own.

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• Harmony Sutton Author Reviewer Hairstylist

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Bedbugs are reddish brown, oval and flat, and about the size of an apple seed. During the day, they hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames.

Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown blood-sucking, wingless insects. Bedbug bites usually clear up without treatment in a week or two. Bedbugs aren't known to spread disease, but they can cause an allergic reaction or a severe skin reaction in some people.

Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed. They hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards, bed frames and other objects around a bed and come out at night to feed on their preferred host, humans. The risk of running into bedbugs is higher if you spend time in places where nighttime guests come and go often — such as hotels, hospitals or homeless shelters.

If you have bedbugs in your home, professional extermination is recommended.

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• A Book: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies

• Bedbug bites

It can be difficult to tell bedbug bites from other types of insect bites. However, they are typically itchy, and they may appear clustered or lined up in rough rows.

Symptoms of bedbug bites are similar to symptoms of other insect bites and rashes. Bedbug bites are usually:

• Inflamed spots, often with a darker spot in the middle
• Arranged in a rough line or in a cluster
• Located on the face, neck, arms and hands

Some people have no reaction to bedbug bites, while others experience an allergic reaction that can include severe itching, blisters or hives.

When to see a doctor

If you experience allergic reactions or severe skin reactions to bedbug bites, see your health care provider for professional treatment.

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Bedbug infestations may be linked to:

• More frequent travel
• Changes in pest control practices
• Insecticide resistance

Where do they hide?

Bedbug infestations usually occur around or near where people sleep. They can be found in:

• Box springs
• Objects near beds

They can also be found:

• Under peeling paint and loose wallpaper
• Under carpeting near baseboards
• In upholstered furniture seams
• Under light switch plates or electrical outlets

How do they spread?

Bedbugs can move from one site to another by traveling on items such as clothing, luggage, furniture, boxes and bedding.

Bedbugs can easily travel between floors and rooms in hotels or apartment buildings.

Sign of uncleanliness?

Bedbugs don't care if their environment is clean or dirty. All they need is a warm host and plenty of hiding places.

Risk factors

You're at risk of bites from bedbugs if you're in places where people come and go often, such as apartment buildings, dorm rooms, homeless shelters, hotels, cruise ships, trains, buses and refugee camps.

• Cover up. Bedbugs don't tend to burrow under clothing. So you may be able to avoid bites by wearing pajamas that cover as much skin as possible.
• Inspect secondhand items. Look over used bedding, mattresses and upholstered furniture before bringing them into your home.
• Use hotel precautions. Check mattress seams for bedbug excrement and place your luggage on tables or dressers instead of on the floor.
• Kermott CA, et al., eds. Blisters. In: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies. 2nd ed. Time; 2017.
• Studdiford JS, et al. Bedbug infestation. American Family Physician. 2012; 86:653.
• Dinulos JGH. Infestations and bites. In: Habif's Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
• How to find bed bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
• Top 10 tips to prevent or control bed bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/top-ten-tips-prevent-or-control-bed-bugs. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
• Bed bugs FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
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Where Do Bed Bugs Hide On Your Body?

Bed bugs. Chances are good that you’ve heard of them or even had a friend who ran in with these pests that love to bite humans, feeding on their blood and leaving an itchy, painful rash behind. For most of us, the idea of bed bugs sends a shiver of fear up the spine, yet many people don’t know much about this insect, its habitat, or its habits.

Can you find bed bug eggs in hair, and can these pests live on clothing or our body? Do they fly or cause diseases? And how difficult are they to get rid of once they’ve invaded your living space? The more you know about bed bugs, the better you can protect yourself and your home from a bed bug infestation.

A common question homeowners ask is, “Where do bed bugs hide on your body?” Let’s address this query first. Bed bugs hide primarily during the day when they fit into the tiniest crack and crevices in areas where people sleep. These areas tend to be close to where they can feed during the nighttime hours and could be in a crash or another narrow, protected space in a bed frame, couch box spring, mattress, recliner, or headboard.

Since bed bugs can multiply quickly , these pests can move onto other parts of your home if not controlled, making elimination extremely difficult. As we will discuss throughout this post, as we address other frequently asked questions, bed bugs do not hide on humans because they prefer a cooler, safer environment. So they don’t hide on your body. After they have taken their blood meal, bed bugs will retreat into a secure location to begin the process of digesting, which can take quite some time before they strike again.

If bed bugs don’t live on your body, can they live in your hair? Let’s explore this question next.

Symptoms Of Bed Bugs In Hair

Can bed bugs live in your hair? The short answer is no . That’s not to say they can’t bite you on your scalp, forehead, cheeks, or neck, but bed bugs’ legs and bodies aren’t designed for crawling through human hair. Plus, they prefer a more relaxed environment than that created by human body heat, so even if they do happen to feed on the skin of your head or neck, they aren’t likely to stick around afterward. 

Bed bugs can bite you on the legs, hands, and arms but are more likely to feed on your neck and head. One reason these bugs are so sneaky is that their bite doesn’t hurt, so an affected person doesn’t often notice until and unless they have a reaction. A bed bug will likely get you on the face since they prefer bare skin. S ymptoms of bed bugs in hair might include red, intensely itchy welts along your hairline or across your forehead, cheeks, or neck and small dots of blood on your pillow. Again, bed bugs don’t typically take up residence in human hair the way lice or fleas might, and they usually bite exposed skin not covered by hair. Thus, if you have insect bites on your scalp, it’s less likely to be a bed bug than some other insect. 

After two to five minutes of feeding, the bed bug will retreat to the closest hiding spot, beginning the digestion process, which can take several weeks. After that point, the bed bug can lay eggs about the size of a grain of sugar. Since bed bugs don’t live on humans, they also won’t lay their eggs on humans, so you won’t have to worry about getting bed bug eggs in your hair.

Can Bed Bugs Live On Your Body?

While travelers are known to carry bed bugs with them from one destination to the next, these insects are highly unlikely to hitchhike on your body, in your hair, or in the clothes you’re wearing. Instead, they’re far more likely to hitch a ride in the clothes you aren’t wearing—the ones in your luggage or backpack. Taking prompt measures is essential if you suspect you’ve stayed, slept, or stored your belongings in a bed-bug-infested room on a trip. 

Suppose you’re traveling and suspect you’ve stayed in a room or traveled on a bus or train infested with bed bugs. In that case, wash every bit of your clothing as soon as possible in the hottest water available and then dry them on the highest setting. Both high temperatures and steam kill bed bugs, so these steps should eliminate the problem. Use a flashlight to inspect your shoes, bag, and other items, paying extra attention to the small folds and corners . You might need to dispose of your suitcase and get a new one.

Bed Bug Bites On Scalp: Pictures And Description Of Affected Area

Bed bugs leave several bites that become itchy, red, and irritated. As we already mentioned, these pests prefer to feed on bare skin, so it’s more likely that you will notice a bite on your arms, legs, or neck rather than your scalp. The most obvious exception to that rule is if you are bald.

While many victims of bed bug infestations experience allergic reactions to the bites, some have no symptoms other than small dots where the creature feeds. Some people notice a clear raised center on the affected area. In the most severe cases, individuals may experience nausea, blisters, fever, and difficulty breathing after being bitten.

You can see photographs of bed bug bites on the website of the Environmental Protection Agency , in a clinical review by the Journal of the American Medical Association, and an informational report on integrated pest management to control bed bugs.  In these images, you will notice that bed bug bites resemble mosquito and flea bites, so bites from all these insects can often be confused.

Bed Bug Facts

After being all but eradicated in the 1940s and ’50s, Cimex lectularius —otherwise known as bed bugs—began making a resurgence all over the world in the early 2000s due to the insect’s growing resistance to commonly used insecticides. Full-grown bed bugs are minor, only about a quarter-inch in diameter —about the size of an apple seed. Reddish-brown in color, bed bugs have banded, oval-shaped abdomens that can turn bright red after feeding when they’re full of blood. Since they are so small and flat , they can slip into spaces as narrow as a credit card. Similarly, they can often  go undetected in the folds of mattresses or armchairs, beneath rugs, and in other furniture and living spaces.  Since these pests live indoors, there is no “high” or “low” season for bed bugs.

Bed bugs are primarily nocturnal and seem to be most active in the wee hours of the morning. Still, they have been known to bite during the daytime as well. Unfortunately, bed bugs seem to be impervious to most commonly used insecticides and bug-repellent sprays (the kind you would use, for example, to repel mosquitoes and ticks), so spraying your bed or your skin before bedtime won’t help you avoid the bite of this pesky little nuisance. 

It’s important to know that bed bug infestations are not due to an unsanitary environment. Even the cleanest homes and hotels can be prone to an infestation since bed bugs do not live in filth—they live off the blood of mammals, including humans. So wherever humans (and other mammals) live, bed bugs can live happily, too, even if kept immaculately clean.

How To Know If Bed Bugs Are In Your Home

Travelers know bed bugs can live and hide in many places besides the bed. Bed bug infestations can also spread to upholstered couches and chairs, not to mention trains, buses, and other areas. Bed bugs can also crawl up walls, hide behind picture frames or headboards or sneak into the cracks and corners of furniture drawers.

The same inspection technique you use when traveling might help determine whether you have a bed bug infestation in your home. However, eradicating the insects from your living space is likely much more complex and costly than just ridding them from your overnight bag after a trip. Signs of a bed bug infestation in your home include, first and foremost, itchy bites that appear in lines on your skin. Other characters you might find in your bed, on walls, or on other furniture include blood spots on sheets and mattresses, dead bugs or exoskeletons, pale whitish or yellow nymphs (baby bed bugs), and bits of the insects’ dark, blood-filled excrement. (Yuck!)

The Good News About Bed Bugs (Yes, There Is Some!)

When it comes to bed bugs, it’s not all bad news. Here’s the good part: first, bed bugs are not carriers of infectious diseases, unlike mosquitoes or some other pests . So even if you have bed bug bites, you won’t pick up any nasty bacteria or illness beyond the bites’ effects. Another good bed bug news is that they don’t reproduce very quickly —not as soon as certain other pests, such as cockroaches or flies. And speaking of flying insects, since bed bugs can’t fly , at least you’ll only have to deal with them crawling on you, not zipping airborne into your hair.

Okay, maybe calling that last bit “good news” is a bit of a stretch. And when bed bugs infest your home, any way you look at it, they’re bad news. Pest professionals call bed bugs the most challenging pest to treat. If the professionals have trouble, the average homeowner may find it nearly impossible to eradicate bed bugs without calling in the experts.

ABC Can Rid Your Home of Bed Bugs

If you suspect you might have bed bugs in your home, the best thing you can do is to call ABC immediately to schedule a service.  Our experienced, professional team will conduct a thorough inspection to determine whether it’s bed bugs or some other pest that has invaded your home. Then we will eliminate the problem using proven methods to get rid of bed bugs once and for all.

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• Termite Control
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Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair?

by Chad Simpson | Oct 3, 2023 | Bed Bug Facts

Are you worried about bed bugs taking up residence in your hair? This might seem like a horrifying possibility but is it actually plausible? In this blog post, we’ll delve into the nitty-gritty of bed bug behavior and biology, clarifying misconceptions and providing insights into their unlikely relationship with human hair.

Don’t scratch that itch just yet – read on to find out more!

Key Takeaways

• Bed bugs do not typically live in hair, as they lack the physical adaptations to navigate through it.
• Bed bugs prefer cool, dark spaces like furniture crevices over warmth and hair follicles.
• Bed bugs can migrate from one location to another by hitching a ride on items such as luggage or clothing.

Can Bed Bugs Live in Your Hair?

Bed bugs have the ability to hide in dark and secluded spaces, but contrary to popular belief, they do not typically live in hair.

Explanation of confusion with lice

People often mistake bed bugs for lice due to their similar size and pest status. However, major differences exist between the two pests. Bed bugs lack the physical adaptations necessary to navigate through hair unlike lice or ticks which have claws designed specifically for this purpose. Therefore, they are unlikely to infest human scalps or hair follicles. Additionally, bed bugs don’t favor the heat of our bodies and are more inclined towards cool dark spaces like furniture crevices or behind beds where temperature control is easier for them than on a warm scalp covered in hair.

It’s easy to jump at every bite mark thinking it’s from a bug nestled in your hair but realistically speaking, that’s probably not the case when it comes to bed bugs!

Bed bug capabilities and anatomy

Bed bugs have some interesting capabilities and unique anatomy. Unlike lice or ticks, bed bugs do not have claws to navigate through hair. Instead, they rely on their flat bodies to hide in dark and secluded spaces like cracks in furniture or behind beds.

While they may end up being found in people’s hair, it is highly unlikely for them to make their homes there. Bed bugs prefer a cooler environment and are more attracted to the warmth of our bodies rather than our hair.

So if you find bug bites on your scalp, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the bed bugs have infested your hair follicles. Remember, proper inspection and treatment of living spaces are crucial for eliminating bed bug infestations.

Bed bug migration habits

Bed bugs are skilled travelers, but they don’t migrate in the same way that birds or animals do. While bed bugs can move from one location to another, they typically hitch a ride on items such as luggage, furniture, or clothing.

They’re excellent at hiding and can quickly find new hiding spots once they reach their destination. These blood-sucking pests prefer dark and secluded spaces like cracks and crevices in furniture or behind beds rather than migrating long distances on their own.

Remember to thoroughly inspect your belongings when traveling or bringing in used furniture to help prevent these unwanted guests from infesting your home.

How to Prevent Bed Bugs in Your Hair

To prevent bed bugs in your hair, take proactive measures such as regularly washing bedding and clothing, vacuuming mattresses and furniture , and inspecting any used furniture or clothing before bringing them into your home.

Tips for preventing bed bugs in general

Prevent bed bugs from infesting your home by following these tips:

• Inspect any second-hand furniture or clothing for signs of bed bugs before bringing them into your home.
• Use protective covers on your mattresses and pillows to prevent bed bugs from hiding in cracks and crevices.
• Regularly vacuum and clean your living spaces, paying close attention to baseboards, carpets, and upholstery.
• Reduce clutter in your home as it creates more hiding spots for bed bugs.
• When traveling, carefully inspect hotel rooms for any signs of bed bugs before unpacking.
• Wash and dry your bedding on high heat to kill any potential bed bugs or eggs.
• Seal up cracks and crevices in walls, floors, and furniture to eliminate potential hiding spots for bed bugs.
• If you suspect a bed bug infestation, contact a professional exterminator who can properly treat the problem.

Avoiding infestation in your hair

To prevent bed bug infestation in your hair, follow these tips:

• Keep your living space clean and clutter-free to minimize hiding spots for bed bugs.
• Regularly vacuum your mattress, furniture, and carpets to remove any potential infestations.
• Use mattress and pillow covers that are designed to keep bed bugs out.
• Avoid bringing used furniture or bedding into your home without thoroughly inspecting them first.
• If you suspect a bed bug infestation, wash all of your bedding and clothing in hot water and dry them on high heat to kill any bugs or eggs.
• Be cautious when traveling and stay in reputable accommodations to reduce the risk of encountering bed bugs.
• Consider using an insecticide specifically labeled for bed bug control if you have a confirmed infestation.

Signs and Symptoms of Hair Infestation

Bed bug bites on the scalp can appear as small, red welts that may be itchy and irritating. The affected area may include the forehead, cheeks, and back of the neck.

Identifying bed bug bites on the scalp

Bed bug bites on the scalp can be identified by their appearance and location. Here are some signs to look out for:

• Raised, red welts: Bed bug bites on the scalp often appear as small, raised bumps that may be itchy or irritating.
• Clustered pattern: Bed bug bites on the scalp tend to occur in clusters or rows, rather than individual bites.
• Linear or zigzag pattern: The bites may form a linear or zigzag pattern along the scalp, forehead, cheeks, or neck.
• Itching and inflammation: Bed bug bites on the scalp can cause itching and inflammation, similar to other insect bites.
• Lack of pus or blisters: Unlike some other insect bites, bed bug bites typically do not develop pus or blisters.

Description of the affected area

Bed bug bites on the scalp can cause redness, itching, and swelling. These bites typically appear as small, raised bumps that may be grouped together or form a line. The affected area on the scalp can range from the forehead to the back of the neck.

It is important to note that bed bugs do not actually live in hair follicles or make their home in hair. Instead, they are more likely to hide in bedding, furniture, and other cracks and crevices.

If you suspect a bed bug infestation on your scalp or body, it’s essential to properly inspect and treat your living spaces to eliminate these pests effectively.

In conclusion, while the idea of bed bugs living in your hair may be a cause for concern, it is actually quite unlikely. Bed bugs prefer dark and secluded spaces like furniture or bedding, rather than making their homes on your scalp.

So rest assured that you can focus your efforts on inspecting and treating the right areas to eliminate any potential infestations.

1. What is the possibility of bed bugs living in human hair?

While there is a common misconception, evidence suggests it’s unlikely for bed bugs to live in your hair due to their feeding and habitat preferences.

2. Are bed bugs attracted to human hair or can they infest your scalp?

No, bed bug behavior does not generally involve being attracted to human hair or infesting the scalp, contrary to some misconceptions about their habits.

3. Can you find signs of bed bugs in your hair?

Lack of evidence hints that you wouldn’t typically find signs of bed bugs or their eggs hiding places specifically within your hair follicles.

4. Do bed bugs bite on the scalp like head lice do?

Bed bugs may bite anywhere on a person’s body, potentially including the scalp; however, this doesn’t mean they reside there like head lice often do.

5. How can I check my hair for the possible presence of Bed Bugs?

Given that these pests are unlikely dwellers within human tresses, checking might be unnecessary but awareness should still be maintained against any unusual biting on the scalp.

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• Last Updated on July 27, 2021

Can Bed Bugs Live in Your Hair?​

Head lice are bad enough, but the idea of bed bugs living in your hair is enough to give anyone the heebie jeebies!

But is it actually possible?

Has anyone ever woken up to find that they have a bed bug infestation in their hair?

If these questions keep you awake at night, then fret no more!

In this article we are going to answer these and other commonly asked questions to help put your mind at ease.

Can bed bugs really live in your hair?

To put your fears at rest straight from the outset, let us answer this question with a categorical No!

You never need to worry about bed bugs living in your hair because (and we mean no offense!) your hair is a very inhospitable bed bug habitat.

Bed bugs prefer cool environments, so human hair, and the human body in general, is far too hot for them to live.

Furthermore, there is no way for bed bugs to even climb up into your hair, because unlike other insects like ticks and lice, bed bugs have no claws. This means that these little pests are unable to get a grip, which is definitely good news for everyone who doesn’t fancy becoming a bed bug hotel!

Do bed bugs hide in people’s hair?

Okay, so bed bugs don’t live in our hair, but is there a chance that they could wander up there by mistake and hide out?

The reality is that bed bugs have no interest in you at all other than as a source of food, and it is very difficult for them to get access to your blood through the tangle of your hair, especially as they don’t have any claws or hooks. This is why bed bugs much prefer bare skin because it is easy for them to munch on you while you are sleeping before they return to their hiding place.

Do bed bugs ever stay on people’s bodies?

But if they don’t hide out in your hair, can bed bugs ever be tempted to make a home elsewhere on your body? After all, there are other pests like ticks which often stay on your body even after they have finished their blood meal.

The reality is that bed bugs will never choose to stay on your body because it is just too warm. After bed bugs feed, they much prefer to retreat to a cooler environment where they can hide out until it is time to eat again.

Nobody likes walking long distances when they are hungry, bed bugs included, and that is why they usually live as close to their food source (you!) as possible. This means that most bed bugs live somewhere in or around your bed. This may be in the mattress, the bed frame, or any other furniture in close proximity to your bed. They even nest in box springs, and behind door frames and electrical outlets, where they lay their eggs and wait for night time.

With so many hiding places, there is really no need for bed bugs to ever expose themselves during the day time, or put themselves at risk by spending any more time on your body than they need to.

Do they ever lay bed bug eggs in people’s hair?

A major reason why removing bed bugs entirely from your home is so difficult is that they lay eggs at a tremendous rate. An adult female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in her year-long lifetime . This means that if you want to get rid of bed bugs, you also need to find and destroy their eggs as well as any baby bed bugs which have already hatched.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Finding bed bugs that are already full grown is difficult enough because they are only the size of an apple seed, and blend into bed frames and other furniture with their reddish brown color, but finding their eggs is even harder because they are only about the size of a pinhead.

This may have you worried that if there were any bed bug eggs in amongst your hair follicles, you would never be able to detect them. However, as it is so unlikely to get adult bed bugs in hair, the chances of them laying eggs in your hair are essentially zero. Bed bugs tend to lay their eggs somewhere safer where they won’t be disturbed such as deep inside furniture or in cracks and crevices in your walls.

Do you always need to kill bed bugs?

Bed bugs are a notoriously difficult pest to get rid of once a bed bug population has begun to establish itself in your home, even for a professional pest removal company. Bed bugs infest whole houses at an incredible rate once they have been introduced.

However, there are a few things you can do to prevent bed bug infestations, and the first is to make sure that you don’t carry bed bugs home in your luggage at the end of a trip. There are many established bed bug “facts” that are actually not true, and one of the biggest misconceptions is bed bugs spread only in a filthy environment. In truth, bed bugs love to stay at fancy hotels too.

The best thing to do is to make sure you tape up your luggage in your hotel and vacuum it when you get home. This may be time consuming, but it should help to prevent bed bugs and other insect hitchhikers from coming home with you. If you do find any dead bugs when you get home, make sure you vacuum them up straight away.

What steps can you take yourself?

You need to approach a bed bug infestation (and any other pest control issue), systematically. This means identifying bed bug bites on your family members, as well as any other signs and symptoms of bed bugs such as blood filled excrement on your sheets. Bed bugs generally bite a few times at once, so you can often differentiate between their bites and other insect bites because they leave clusters of red spots on your skin. Once you have identified a bed bug problem, you can then try running your sheets through your washing machine on a hot water setting, as well as other home remedies like treating your mattresses with rubbing alcohol.

To sum up…

While you may have nightmares of coming across a bed bug breeding ground with your nit comb, the chances that you will find bed bugs in your hair are essentially zero . Bed bugs stay where they are cool and safe, and while you may have come across bed bug shampoo, there is very little evidence of a genuine need for it.

Either way, if you do have a bed bug problem, and nothing you have tried so far has managed to solve it, you may want to consider some of our some of our expert solutions like steamers and mattress covers.

However, if the problem persists, it may be to time to consider hiring the services of a professional bed bug removal company.

Ronald has 25 years of pest control experience under his belt. He scrutinizes each control method, product and process to prevent infestations effectively. 

Read more here.

What Causes Roaches? Even in a Clean House?

Does Rubbing Alcohol Kill Bed Bugs?

Can Bed Bugs Live in Your Hair?

How Much Do Bed Bug Exterminators Cost?

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7 Myths About Bed Bugs Debunked

These creepy crawlers strike fear (and confusion) in the hearts of humans. CR gets to the truth.

It’s not surprising that half-truths and downright magical thinking come into play where bed bugs are concerned. There are few things that make us feel so powerless in our own domain as the specter of a visit from these creatures.

The most obvious misconception is that if you keep your house really clean, bed bugs won’t come. But “anyone can get bed bugs,” says Zachary DeVries, PhD, an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky. “Only those who have the resources are able to get rid of them.”

Below, CR busts some myths and delivers advice to help you stare down this scourge, protect yourself and your family, and take effective action if you need to.

Myth 1: You’re Safe From Bed Bugs if You Have a Foam Mattress

Truth: While bed bugs can’t live in foam, they can stash themselves in any crevice that’s close to your body while you’re inert, such as in the small cracks of your bed frame. So even though foam isn’t habitable for bed bugs, someone who’s sleeping on it is still vulnerable.

Does it lower your risk to zip your mattress and box spring into protective bags? “Mattress encasements can be useful to save your mattress and box spring, but they won’t solve your bed bug problem,” DeVries says.

So you can still have bed bugs in your home and can still get bitten. What encasement bags are good for is protecting the actual mattress. That means you might not need to toss it and spend money on a new one if you have a bed bug infestation.

Myth 2: Bed Bugs Travel Only by Hitchhiking on Clothes or Other Fabric

Truth: Fabric is only one mode of transport. Bed bugs get around on their own just fine. Bed bugs can move around within buildings, between rooms and units. They can also hitch a ride on furniture or other infested items to move from one home to another. If you live in a multi-unit building and you know bed bugs are in apartments near yours, you should have an exterminator examine your home and look for signs of the pests. And if your home has an infestation in one room, adjacent rooms should be treated, too.

Myth 3: A Bed Bug–Sniffing Dog Is the Best Way to Identify an Infestation

Truth: There are reputable handlers with well-trained bed bug–sniffing dogs and there are scammers with untrained dogs. There are also legit bug-sniffing dogs that occasionally make mistakes.

Dogs and handlers should have proper accreditation and verifiable training through respected organizations such as the World Detector Dog Organization and the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association.

As for spotting signs of bed bugs yourself, there are a couple of things to look for on your sheets: tiny hard brown dots about the size of a pen tip (bed bug excrement) and small blood spots where you might have smashed a bed bug while rolling over. You might also see white eggs the size of sesame seeds in small clumps in or around furniture.

Find out how to identify bed bugs .

And remember, if you see none of the above in your home and your only worry is bite marks, the problem could be something else. There are many insects that bite in the night.

Myth 4: You’ll Need to Throw Out Everything You Own if You Have Bed Bugs

Truth: Most likely you won’t have to leave your expensive TV or computer—or much else—on the curb after a run-in with bed bugs. According to DeVries, you probably won’t need to throw away any of your items, unless the infestation is severe. “It is usually better to treat and eradicate the bugs first,” DeVries says. “If you want to replace items, it’s best to do so only after the problem has been solved to make sure new items don’t get infested.”

Once your home is treated professionally, your belongings should be okay. Exterminators use heat to kill bed bugs, a temperature above 120° F. (The high setting on most clothes dryers is well above this, by the way.) They bring in portable heaters and fans and gradually heat the room, using sensors to make sure the heat is well-distributed.

Some pest control companies ask you to strip beds and furniture and bag up belongings including clothes, shoes, and coats so that bed bugs have nowhere to hide during the treatment. You’ll leave these bags (tied tightly) in the room being heated so that the bed bugs get baked with the rest of the space. Most everything in your home, including furniture, can withstand this heat for the hour and a half necessary to kill off the bugs.

Myth 5: A Blow Dryer Is Fatal to Bed Bugs

Truth: In some cases, it can be. But the trick is keeping bed bugs in one place long enough to take the heat till they’re dead. A hair dryer can be a reliable tool for flushing bed bugs out of cracks and crevices, though. The bugs will scurry away from the hot wind.

Myth 6: Cayenne Pepper or Diatomaceous Earth Can Kill Bed Bugs

Truth: Most over-the-counter products—including natural oils, cayenne pepper, and diatomaceous earth—won’t be effective at killing the pests, according to DeVries. That also includes bug bombs, or sprays containing deet; the concentration is usually not high enough to kill bed bugs or their eggs (and it’s not safe to misuse this chemical by applying more than is recommended). Professional heat treatment by an exterminator is the surest way to kill bed bugs.

If you’re waiting for treatment, you might be able to reduce the number of bed bugs by laying down Cimexa’s Insecticide Dust, which is made mostly of silicon dioxide. Sprinkle it in cracks and joints of a bed frame and in any contact points where bugs could hide (for example, where wood meets the floor and where a bed platform meets the mattress). This insecticide absorbs the waxy exterior of a bed bug’s shell, leaving it desiccated, but you’ll probably need multiple applications. You can also “bake” bedding, shoes, backpacks, and pillows in a clothes dryer set on high for 10 to 20 minutes.

Myth 7: Once They’re Gone, They’re Gone

Truth: Bed bugs can live one to four months at regular temperatures (possibly a bit longer at cooler temperatures). An exterminator should come more than once and should inspect your home before offering a quote. Depending on the degree of problem and the size of your home, treatment costs can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Many exterminators include a follow-up visit, and some will return several times. (It would be prudent to request this.) After two to three visits from a pro to make sure there are no signs of bed bugs, you can consider yourself clear of the infestation.

Bed Bug Tips

These pests are more common than you think. From the “ Consumer 101 ” TV show, learn how you can protect yourself against a bed bug infestation.

Haniya Rae is a former home and mattress reporter for CR. Previously, she wrote about consumer advocacy issues for The Atlantic, PC Magazine, Popular Science, and others. 

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8 Ways to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Hair

By Tashfeen Mustafa • Updated on January 15, 2023

Tashfeen is a freelance Content Writer, App/Web Developer. From early on, he intently believes that in today's world, to be able to stand out, one requires the ability to be a jack of all trades rather than being a master of one. Writing content for a living started for him as a hobby and later turned into a passionate career writing for various different organizations on many different topics which also gave him the opportunity to become a great researcher when it comes to writing on any topic.

Bed bugs are probably some of the most disgusting pests around to ever exist, and you’ve probably heard of them too. Bed bugs are pesky creatures that love to bite humans and feed on their blood.

They can easily live without a meal for six to fourteen months and they are unbelievably skilled at surviving by hiding in nooks and crannies and multiplying at amazing speeds.

As such, they are easily able to spread from one unit to another which is why it is typical to find bed bugs at hotels and motels, apartment complexes, airplanes, buses, and other places where it is common for humans to pass through. This is also why it is so hard to eliminate bed bugs as well.

In this article, we will talk about how to remove bed bugs from your hair and other related health tips and general advice on these pests, and how to remove them from your vicinity as well.

Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair

If you’ve found bed bugs in your hair or bed bug bite marks on your scalp and skin then it might be a comfort for you to know that bed bugs can’t live in your hair.

Unlike lice and mites, bed bugs lack the proper biological parts that allow the former pests to travel through and around the hair. This is a disadvantage for bed bugs and as a result, they avoid making a home there.

Bed bugs like to reside in areas where there is negligible movement, which makes them more averse to human hair or the human body.

However, bed bugs do like feeding on human blood by biting through the skin, and the scalp is one of the softest skin on the human body making it easy for bed bugs to feed on human blood and an advantageous location as well.

Therefore, bed bugs typically get on your hair while you’re asleep as that is the time they can feed on with minimal disturbance. After they’re done feeding, they simply go back to their dwellings leaving the human they fed on with bite marks.

Related: Can fleas hide and live in human hair?

How To Know If Your Hair Has Bed Bugs

You can check your hair for bed bugs by looking for bite marks along your scalp line. Sometimes, you may be able to feel them crawling around in your hair as well.

If you find bed bugs in your hair or bed bug bites on your body, your house or living quarters are likely infested as well. Given the extent of the infestation, it is completely possible to have their eggs in your hair as well. While this thought may be abhorring, you should remain vigilant to see if bed bug eggs are in your hair.

It’s also quite common for people to dismiss the early signs of a bed bug infestation as bite marks from bed bugs resemble a lot to mosquito bites. A bed bug population can multiply every 16 days.

As the hair is not the ideal environment for bed bugs to live in they tend to move to cooler and darker places where it is harder to spot them. This is why it is so important to catch an infestation before it explodes to the whole house, or worse, the whole apartment.

The best way to find out if you have bed bugs in your house is to set up traps that can allow you to catch a few of those pesky little pets. More details about how to set up traps to catch bed bugs in your house are provided in the FAQ section below.

How To Remove Bed Bugs From Your Hair

As mentioned before, bed bugs don’t live in your hair. They feed on human blood by biting into the skin and while they prefer bare skin, the scalp is one of their go-to places as the skin on the scalp is the softest on the human body.

If you do find bed bugs on your hair, your house is likely infested. And even though there are steps you can take to remove bed bugs from your hair, removing bed bugs from your house is a completely different story.

While we’ll investigate more specific options to remove bed bugs from your hair, here is a more simple and general approach to it.

A simple and general approach to removing bed bugs from hair:

• Apply Neem oil, lice shampoo, or 91% rubbing alcohol with your shampoo and apply it to your scalp. We would suggest experimenting by combining all three of the options with your shampoo separately and seeing what works best for you.
• After that, you should leave the shampoo on your head for 15 to 20 minutes. Then rinse out the shampoo from your hair with warm or hot water. Bed bugs can’t survive over temperatures of 118°F so hot water can easily kill them off.
• Then, comb your hair using a nit comb that is specifically designed to remove bed bugs from your hair.
• Wash off the bed bugs from your hair and then rinse the comb with warm water.
• Keep combing your hair until you’re satisfied that you’ve removed all the bed bugs from your hair.
• Repeat the whole process every two days until the bed bugs are gone.

While this general approach does work in most cases, since your home is likely infested with bed bugs, the bugs will keep coming back. This is why we need to look into more specific and permanent solutions that include not just treating your hair but also treating your house.

More Specific Ways To Get Rid of Bed Bugs From Your Hair

We’re going to start with the best methods to rid yourself of the pesky bugs. They may not be the easiest or the most comfortable options, but most of these options are guaranteed to help with your problem.

1. Home Treatments

As stated previously, bed bugs in your hair mean there is a full-blown infestation in your home. At the least, your bed and the surrounding area contain bed bugs. Typically, they’re hiding in the crevices of your bed and the vicinity during the day and coming out to feast during the night. Removing bed bugs from your hair won’t do much if you don’t remove the infestation in your home.

Check every corner of the bed, the headboard if you have one, picture frames, and other nooks and crannies. Also, check your sheets and pillows as some of those pests may be there as well.

To remove bed bugs from your home start with washing all your sheets, comforters, pillowcases, and other bedding materials. Try adding all your clothes that you’re not wearing into the laundry as well, as bed bugs can hide there too. Set your washing machine to a hot water setting and include bleach with your detergent.

After washing your bedding materials and clothes is complete, dry them at the highest settings. According to a paper in the Journal of Economic Entomology , heat and localized heat treatment has lethal effects on controlling and eliminating bed bug infestations.

Drying at the highest heat setting will exterminate any surviving bed bugs from the washing machine. Then vacuum your room, beds, mattresses, and the surrounding area. You can also wrap all the mattresses afterward to stop more bed bugs to migrate to your mattress while the extermination process is taking place.

You can also apply rubbing alcohol or bed bug powder to the box springs. Make sure to steam all your bedding items before placing them back to their original places as well as steam the surrounding areas.

Of course, all of this sounds a lot, and in most cases unmanageable for a normal person. You probably won’t even have the right tools to do some of these activities.

Therefore, it would be wise to call professional pest control to eliminate bed bugs from your house but remember that not removing the infestation from your house will result in more bed bugs in your hair.

It is also quite likely that the infestation has probably spread to other units if you’re living in an apartment complex. Professional pest control agencies will be able to help you and others to identify it.

2. Heat Treatment

You can easily sit in a sauna where the temperature typically ranges from 117°F to 122°F. This is the ideal temperature to kill off any bed bug that may be in your hair as well as their eggs. This step should of course be used with caution.

If you can’t avail of the services of a sauna, a hot shower should suffice. As mentioned previously, wash your hair with a shampoo of your choice, rubbing it all over the scalp and hair. Then, rinse your hair with hot water and comb through the hair to remove the dead bugs and their eggs.

You can also use a steamer although remain cautious while using one and follow the appropriate instructions on how to use a steamer at a safe temperature for yourself but lethal for the bugs.

3. Apply Cedar Oil

Cedar oil or any product containing cedar oil is always helpful when dealing with bed bugs. Include a few drops of the oil into your body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. However, keep in mind that cedar oil may cause some itching or discomfort on the scalp as well.

4. Shave Your Head

While we recognize this may not be a viable option for many if you’re able to go completely bald you should go for it.

This is an effective solution as shaving your head removes the hair as a hiding spot for the bed bugs. With the scalp being exposed, bed bugs tend to stray away from the head as it leads to them being easily spotted.

5. Use Lice Shampoo/Treatment

While bed bugs are completely different from lice, lice treatment, such as a shampoo or lotion designed to kill lice, is proven to remove bed bugs and their eggs.

Once you’ve purchased a lice shampoo or a lice treatment kit, follow the instructions that come with it to apply it to your hair as each product is different.

Typically, you should leave the lice shampoo on your hair for a few minutes after applying it and comb your hair with a nit comb once you’ve rinsed off all of it. Nit combs are specifically designed to remove bed bugs from your hair.

You should repeat this process every few days until all the bed bugs and their eggs are eliminated.

6. Use Alcohol

You can mix some rubbing alcohol with your shampoo and rub it in your hair and scalp. Follow the same process described above after rinsing your hair and repeat the process every few days.

A word of caution, alcohol can negatively affect your hair, causing it to dry out and cause damage. To stop that from happening, you could introduce a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to the mix.

7. Use Oil and A Shower Cap

You can use mineral oils or olive oils on your hair and scalp as well. Once you’ve applied the oil, use a shower cap to cover up your hair and leave it overnight.

This will suffocate the bed bugs in your hair by the time its morning. After that, you can just shampoo your hair and comb through it as described previously to remove all the dead bed bugs.

8. Throw Away Headpieces

Throw away any wigs or hairpieces that you may have lying around in the house as those are also likely infested and may cause further problems in ridding yourself of the little pests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bed bugs are small, brownish insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. While they typically feed on humans, they also tend to make a meal out of dogs, birds, bears, and rodents. The earliest mention of bed bugs can be traced back to some medieval European texts and even classical Greek writings. The bed bug population had mostly died off before it made a huge comeback around the 2000s in the US and around the world. This sudden rise in bed bug population was caused for multiple reasons, including less potent insecticides or a rise in tolerance towards said insecticides by the bed bugs, a rise in global travel, and a decrease in awareness and vigilance towards bed bugs. Bed bugs can survive for months without even having to feed themselves and can easily multiply in numbers which can result in them spreading through a large area comparatively quickly. This is why abandoning the place of infestation in thoughts of starving the bugs won’t work.

Bed bugs are small insects reddish-brown in color, around 3/16-inch in length, with oval and flattened bodies, and have six legs. They’re so thin they can fit into credit cardholders. They are similar in color to an apple seed but are almost the size of a single piece of lentil. Younger bed bugs, also known as nymphs, resemble adults but they are also smaller and lighter in color. Newly born nymphs are straw-colored and about the size of a pinhead. As they grow, they start shedding their skin, which happens five times before they reach adulthood. During this shedding, the nymphs feed off of blood.

No, bed bugs cannot fly or jump. However, because of their size, they can easily hide in small crevices and can crawl extremely fast across any kind of surface.

Adult female bed bugs lay eggs in secluded places. They can lay multiple eggs per day and hundreds in their lifetime. Adult females can also feed on warm-blooded animals to lay eggs. The eggs are about the size of the speck of dust, white in color, and incredibly hard to see without magnification. They are sticky when they are initially laid and easily stick to surfaces. It takes about a week for these eggs to hatch at room temperature. If nymphs have access to a supply of blood, they can grow mature in almost a month and multiply in numbers.

Bed bugs will typically bite on any bare skin they can find. The less hair on a body, the better for them as like other insects or pests they lack the appendages needed to traverse through hair. But bed bugs can also be more likely to bite your neck, face, and head area than the legs and arms.

Bites from bed bugs will usually look like a red welt that is extremely itchy and irritating. The welts can also bleed and appear in small dots in groups in a specific part of your body. Sometimes you may also notice a raised center around the affected area. Some people can also get allergic reactions to the bites besides the small dots is also worth mentioning. There can also be cases where victims may experience nausea, fever, blisters, and difficulty in breathing.

While bugs can carry leprosy, Q-fever, brucellosis, and other diseases, they do not spread those diseases to humans or any other warm-blooded animals according to a paper written by Dolling WR in 1991.

A Sheffield University study found that bed bugs are deterred by longer hairs as it can slow them down from feeding on open skin and longer hair can also alert the hosts faster than shorter hair.

Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are not capable of living in a person’s hair as they cannot move through hair due to not having the proper biological parts and they like places that are dormant making a human head not the ideal place to live in. They do tend to live in dark, secluded places where the temperature is typically colder than room temperature. They hide in small crevices on your bed, behind furniture, walls, or within the cracks of floorboards. Bed bugs come out of these hiding spots during the night, to feed on their hosts. If you sleep during the day, then the bugs will adapt to your sleep schedule as you’re one of the sources for their food.

Bed bugs don’t have anything to do with being clean or hygienic. Bed bugs can easily thrive in clean environments. While there are endless possibilities, bed bugs can come from an infested hairpiece, an infested bus/train/airplane, your luggage and clothes that you’re not wearing that you’ve taken on your travels, infested hair equipment, another infested home, infested hotels or motels. As you can understand, bed bugs can easily travel from one infested region to another region where they can easily multiply. If you’ve unknowingly stumbled upon an infested area or object you might have a bed bug problem in your home.

Bed bugs signs include finding small blood stains on your sheets, pillowcases, or the sides and crevices of the bed. You may also see some dark and rusty spots on walls or carpets. There can also be a strong but sweet, musky odor in areas that are infested.

We’ve mentioned before that you should definitely check your bed, headboards, floorboards, and the surrounding areas of your bed but you should also check chairs, couches, cushions, folds of curtains, drawer joints, electrical outlets, and appliances, between walls and ceilings, and any tiny, thin areas in your home that are protected and are expected to be darker and with cooler temperatures. If you have been traveling, been to the hospital, or in any place that you suspect of being infested, you should also check your bags, luggage, and even clothes that you have traveled with. You can also find a dish-shaped trap that is placed under the legs of beds, tables, and sofas that help trap bed bugs while they travel to and from their hiding spots to feed on you during your sleep. These dishes can stop the bed bugs from escaping to their hiding spots easily.

In conclusion, bed bugs are an absolute nightmare and can not only affect you physically but can also be exhausting mentally. Just to be safe, always check any hotel rooms you travel to and keep your luggage as secluded as possible.

There’s honestly no way of knowing beforehand but it’s always best to know as much you can about bed bugs, the signs to look for, and how to get rid of them. So have you had any experiences with bed bugs recently? Let us know.

Can Bed Bugs Live In Hair? What You Must Know

by Monique | Bed Bugs , Insects

This post contains affiliate links:   Full Disclosure  

Bed bugs are becoming fairly common household pests these days, lurking in our beds and furniture. But do they ever crawl from these items into our hair?

Bed bugs don’t live in human hair but they can crawl onto a person’s scalp to bite them, though this is rare. A bed bug bites and crawls away to its hiding place in the room – it rarely stays on a person. If it does stay in the hair, the person will probably scratch or wash off the bed bug soon after.

I’ve come up with six reasons why bed bugs generally don’t live in hair, but that doesn’t mean they don’t sometimes crawl around in there.

By the end of this article, you’ll know:

• If bed bugs can live in human hair

Where bed bugs hide on the body

6 reasons why bed bugs don’t like living in hair.

• If bed bugs lay eggs in hair

6 signs you have bed bugs in your hair

What to do if you have bed bugs in your hair, can bed bugs live in human hair.

Bed bugs can survive on a person’s scalp, where there’s hair, but they won’t choose to live there. It doesn’t make any difference how long or short the person’s hair is, how clean or dirty it is, or if the hair is in dreadlocks or not.

If you have insects making your scalp itch and they’re there for a while, you probably have lice .

Sometimes, by chance , bed bugs crawl onto a person’s scalp to suck blood. But the bed bugs probably won’t spend a long time there and will soon crawl off back to their hiding place in the room.

It’s possible to find a bed bug in your hair, but a bed bug won’t try to live on your scalp. If there’s a bed bug in your hair, you’ll probably wash or scratch it out before long.

Bed bugs don’t live or hide on humans. Bed bugs live in dark hiding places near to humans and come out every few nights to bite someone before returning to their hiding places.

Click here to find out why bed bugs bite some people and not other.

When bed bugs feed at night, they are most likely to be found on exposed areas of the body, such as on the shoulders, arms, hands, face, and neck. They don’t spend long here, and leave once they’ve fed on the person’s blood.

Sometimes bed bugs end up hiding in our clothing , which means they’re hiding on our body when we wear these clothes. If bed bugs are hiding in clothing that we put on, then the bed bugs can be found pretty much anywhere on the body where the clothing touches.

It’s unlikely bed bugs will come out into the light and expose themselves.

Below are the six main reasons why bed bugs prefer hiding in dark places in a room rather than in human hair:

Bed bugs aren’t designed to move through hair

Insects or bugs that live in fur or hair have bodies that are designed to move easily through hair. Their bodies tend to be long and slender , so they can navigate their way around fine hairs.

But a bed bug’s body is wide and flat , so it’s very difficult for a bed bug to move through hairs that are close together. This is one of the reasons why bed bugs don’t live on animals or in human hair.

People scratch and kill bed bugs in their hair

Bed bugs hide for a reason: they don’t want to be bothered or killed by people.

A bed bug that’s hiding in human hair runs the risk of being discovered very quickly and killed when the person is awake, which goes against its survival instinct. Hiding in mattresses, box springs, and other places in a room is much safer than trying to survive in human hair.

Bed bugs know this so they stay away from people altogether, until it’s time to feed and they have to venture out.

People’s scalps change temperature too often

Bed bugs like to live in warm places , where it’s usually between 70 and 80 °F (21 – 27 °C). They can survive in both hotter and colder temperatures, but that’s not where they want to stay long term.

People move around a lot. Our heads get hot in the sun, become warm indoors, and cool down quickly if we stand in the shade or sit in an air-conditioned room.

Bed bugs don’t like all these changes in temperature, so they definitely don’t like living on human scalps.

People spend too much time in dry areas

Bed bugs enjoy humid conditions, where there’s moisture in the air.

Humans spend a lot of time in dry climates , where there’s little to no humidity. For example, the air conditioning in cars, on public transport, and in office buildings makes the air very dry. Bed bugs don’t like these conditions and prefer not to be in these places on our head.

Bed bugs can’t latch onto skin

A bed bug injects anesthetic and an anti-coagulant into its human victim, to numb the skin and keep the blood flowing. Then the bed bug bites and sucks the person’s blood. Once the bed bug is done eating, it lets go and crawls back to safety in its hiding place.

A bed bug never latches onto a person’s skin and stays there. Its goal is to eat and get away back to its home.

This means that bed bugs have no means or reason to attach themselves to a human scalp and hide in human hair, so you probably won’t find them in hair.

Human hair gets wet

Bed bugs drown in water, so they tend to avoid it at all costs.

Smaller or younger bed bugs and those that aren’t full from eating can float and survive in water for a few days , but add soap to the water and all bed bugs die quickly ( here’s a DIY recipe that uses dish soap to kill bed bugs ).

People wash their hair with water and shampoo, and bed bugs don’t like warm water or soapy shampoo. So bed bugs stay out of human hair that gets wet, and they stick to places that stay dry.

If you have pets, click here to find out how to tell the difference between bed bugs and fleas.

Bed bugs can lay eggs in hair

It’s possible for bed bugs to lay eggs in a person’s hair, but this rarely happens. Bed bugs prefer to lay their eggs near a bed where a person sleeps, so the larvae that hatch are close to a human to feed on.

If you have bed bugs in your hair and they bite you, you’ll notice bites on your scalp or a rash if you scratch them when they itch.

Below are 6 signs there might be bed bugs in your hair :

• Intense scalp itching
• Swollen red bites
• Bites in groups of three, rows, or zigzags
• You get bitten every 3 to 10 days
• Most itching or biting happens at 4 a.m. in the morning
• You find bed bugs in your bed ( find out where to sleep if you have bed bugs )

Some people, especially older folks, have no reaction to bed bug bites and show no signs at all that they’ve been bitten.

Bed bugs are oval,  reddish-brown , and the size of an apple seed – ¼ inch (6 mm) long. They are flat when hungry but bloated and swollen with blood after feeding.

The picture below shows you what bed bugs look like and what to look for if you want to identify a bed bug in your hair.

Below are some of the best methods and products from Amazon to get rid of and prevent bed bugs in your hair:

• Wash your hair regularly : Regular shampooing will help remove bed bugs – wash hair at least once a day until all bed bugs are gone. Lather the shampoo well and gently work the shampoo into your hair roots, leaving it in for a few minutes to drown any bed bugs that come into contact with it. Soapy water drowns bed bugs – here are 7 other ways to kill bed bugs .
• Blow dry your hair : Set your blow dryer to a hot setting and run the hot hair over your hair, until it’s dry. Bed bugs hate hot hair and some may die in the heat.
• Wash things that come near your hair : Wash all your bedding, towels, hats and clothing on the hottest setting possible, to kill bed bugs.
• Use tea tree oil to kill bed bugs : Purchase a ready-made tea tree shampoo , or add several drops of tea tree oil to the shampoo in your hand before washing your hair. Tea tree oil kills bed bugs and lice.
• Wash with dish soap : Wash your hair with lemon dish soap and rinse well.
• Comb hair with a lice comb : Run a fine-toothed, stainless steel lice comb from your roots to the ends, to remove all bed bugs and their eggs.
• Apply baking soda : Apply a paste of baking soda, salt, and water to your scalp to kill bed bugs. Leave the paste on for 10 minutes, then rinse it out with warm water.
• Spray on apple cider vinegar : Bed bugs hate the smell of apple cider vinegar. Add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water in a spray bottle. Wet your hair, then spray on the apple cider solution. Leave it to soak for 15 minutes before washing it out.
• Treat your house for bed bugs: If you have bed bugs in your home, click here to find out how to get rid of them.

I'm Monique. I love gardening and spending time in my backyard growing things. Here's where I share what I know about backyard pests and what to do about them, so you can enjoy your yard too.

Backyard Pests participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, the ShareASale affiliate program, and other affiliate programs. This means that if you buy a product or service through one of our links, we may receive a small commission from the sale for referring you. Thank you for your support!

Monique loves gardening and spending time in her backyard, where she grows flowers, succulents, herbs, fruits, and vegetables.

Monique spends a lot of time researching how to protect her backyard from harmful pests and trying to attract beneficial insects and animals.

She shares everything that she learns and tests here at Backyard Pests.

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Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair? Explained with Examples

If you wonder, “can bed bugs live in your hair”? You are in the right place. Bed bugs do not usually live in hair. Although bed bugs may be able to crawl through the hair,  they can’t cling onto a piece of hair like lice or ticks. Learn more about the difference between bed bugs and lice here.

Research has found that bed bugs avoid crawling through hair.

Scientists were able to show in this study that hair on humans is used as a defense mechanism against bed bugs. Hair has the ability to alert us that something is crawling on our skin, which is why bed bugs have evolved to prefer to go after hairless skin.

If you still think you are finding bed bugs in your hair, the first step is to catch whatever you see and place it on some tape. The next step is to take a clear zoomed-in photo of the bug you found.

Using the camera on your phone should work just fine. However, you can use this microscope which works with your phone via Bluetooth, to get an even better photo. Below is a snapshot of some bed bug eggs that we took with this phone microscope.

We use this microscope every day, and it is the exact one we bring to every pest inspection. After you get the photo, you can send it to us or email it to an entomologist for ID.

• App Provided: Optional software for IOS, Android, Windows, MacOS X. This microscope can support Android 6.0+, iOS 9.0 or later, Windows vista/7/8/10/11 or later, MacOS X 11 or later.
• Magnification & High Definition: 2 million pixels, 1080P HD picture quality for smartphone, 720P for computer, 50x more magnification can meet your daily needs. Built-in 8 Dimmable LEDs provide enough illuminance.
• Easy to Carry, Rechargeable: When fully charged(about 3 hous), it can last for about 3 hours. It makes for a very useful and fun tool to always have with you in the outdoors. You can enjoy the portable mini pocket microscope on your nature hikes.
• A Funny Tool: This electronic microscope is more of a fixed focus magnifying glass, not a traditional microscope, Not suitable for professional serious biologists! This is definitely a very interesting thing for parents, adults, teachers, students, children, collectors, testers, electronics' repair folks, and inquisitive folks who are interested in exploring skin hair scalp trichomes and the microscopic world.
• Not only a Microscope: More than a microscope, it is a camera, It can not only zoom in but also take photos and record videos. The ability to take video and still photos is amazing. It’s really useful when documenting plant phases throughout their lifecycle.

If you feel something moving in your hair during the night, it could be a bed bug crawling across your head. However, even if they crawl across your hair, they will not form a harborage in your hair. More often than not, they will not choose to crawl across the surface of your hair.

Despite the bed bugs not living in your hair, you still may wonder if bed bugs can accidentally get in your hair as they are walking around. To note, bed bugs can crawl across your hair when looking for a blood meal, but it is not likely.

Bed Bug Behavior – Symptoms Of Bed Bugs In Your Hair

Bed bugs instinctually hide in cracks and crevices and do not likely choose to hang out in your hair. Additionally, bed bugs do not like the light since they are nocturnal creatures, so the hair is not an ideal home for a bed bug. Not only that, but bed bugs also don’t stay on your body .

Bed bugs like to rest during the day undisturbed, so the human head of hair is not an ideal hang-out spot for a bed bug to nap during the day.

More importantly, a bed bug is not the type of parasite that lives on us. Instead, they live near us. Bed bugs are obligate blood-sucking parasites that feed on blood and then return to their harborage.

A bed bug is attracted to its harborage through pheromones, and they are drawn to hang out near their bed bug poop .

There are no symptoms of bed bugs in hair since bed bugs do not live on humans.

Bed Bug Eggs In Hair – Is It Possible?

Can bed bugs lay eggs in your hair? The short answer is no; bed bugs do not lay eggs in your hair. However, lice do lay eggs in your hair, so if you see tiny white dots in your hair, it’s probably the eggs of a head louse. Head lice eggs/nits are 0.8 mm by 0.3 mm, whereas bed bug eggs are 1 mm.

Bed bug’s eggs are oval and sticky, and a bed bug likes to place them in a dark crack or crevice. Doing this provides the bed bug eggs with protection, while they are waiting to hatch.

More importantly, bed bugs prefer to lay their eggs near places where humans sleep. Primarily so the baby bed bugs can have easy access to a blood meal right after they hatch.

Bed Bug Anatomy

What is unique about the bed bug anatomy that makes it unlikely for them to live in your hair?

Bed bugs have 6 legs but do not have gripping mechanisms on their feet. Therefore they are not able to grab onto a piece of hair like a louse. Bed bugs do not jump either!

There was a study done at Sheffield University by Isabelle Dean and Michael T. Siva-Jothy on the ability of people to feel a bed bug crawling on them through hair versus smooth skin.

The more hair the  volunteers in the study had, the more they were able to feel and detect the bed bugs crawling on them. The bed bugs are adapted to be drawn to hairless parts of your body, scientists think this is because they can often feed unnoticed.

Bed Bug Migration – Where Do They Hide?

Bed bugs stay close to their blood meal. They are not looking to migrate and leave an area where they are getting a sufficient meal. An aggregation of pheromones is what attracts bed bugs to their hiding places.

Learn how to find bed bugs during the day using our tips.

Bed bugs cluster in what we call a harborage.  In a bed bug harborage, you will find bed bug droppings, eggs, nymphs, and adults. Additionally, bed bugs move around in search of a blood meal;  our CO2, sweat, and other stimuli attract them.

Sometimes we can cause bed bugs to migrate to another room or even another apartment by spraying DIY treatments that are not strong enough to kill them. More importantly, a bottle of bed bug spray that you buy at the local hardware store is not vital to kill all bed bugs, but it will make them scatter.

Do Bed Bugs Live In Your Ear?

Bed bugs can live in various places; more than likely, an ear is not one of them.  However, if a bed bug accidentally crawled into your ear, your cilia would take care of it and evict the bug.

A bed bug’s instincts predict where they go after feeding. A bed bug is naturally drawn to walk back to its harborage area after feeding. There are things within the bed bug harborage like pheromones and fecal matter which attract a bed bug.

Another reason that makes it unlikely for a bed bug to live in your ear is that they do not like to crawl across our skin. They will often feed by keeping their body on a surface near you while stretching their feeding tube to reach our skin. Not touching our skin, allows them to feed on us undetected. 

A person’s ear will not have the proper signals like pheromones and fecal matter. More than likely, if you are experiencing bed bugs, then they are not living in your ear. 

However, if you think a  single bed bug may have accidentally crawled into your ear, then you need to see an Ear doctor so they can look into your ear with a scope.

Can Bed Bugs Bite Your Scalp?

If you have a bald head, a bed bug can easily bite your scalp.  Bed bugs are known to bite other areas on the human body like the face, neck, hands, and feet.

A bald scalp is a viable place for a bed bug to feed because it has a good blood supply, and there are not many hairs to get in the way.

In addition, the bed bug that’s hiding in our headboard may come out to feed and encounter the bald scalp first. If you are experiencing bite-like marks on your bald scalp, then a bed bug inspection should be your #1 priority.

Can You Carry Bed Bugs On Your Body?

How do bed bugs get on your clothing? You can carry bed bugs on your clothing, but they do not live on your body like a tick, louse, scabies, or mite. We have an entire article dedicated to scabies vs bed bugs if you need further information.

It can happen if you have clothing sitting on a bed with an active bed bug infestation. If you put one piece of clothing on, you may unknowingly carry around a bed bug.

Another way bed bugs can get on your clothing is by sitting somewhere with bed bugs. If you sit down in a Doctor’s office, the chair may have a bed bug on it.

In turn, this bed bug can easily crawl onto your clothing in search of a blood meal. Bed bugs do not usually bite through clothing unless it is a loosely woven mesh.

What Kind of Bugs Can Live In Your Hair?

Many bugs can live in your hair, such as lice, scabies, chigger, mites, or a tick.  However, lice are the main culprits of an itchy head. So, Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair? The answer is that it is not likely.

Lice are tiny parasitic insects that can attach to human hair and survive by sucking our blood.  Lice tend to live in your hair, and if you are experiencing an itchy scalp, you should get it checked for lice.

Ticks are another type of parasite that lives in our bodies. A tick will bury its head into our skin to feed on blood. Ticks do not usually migrate to our hair, but they have the proper anatomy to migrate through hair.

It’s possible to see a tick on your scalp underneath your hair.  Some of the familiar places you are likely to find are near your armpits, groin, or scalp.

Scabies is a parasite that burrows under our skin. The immature scabies mite can live underneath the hair follicle. If you think you have scabies, you should isolate and treat them since they are highly contagious.

Chiggers are tiny microscopic arachnids that live on our skin and cause itchy welts. If you were lying down in grassy or woody areas, then chiggers can get on your scalp. Learn more about where chiggers live here .

Mites like Demodex mites are microscopic parasites that live under our hair follicles. Demodex mites will build upon our skin and hair follicles, often due to a suppressed immune system. Some people have more hypersensitivity to the mites, showing an allergic reaction.

Final Thoughts for: Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair?

So, the answer to whether bed bugs can live in your hair is a resounding no. More importantly, bed bugs do not usually crawl through or cling onto the hair like lice or ticks. People even wonder if fleas can live in their hair

; the answer to that is also a “no”.

Bed bugs prefer to hide in areas that are unlikely to be disturbed, and hair does not fit that criterion. However, if you see bed bugs and suspect you may have an infestation, seek out professional help.

Read More Related Bed Bug Articles Below

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Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair?

How do you know if you have bed bugs in your hair.

You found a BUG in your hair! Could it be a bed bug? The best way to find out if you have bed bugs in your hair or wigs is to kill the trespassing critter. A dead bug doesn't crawl or jump or fly away, making it much easier to identify. Once you identify the bug, then you can either breathe a sigh of relief that the bug-hair collision was just a freak accident, or you have to start treating for whatever critter was creeping about your hair.

Can bed bugs live in your hair? The good news is that bed bugs do not like to live in human hair or lay their eggs in the hair. The bad news is that other parasites do, such as head lice, fleas, and ticks. They need treatment like medicated shampoos.

Why Bed Bugs do not like staying in hair

Although it is possible that the bug in your hair may be a bed bug, the chances are highly unlikely, according to Scientific American . Bed bugs lack the special hooks and claws that help the bug hang onto hair. They also have bodies that do not easily slide through hair, unlike fleas or head lice.

Bed bugs consider you a great big meal and not as a home or a nursery. Think of it this way you may love pizza, but you don't want to live on one. Bed bugs usually bite feet, legs arms, or less hairy areas than the head, underarms, or groin. These critters are champions at dining and dashing rushing in, have a quick drink of your blood and rush back out.

Can bed bugs bite your scalp?

Yes, bed bugs can bite you on your scalp but they can usually reach other parts of your body far more easily and have a quick meal. Your neck, shoulders, back, and arms will more accessible. Bed bug bodies are not suited to climbing through your hair either.

Can bed bugs lay eggs in your hair?

Bed bugs usually lay their eggs in cracks and crevices in close proximity around your bed, such as in the folds of your mattress. The chances of bed bugs laying their eggs in your hair are very unlikely.

Quick ways to rule out Bed Bugs in your hair

You have the corpse and a good magnifying glass or at least a clear view of the bug. Here are a few quick ways to tell right off the bat if you need to worry about what type of shampoo will kill bed bugs in hair.

• If it has wings, it's not a bed bug. Bed bugs cannot fly because they do not have wings.
• If it has bright colors, stripes, or spots. Bed bugs are solid-colored, and those colors are drab grey or tan. The bug may look dark red just after eating, but will not have any stripes or spots.
• If it has eight legs, it's not a bed bug.
• If it has fangs or a long stinger that you can easily see, it's not a bed bug. In fact, if it has clearly visible fangs or stingers, then bed bugs are the LEAST of your problems.

Bed Bugs, Fleas, Ticks, and Head Lice Comparison

There are many websites and apps that compare bugs for you. Just enter the words “bug identifier” in your favorite search engine to find them. However, there are ways to identify the general type of bug that does not involve a computer. You need to at least know the body shape and number of legs.

Bed bugs have:

• Roundish, flat bodies, often described as “a drop of blood with legs”
• Tiny heads attached to the bodies
• Six legs on the body
• A pair of antennae on the head

The Pulex Irritans species of flea lives on human blood and can live in your hair if not treated. You will need shampoo to treat fleas in your hair.

• Bodies shaped roughly like a guitar pick
• Narrow, thin bodies, usually brown or black in color
• Roundheads with long mouthparts that vaguely resemble a mustache
• The hind legs are incredibly long

Head Lice (also called Human Louse and Nits)

More common and more likely are head lice in your hair and on your scalp. They are tiny insects that hatch from eggs which are referred to as ‘nits'. They are very common in school children are easily caught as kids are in close proximity to each other. Head lice are very small and white or light grey in color.

• Vaguely shaped like a spider with a tiny head and large butt
• Pale or grey colored
• It will give you an itchy scalp
• Six legs and two antennae

Ticks can be very serious if not treated as they can transmit Lyme Disease (Lyme Borreliosis) and bacterial infection. Ticks burrow into your skin to bite and feed on you which makes them hard to remove, especially if they are in your hair and scalp.

• Eight legs and two antennae
• Vary in body size and shape depending on whether if they have fed or not
• Blue or grey in color after feeding

How to get rid of bed bugs in your hair

The chances are high that you do not have any more bed bugs in your hair, but it is still a good idea to wash your hair in hot water and shampoo. Bed bugs cannot swim, so any shampoo will get rid of bed bugs in hair. If you have wigs, wash them, too.

You need to treat your whole home and your car in order to eliminate a bed bug infestation. Fortunately, this does not necessitate any special way to treat bed bugs in your hair.

Pictures of bed bugs in hair – what do they look like?

If you have bed bugs in your hair you will want to know what they look like! Take a look at this selection of bed bugs in hair pictures to help you identify them. [elementor-template id=”2883″]

How to get rid of head lice in hair and scalp

Lice are tricky to get rid of since they cling so tenaciously to human hair. They also lay their eggs on individual hair strands. These eggs are nearly impossible to remove. This is why most people with lice shave their heads since it gives less space for the females to lay eggs there.

Although there are over-the-counter and prescription medicated shampoos for head lice , many can be killed by smothering in any kind of shampoo good for people. The hair needs to be heavily coated in shampoo. You may need to use a whole bottle, depending on how long your hair is.

You may need to repeat this procedure several times in the next few weeks to make sure of killing any newly-hatched lice.

No matter what shampoo you use, please see a doctor be sure the lice are gone and that they are only head lice and not body lice or pubic lice. Those need different treatments of shampoos or medications.

How to get rid of fleas in your hair

The second most likely creature in your hair mistaken for a bed bug are fleas. The most common species is the cat flea which loves just about all warm-blooded animals and not just cats. Fleas are equal opportunity biters and will drink blood from anything they jump on. Some people believe their bites are the most painful of all the creatures discussed here, but the pain is subjective.

Pets need flea shampoo and medication to combat the critters. People should not use flea shampoo for animals but get the shampoo from a human medical professional. The directions are usually different than for regular shampoo. You may need to let it sit in the hair for up to ten minutes.

You also need to thoroughly vacuum furniture and carpets because these are the places where fleas most like to lay their eggs. Everyone in the family should be treated for fleas since they like to leap from body to body.

Combatting ticks in hair

The good news about ticks is that they are solitary critters. If you find one in your hair, still check for more, but the odds are there won't be anymore. The bad news is that you can pick up new ones any time you go outdoors.

Ticks need to be removed carefully. Here is the correct way to do it, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .

• Get a tweezer. Use the tweezer's ends to grab the tick's body next to your skin.
• Pull with one even stroke. Try not to twist since this may leave part of the head in your skin, which can cause an infection.
• Place a live tick in alcohol or in a sealed container to kill .
• Thoroughly wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water. Be sure to sterilize the tweezers.

What to do if you cannot identify the bug

It can be hard to identify any insect or arachnid, even when it is dead and not wiggling around. Admitting defeat is certainly justifiable. It's much safer and less expensive in the long run to not guess at what the bug species is and let a professional do it. Place the corpse in a small plastic bag or container so it does not get lost.

If you can, take photos of both sides of the creature in case the corpse is lost. Professionals that can help identify the critter include:

• Medical professionals like doctors, school nurses, or physician's assistants
• Veterinarians
• Exterminators
• People who study insects are called entomologists
• The agricultural extension departments of most major universities
• The free Insect Identification Forum is made up of members from the Amateur Entomologists' Society who will gladly look at photos of your bug.

In conclusion

If you've ever wondered what do bed bugs look like in hair, they look like this lost. Bed bugs are rarely if ever, found in hair or on bodies. However, there are many other biting bugs that do like living in human hair and bodies, such as fleas, lice, and ticks. Identify the bug and you are on your way to finding the correct treatment. Always consult a doctor to help best treat bites or to check your head for any traces of uninvited insect guests.

Can Bed Bugs Get in Your Hair?

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It’s bad enough to be dealing with bed bugs; do you have to worry about finding them in your hair? While these critters can be tough to catch in your home, you will probably know whether or not they’re actually on you, and, thankfully, they’re not usually interested in living in your hair.

If you think you might have a bed bug problem or would like more information about our free initial inspections, call us at 888-MRCLEGG or contact us online today. Our team of fully licensed pest control experts is here to help you take back your home or business from bed bugs, and we can’t wait to jump into action! For more info about bed bugs, read on!

Do Bed Bugs Live in Hair?

Bed bugs do not usually make a home in a person’s hair, since they tend to prefer dark and cool spaces that are secluded from light and activity. They don’t like being tossed around and will quickly head back to their hideout when they sense movement. They also don’t have the ability to cling to hair, as it is too thin and doesn’t give them the traction they need to hang on for a ride.

Are you worried about bed bug eggs? Don’t be. They aren’t sticky enough to latch onto your mane, and bed bugs won’t lay their eggs in a warm environment anyway. If you think you might have bed bugs in your hair, consider (as much as we hate to say it) that it may be lice instead.

How Do Bed Bugs Travel?

These little pests will hitch a ride on clothing, linens, backpacks, and furniture, which makes bed bugs a common problem for travelers. If you’re concerned about a bed bug problem, be sure to wash your clothing, bedding, and towels immediately after returning from your trip, and take a good look in the corners of your luggage for any stowaways.

How Do I Know I’ve Been Bitten by Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs leave small, red bites in a row or cluster that can later become itchy. You will often find bite marks on your arms and legs, although they have also bitten people while sleeping on the neck. Since bed bugs don’t like hair and can’t easily make their way through it, you probably won’t have any bites on your scalp. Of course, there’s an exception to every rule, and anyone who is bald may find bites on their head.

How Can I Prevent Bed Bugs?

Regular inspections are the first step in keeping bed bugs at bay and making sure that bed bugs are gone . You should also check any hotel rooms for bed bugs upon arrival and be sure to wash your clothing in hot water when you get home.

You can contact the team at Clegg’s Pest Control for more information about how to keep bed bugs out of your home or office. When you work with our team, you’ll get top-notch service and quick but effective techniques to show those critters who’s boss.

Learn more about our bed bug treatments, get information on our pest control payment plans , and schedule your free initial inspection today!

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Can Bed Bugs Live In Your Hair? How To Get Them Out

“Can bed bugs live in your hair?” is a question that we’ve been hearing more and more lately. While it’s definitely an understandable concern, we’re surprised by how few people know the answer to this question.

In this guide you’ll learn how bed bugs can get in your hair, if they’ll bite your scalp, if they’ll lay eggs, and how you can get these pesky insects out!

Table of contents

Can bed bugs get in your hair, do they live in your hair or hide in it, signs you have bed bugs in your hair, how to get bed bugs out of your hair, do bed bugs lay eggs in hair, do bed bugs bite your scalp.

Dealing with bed bugs in your home is already a nightmare. But the thought of  finding them in your hair? That’s in an entirely different realm of creepy!

Most people associate these pests with dirty beds, seedy hotel rooms, and filthy furniture. But while they prefer to live in dark furniture and bedroom crevices, bed bugs can live in your hair!

This isn’t a myth designed to freak you out. Believe it or not, they’re one of many parasitic insects that don’t mind feeding off the blood in your scalp.

• Kill bed bugs and bed bug eggs
• Use spray as a spot treatment around bed frames, mattress seams/tufts/folds, and baseboards
• Kills even the toughest bed bugs
• The continuous spray Comfort Wand easily gets into hard-to-reach areas

Finding bed bugs in your hair comes with good news and bad news (all things considered).

The good news is that these pests very rarely migrate to your hair, and it’s not an environment where they can thrive.

Quick Tip: Unlike other insects, bed bugs aren’t equipped to move through the terrain of your scalp. Bed bugs are slow crawlers as it is. Throwing dense hair into the mix makes your scalp pretty unappealing. If you find bed bugs in your hair, you can rest easy knowing that they won’t stay there long.

The bad news?

Discovering bed bugs in your hair means that you’re dealing with a much larger infestation. Bed bugs would much rather nest in your furniture and feed on your blood in the dead of night.

Seeing some move into your scalp could indicate that there’s overcrowding elsewhere. That means you’ll have to do a lot more than just get the bed bugs out of your hair to address the problem. If you don’t eradicate the entire bed bug population, you’re just looking at potential repeat invasions of your mane!

Bed bugs can hide in your hair. However, it’s only a temporary measure.

As mentioned earlier, bed bugs are not capable of living on your scalp long-term. They cannot sustain themselves in that environment.

Quick Tip: We understand that most people who ask the question, “Can bed bugs live in your hair?” aren’t too concerned with the distinction between short and long-term intent, but it’s an important one to make.

You see, fleas and lice have hook-like appendages that they use to latch onto your skin. They’re also master jumpers and have strong legs to help them move through the individual follicles. Bed bugs don’t have any of that!

They have six short and weak legs. These insects can barely run on a smooth surface, let alone the thick brush of hair. 

There’s a good chance that the bed bugs you found in your hair simply moved there while you were sleeping. In many cases of bed bugs in hair, the state of the bed is the true culprit. Your bed or nearby furniture might be hiding a larger bed bug population.

Because you’re lying on infested furniture, the bugs have easy access to your hair.

When you get up in the morning, most are going to fall off. Remember, they don’t have those strong hooks to hold on. As a result, you’re more likely to find active bed bugs early in the morning when you first rise versus several hours later.

Because they don’t stay in your hair long after you get up from bed, it’s not always easy to spot them. Bed bugs are surprisingly elusive. They’re primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day hiding in the shadows.

Fortunately, there are several signs that you might be dealing with bed bugs in your hair.

The most noticeable symptom will be itchy bites on your scale. Bed bugs leave behind tiny, red bumps after they feed. They’re raised and typically appear in clusters.

You might have a hard time seeing the bites on your scalp. However, you’ll surely be able to feel them.

Bed bug bites begin to itch when they heal. You might also feel a bit of stinging whenever you apply shampoo or cosmetic products.

Quick Tip: Pay close attention to your hairline. It’s not uncommon for bed bugs to bite the scalp just before the hair. The bare skin is easier to access than the hair-covered skin on your crown.

Another potential sign is eggs. Bed bug eggs are about a millimeter long. They take on an off-white color and usually have a glossy finish due to the sticky surface.

That sticky shell works wonderfully on furniture and smooth surfaces. But in your hair, it tends to be ineffective. As a result, any bed bug eggs in your hair usually fall out and end up near the hairline.

The eggs are difficult to spot and are often mistaken for dandruff, but if you take a closer look you should be able to tell the difference. You’ll notice that they’re slightly more prominent than dandruff flakes. Plus, they have a much more rigid texture.

The final sign of potential bed bugs in your hair is the smell. This is a subtle symptom that may go under the radar. But if you have a strong sense of smell and a particularly large infestation, you may smell the bugs.

Bed bugs release alarm pheromones when they’re in danger. It’s a musky and unpleasant odor. With all of your movement and the constant threat of falling, it’s not uncommon for bed bugs to give off the pungent aroma whenever they’re in your hair.

Many people think that getting bed bugs out of your hair will be an arduous task. After all, if you’ve ever had to deal with lice or fleas you know how stubborn tiny pests can be!

Fortunately, bed bugs are a lot easier to manage than most blood-sucking parasites. Because they don’t live in your hair naturally, treatment is pretty straightforward. Here are some ways you can get rid of bed bugs in your hair.

Trim Your Hair & Remove Hair Pieces

This is a bit drastic, but it deserves mention nonetheless. If you’re not opposed to sporting shorter hair or a bald head, that’s one of the quickest ways to ensure that the bugs don’t invade your hair!

These pests like dark and hidden places. While not ideal, your hair provides decent temporary shelter. As you cut more off, you’re eliminating one of the only enticing things about your scalp!

If you wear a hairpiece, you should remove it until the infestation is over. Bed bugs can hide in wigs, toupees, extensions, and any other hairpieces. If you’re not careful, you could be accelerating the speed in which bed bugs spread to other parts of your home.

Take Advantage Of Heat

Professional exterminators often use heated devices to kill pests. Even though bed bugs do have some heat resilience, these insects do have their limits. This means you can use heated environments or specialty devices to kill them in a matter of minutes.

Have access to a sauna? Raise the temperatures to a setting between 117 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, sit and enjoy the heat for 10 minutes or so.

That’s more than enough time to kill any bed bugs in your hair.

Quick Tip: If you don’t have a sauna, you can also use a heated cap, hair steamer, or dryer. Just make sure to be careful and avoid burns.

Use Specialty Shampoo

One of the best options for getting bed bugs out of hair is using a specialty shampoo.

There are many products out there that contain bug-killing insecticides. Most are for lice, but lice shampoo is just as effective at getting rid of bed bugs as well.

Anything shampoo that has permethrin or pyrethrins will do. Those insecticides are very effective contact killers. When mixed with shampoo, you can create a nice lather that will eradicate any bed bug that’s unfortunate enough to be in your hair.

Quick Tip: All-natural alternatives and scalp sprays exist as well. However, we always recommend using lathering shampoos for the most success.

Try An Alcohol Solution

In a pinch? Try using alcohol to kill the bed bugs and get them out of your hair (literally).

A 91 percent rubbing alcohol product can eat through the bug’s exoskeleton and effectively suffocate them (it’s also one of the scents that bed bugs hate ) You can make a spray solution by diluting the alcohol with an even volume of water. Spray the mixture liberally throughout your hair and let it sit.

Alternatively, you can add a bit of alcohol to your regular shampoo. It works just the same.

Keep in mind that alcohol can be incredibly drying to your skin and hair. Be careful and don’t overdo things!

Use A Nit Comb

Nit combs are specialty tools that can physically remove bugs.

They’re usually made for lice and have super-fine teeth. The teeth are so close together that even tiny insects can’t make it through!

Run the comb through your hair in sections. We recommend wearing some gloves and having a bug disposal container nearby. It’s best to use the comb after washing while it’s still wet.

With each pass through your hair, you should see some dead bed bugs in the mix. Clean them off the comb, pop them in your disposal container, and toss the entire thing in the garbage.

Drown The Bugs In Hair Oil

Another promising treatment for bed bugs in your hair is to use oil. These insects need air to breathe, so dousing your hair in oil is a fantastic way to drown them.

You can use neem oil, which is a natural repellent. Neem oil is thought to affect insect hormone production and stop the reproduction process. While that’s a bit overkill in this situation, it’s a nice perk to have.

You can also use olive oil, coconut oil, or one of the many lush hair oils on the market. Saturate your hair and wrap it up in some plastic. You can leave the oil treatment for an hour or two or keep it on all night long.

Once you rinse it off, the dead bed bugs should come out also. As a bonus, you’ll have ultra-nourished hair that’s soft to the touch!

Treat The Infestation At The Source

Last but not least, you have to take care of the overall bed bug problem in your home. 

Realistically, it’s better to take care of the home infestation as soon as possible. If you don’t, you’ll have to deal with even more bed bugs in your hair in a few days!

Those bugs didn’t appear out of thin air! They migrated from the furniture in your home to your head! 

Take some time to eradicate these pests effectively. Clean every nook and cranny, apply insecticides, and wash every linen. Examine your furniture closely and seal up any voids that can hide a bed bug nest .

It may take some time, but the only way to truly keep your hair free of bed bugs is by killing the entire population in your home!

It’s rare for bed bugs to lay eggs in hair. However, it can happen.

Females produce eggs in their lifetime. Not only that, but they’re capable of laying eggs every single day! If the timing is right, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to find some in your hair.

The good news is that they usually don’t stick. The otherwise tacky surface of the eggs doesn’t work on soft hair. As a result, they end up falling out the moment you get up.

You may see some around the hairline. But even then, finding them in your hair is a rare occurrence.

Bed bugs in your hair can bite your scalp. These pests are parasitic and feed on human blood to survive. 

Unlike other pests, bed bugs don’t have any preference when it comes to biting locations. If they’re in your hair, there’s a good chance that they’ll go to the scalp to feed!

Luckily, bed bugs tend to have a hard time moving around your hair. They’re not capable of making it through the jungle of follicles.

Quick Tip: When people see scalp bites from bed bugs in their hair, it’s most often localized near the hairline where they have an easier time feeding.

Final Thoughts

Getting bed bugs out of your hair isn’t as challenging as it might seem. After all, these little insects don’t really want to be stuck there in the first place!

As long as you follow our suggestions for getting rid of them (and address the larger pest problem in your home), you shouldn’t have to worry about bed bugs living in your hair for very long.

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Can Bed Bugs live in your hair

February 02, 2018 2 min read

Can Bed Bugs live in your hair?

Cimex lectularius (Cimicidae), commonly known as bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of warm-blooded animals of which humans are the main hosts. Adult bed bugs grow up to 0.3 inches long and possess flattened oval shapes. Their nymphs are about the size of a Pinhead and are as visible to the naked eyes as the adult bugs.

The evolution of bed bugs over countless ages have turned them into nest parasites often inhabiting the nests of birds and roosts of bats. Along the line, they have also learned to adapt to human habitats and have become a growing problem within all types of human dwellings. They have preferentially adapted to places humans dwell in for a prolonged period such as homes, various shelters, departmental stores, offices, ships, dormitories and military barracks.

Though nest parasites, bed bugs may be transported via humans I.e, they tend to hide on a person or personal possessions to move from place to place after which they prefer to stay completely out of sight until their bellies tug at them. It is particularly uncommon to find bed bugs crawling around the body especially the hair all through the day because for one thing, bed bugs do not have claws like other bugs that help them navigate through the hair. You might likely be dealing with lice or tick as these insects have features that help them survive in human hairs unlike the bed bug that have features that only help them survive on skin surfaces.

However, if you can’t help the movements of bugs in your hair, wash out your hair with warm water and shampoo (especially minty shampoo). Wash your bed linen, scarves, hats, shower caps and all head accessories with hot water, sun dry your pillows. Check your entire dwelling for infestations of bed bugs especially their common hideout and employ the use of NATURE’S MACE BED BUG KILLER to get rid of their habitations. Nature’s MACE has a Commercial Strength formulae that eliminates the eggs, nymph and adult bed bugs.

Using insecticides on places from which bed bugs can into hair can be dangerous to the health because these insecticides unlike Nature’s MACE Bed Bug Killer, contain toxic and harmful chemicals that can cause harm to human health when it comes in contact with the body. Nature’s MACE should be used because it is a proprietary blend of all natural, organic and non toxic ingredients that eliminates all traces of bed bug on first application. For optimum results, apply Natures MACE Bed Bug Killer on joints of beds, in wall cracks and window frames around your sleeping areas. It is important to note that Nature’s MACE produces no bad odor but rather a freshly minty perfume that retains your comfort while helping you get rid of bugs.

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Can Bed Bugs Live in Your Hair?

Short answer: Can bed bugs live in your hair? Many will sigh with relief when they learn that no, bed bugs do not live in your hair. They don’t live on humans or other mammals at all, in fact.

By Pest Advisor Editors (Updated on Apr 01, 2022)

Fact Checked by Jason Chapman

Table of Contents

Do bed bugs live in your hair, can bed bugs live on my pet, how can bed bugs go from one house to another, how can i prevent bed bugs from entering my home, what’s the best way to get rid of bed bugs.

The idea of having bed bugs might make you downright itchy, and for good reason. First, they’re squirmy and creepy, and the psychological reaction to having insects in your home or on your body might make you feel a bit squeamish. They also bite, and those bites can lead to quite a bit of itching. But when answering the question, “can bed bugs live in your hair?”, we have some reassuring news:

• No, they don’t live in your hair.
• They actually don’t live on your body at all.
• They also won’t live on the bodies or in the fur of your cats and dogs.
• Bed bugs like to live in dark crevices, such as under your mattress.
• They do, however, feed on humans.

Keep reading to learn more about why bed bugs don’t live in your hair, where you’ll find them instead, and other considerations to keep in mind.

No. Bed bugs don’t live on people; they don’t have “sticky” legs and aren’t able to grip onto hair well, so they won’t take up residence on your scalp. They usually live in small spaces that are dark and hard for a person to access. Examples might be in the seams of a mattress, behind a bed frame, or under couch cushions. They often live in homes, but they can also live in places like hotels and movie theaters. If there’s a hiding spot and one or more humans who spend a few hours in the general vicinity, bed bugs will find that place attractive.

While bed bugs don’t live in the hair, they can crawl across your hair as they seek out some exposed skin to bite. If you have thick hair, it’s unlikely that they’ll bite your scalp, as they don’t want to bother trying to dig through your hair to get to the blood vessels just under your skin. Instead, they’ll usually go to other areas of your body, like your neck, back, arms, or legs.

Bed bugs don’t live on pets for the same reason they don’t live on humans. They prefer hiding. They also are unlikely to bite your pet, especially if he has thick fur. If you have a pet with thin fur or no fur in some patches, that makes it more likely they’ll experience a bite. In addition, if the bed bugs don’t have a nice, tasty human to snack on, they might go take a bit of your pet’s blood, even if they have to forage through the fur to find their skin. Overall, though, your pet is at low risk of being bitten.

It should also be mentioned that, unlike ticks and mosquitos, bed bugs don’t carry parasites or diseases. So you don’t need to be concerned about your pet (or you!) picking up a virus or some other nasty germs from bed bugs, even if they do get bitten.

If bed bugs aren’t hanging out in your hair or on your body, how do they manage to travel so easily from home to home? They don’t jump or fly from person to person or from pet to pet. Instead, they usually hitch a ride on your clothing, in a suitcase, in a backpack or purse, or on some other fabric that you are toting along with you. 

If you stay in a hotel with bed bugs, for example, they can crawl into your luggage and make it into your home that way. In fact, the next time you check luggage, it’s possible that someone else is carting home these little buggers and that some of them might decide to move into your luggage while in the cargo hold!

Bed bugs can also travel through checked coats or from someone else’s furniture into your purse or even in the seam of your jeans. We know it’s not nice to think about, but that’s how they manage to get around so quickly.

Preventing bed bugs is much easier, more effective, and less stressful than trying to mitigate the situation once they’ve moved in and made themselves comfy in your comforter. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while out and about:

• Don’t put your bags on the floor of hotel rooms. Also, avoid putting them on upholstered chairs and on the bed. Instead, choose a hard surface, like a counter or table. You can also use the luggage rack if there is one.
• Pull back the sheets from hotel beds . Make sure you don’t see any bugs or debris that could indicate a current or recent infestation. If you bring your own pillows with you on vacation, buy inexpensive ones that you can leave behind.
• Use mattress covers that encase the mattress . You can also put one on your box spring. This will prevent bugs from hiding in the seams of the mattress, and they’ll also make any insects easy to see right away.
• Check second-hand furniture carefully for signs of an infestation. You might be able to pick up an upholstered chair for a steal at a thrift store, but it’s important to make sure you’re not getting some unwanted critters thrown in for free. Check under cushions and along the seams of furniture for live or dead bugs, pieces of their shell, or rust-colored spots that could be left by their feces.
• Keep your home, particularly your bedroom, free from clutter. Minimizing potential hiding spaces can help you become aware of an infestation more quickly than if they’re allowed to breed and multiply unchecked. Vacuum regularly, paying special attention to the areas behind and around the bed, under the night tables, and between the mattress and box spring.

The best way to rid your home of bed bugs is to call a professional exterminator. You can try to defeat them yourself by meticulously cleaning soft surfaces, washing laundry in hot water and drying on high, and vacuuming very frequently. If you want relatively quick results, though, it’s best to call in a local exterminator to solve the problem. They will use chemicals that are safe for you but not so safe for the bugs, and your treatment will usually include two visits. 

Bed bugs are uncomfortable to think about, and they can make you and your household members quite itchy due to their bites, but keep in mind that they’re not dangerous and they can be dealt with. Don’t panic; instead, contact a trusted exterminator and follow their instructions carefully to beat your bed bug problem in just a couple of weeks.

Citations and Credits

Featured image by Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay

Article image by Public Domain Pictures / Pixabay

Article image by Olichel / Pixabay

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