Springtails in my hair?

[lucybowen]

Hi in the last 5 days I have brushed out these strange bugs from my hair.  I have identified them as springtails from photos on the internet.  Just a few each day (total of 14 so far in 5 days)  I have to mention that I have seen and dealt with lice before and these are 100 percent not head lice.  I do not find them anywhere else.  Not on my clothes or in the drains or on my furniture.  Just when brushing out my hair.   No nits or bugs with the terminator lice comb.  They just land in the sink along with other debris when I brush my hair.  I have looked at them under a magnifying glass and I am pretty sure they are springtails.   They have 6 legs, a narrow long body and very long antennae. Any idea where they could be coming from or how to get rid of them?  It's kind of freaking me out.

[Rondo555]

They are springtails and the medical community says it is delusional, even drug tested me, was negative, so for two years I've been going insane. Apple cider vinegar helps.  Wash hair with it.  Also this is going to sound crazy, dog shampoo, wash hair with that one a week and put fungicide on scalp  you will get rid of them but not to say they won't come back.  .  They are feeding on fugus of your scalp and I believe they lay eggs in scalp. Dr's think I'm insane so I don't tell them anymore and took matters into my own hands.  Now Dr's think I'm sane but I know they are of epidemic proportions as many people are getting the same thing and eventually the medical community will have to listen.  Hope this helps it did for me

[crimsonxreign]

Springtails can and will get into any part of your body that is moist. Hair when it’s wet. The only solution is to have your place fumigated for springtails by pest control. Pest control will look at you funny, check your bed for bed bugs etc. Tell them to put the sticky pads down everywhere you feel them. Then have pest control look at them under a microscope. I am on my second round with the same pest control company and they are pulling the same crap about it being in my mind. Today they are putting the sticky traps down again, because again they don’t believe me. Stay on them, because no one should have to live this way!!!

[23jess]

Bless you.  So often sufferers of seldom-reported parasitical type afflictions are merely told their complaint is one seldom reported.  This disregard for suffering compounds the problem, until it grows to the point where outrage outweighs shame in great enough numbers to register.
Report your suffering to your MD, folks, and MDs might report them to each other. Meanwhile: our forebears had tools for these things in their material culture, forgotten in the era of effective but dangerous pesticides.  Now that we've abandoned toxins and embraced whole grains, etc., we've got to develop some new modes of dealing with re-emergent pests.  I wish us all luck, and oils and scrapers and combs and fine milled diatomaceous earths. ;D

[Mytai585]

From what I've researched it sounds like you have demodex mites. I am having the same problem as well. Now my kids are experiencin it too.  

[Debug19]

Use the sauna will help great deal since these parasites live in your skin and hair.  Swimming might help too.   Coconut oil mixture with 10 drops of cedar oil, lavender, lemon grass and neem oil will penetrate the skin to reach deep in your scalp.  Cover your hair with plastic.  DE organic food grade at Night cover your hair and body:  .  I know the struggle. Do not eat red meats or sugar.  One tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to 8 oz water on empty stomach twice daily to balance your PH.   Pay attention to around facets fixtures keep them clean.  I believe we have broken pipe since springtails come through pipes and tubs.  Keep your tubs closed when not in use.   Vacuum vacuum and clean surfaces with vinegar or bleach.    I hope this helps.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
There have been reported cases in which springtails have been found in human hair. Wash the Clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water and dry them in sun after machine drying them. Topical permethrin or Lindane cream may be needed which are available by prescription only.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Jessyjayy33]

Hello Im having the same condition


I've been having an itch scalp for a year now thought it was lice but then i discovered it is spring tails attached are the pics after i used all over the counter lice products. Im sure they are spring taila no doubt

Plzz help i dont know how to get rid if it

At night while sleeping i also feel some bugs  (spring tails )crawling on me sometimes in my private parts and sometimes i feel something on my eyelashes and few times in my nose   but the most common is that i have itchy scalp and when i combed my hair few times i found this bug (spring tail)

Plzz help

[Mpgd]

To combat springtails in your home try consulting a pest company experienced in Springtail eradication. If they tell you to use pyrethroids or permethrin they clearly do not know how to eradicate springtails. Vacuuming every other day, spraying your entire home including cabinets (cover food, dishes, cups, bowls, plates, utensils before spraying) with melathion with s-methoprene (insect growth inhibitor) - must wear goggles and an N-95 respirator while spraying then leave your home for a few hours after spraying; sprinkling boric acid on all floors (if no dogs or cats in house),  and replacing sprinkled boric acid after each vacuum; wiping down walls and all other surfaces (prior to spraying). Launder bed linen daily using hot water, borax, and laundry detergent and dry thoroughly on high heat. Keep clean clothes in vacuum-sealed bags. Clean/vacuum car weekly using same methods. Always wear gloves and a hood in the car to help prevent eggs from your body drooping into the car, as that is primarily how cars become infested.

Seek help from a conscientious dermatologist, asking them to obtain skin scrapings from scabbed areas of your skin caused by your springtail infestation and view scrapings under 100x magnification to determine whether springtail eggs, nymphs, and adults are located in/on your skin. Note: human labs are typically unable to identify springtails.

Consult Stephen Hopkin's 1997 Biology of the Springtails: Insecta Collembola fir detailed information including diagrams of springtails

Carefully collect springtails for identification by a state or federal entomologist - advising that the specimens  are likely springtails so the entomologist will not treat them with the same chemicals used to elucidate mites. Springtails have soft exoskeletons and disintegrate if harsh chemicals are used on them.

For you personally, after completely photographing all affected areas of hair & skin- and photographing the springtails themselves with your phone camera magnifier, try bathing 2x/day in a hot bath using a little Dawn dish detergent as bubbles (contains sodium lauryl sulfate -toxic to springtails) and a scrubby for your entire body. Try using Rid Max natural lice shampoo & conditioner on your hair & body - applying it at least 10 minutes in advance of bathing - then combing through your entire scalp with a lice comb to remove as many springtails & their eggs as possible prior to bathing or showering. After bathing/showering & drying, if tolerated, apply ivermectin 0.5% lotion (available OTC). If that is too expensive, try making your own ivermectin 0.5% lotion (information available via YouTube). Do NOT use powdered ivermectin to treat a springtail infestation, as it clumps when mixed with any lotion and can lead to increased "stabbing" sensations caused by springtails, possibly in their attempt to eat the clumps. Mixing the injectable form of ivermectin with hydrogenated castor oil worked best for me.  Repeat ivermectin topical lotion daily until resolved. Resolution, if possible, could take months. Be sure it is safe for you to use topical ivermectin for an extended period of time. Of note: it might be wise to obtain a prescription for the antibiotic rifampin and take it x 2-3 weeks prior to starting ivermectin if your springtails are deemed a parthenogenic variety - meaning they reproduce asexually. According to currently available literature, wolbachia bacteria of the supergroup E appear primarily responsible for collembola's  parthenogenicity.  Supergroup E are reportedly susceptible to rifampin. Be sure you are not allergic to rifampin prior to taking it - if your health care provider is willing to prescribe rifampin. You can apply unfractionated coconut oil to your skin while using rifampin for some relief of the itching and "stabbing" or "skin pricking" sensations caused by springtails while taking rifampin prior to commencing use of ivermectin lotion.  Note: ivermectin is hydrophobic. It does not mix or dissolve in water.
Also note - the aforementioned treatment information is based upon strategies that have assisted me and the individual to whom I transmitted my infestation - via holding hands & hugging without wearing gloves, a hat/hood, or a mask. She and I each happen to have an immune system impairment.

I cannot guarantee you will achieve positive results using these treatment strategies. Always consult a responsible health care professional prior to embarking upon any treatment -particularly those involving medications. Best wishes!