There are bugs in your hair!

November 1, 2009
Lice. They were bound to come sometime. For about a week now I’ve wondered with the off and on itching. But today after washing my hair, my fears were confirmed. “Sister! There’s a lice!” Bimala cried looking at my hair. As lice are pretty common here, the girls know exactly what to do to get rid of them, and are experts at it. So, I sat on the stairs, and Bimala directed my head this way and that, as she patiently combed my hair over and over again, searching for the little critters that were sucking the life out of my head!

One by one, she pulled them out, and Darshan would exterminate them by smashing them into the ground. I should have counted, but I really didn’t want to know. Over and over again she combed my hair, this way and that. Soon, a crowd of kids had gathered around, all “helping” to annihilate these unwanted creatures. A rather humbling experience! Actually, the kids were amazing about it. It’s pretty every day for them, so they weren’t weirded out or anything. In fact, they kept telling me that I have Barbie hair (I took it as a compliment, though I hate Barbies!) and it is “so nice.” That made me feel better :).

Then came the advice portion of the extermination. Wash your hair with soap, and scrub your scalp as hard as you can. Then rinse. And rinse again. And again. And some more. And probably more after that. If you’re not sure, a few more buckets of water will be good. And NEVER “manage” (fix) your hair while it’s wet. Wait for it to completely dry before putting anything in it. I think I’m just going to have them direct me at the well next time I want to wash my hair, which will probably be very soon after this lovely experience!

They’re awesome about pouring the water on each other’s heads while they wash their hair upside down. It’s like one long chain, you pour for me, I pour for him, he pours for her, and so on. Anyway, this was my first experience with lice, and I really didn’t freak out. It was just another one of those things that I’ve now learned to deal with and while they still weird me out, I don’t feel sick thinking about the thought of bugs living in my hair. I know that sounds gross, but there are just so many other things that can consume my energy here! Small bugs just don’t make the top 10 anymore :).