What do vegans do about headlice?

[Wellsbells]

Just finished the first round of nit treatment for the term and this has just occurred to me!

Same as Buddhists I guess.

@ImEatingVeryHealthilyOhYes
Ha - amazing posting timing on my part

Bees are used to pollinate avocados so it is to do with the bees, it is a bit of a myth though

Killing in self defence is fine I'm sure

Hahaha I wish she was fiction, would explain many of her quirks!
I know a lot of dairy farmers but none let their cows sleep in their bed 😂

I’m always happy to answer questions about veganism and I go into it assuming that people are asking in good faith until/unless proven otherwise but sometimes I think people must be dying to believe that veganism is hugely unreasonable and extreme!
(I don’t mean OP or anyone on this thread especially just a general observation)
It’s most definitely okay to kill parasites. Veganism isn’t a perfect system of absolute consistency at all times, you just do your best as far as is practicable and possible within the definition of “vegan”, especially as people’s reasons for being vegan can vary (animals, environment...)

Can I ask Vegans please, what’s the deal with Avocados?

Some vegans avoid avocados because of water use or the fact that some are pollinated by farmed bees. Most vegans eat avocados because they aren't an animal or an animal byproduct.

What next - should vegans be providing a nurturing environment for Covid19 because a virus is a living thing?

Being vegan isn't one size fits all.

If someone is vegan for environmental reasons they probably care less about the suffering lice than the use of chemicals.

Not every vegan is anti-kill everything. They would probably try to find the most humane option.

I think mass farming and animal testing, particularly for cosmetics, is a bigger issue.

Vegan society would likely say headline treatment is medicine, and thus is Vegan. The same as vaccines or any other non-Vegan treatment that someone who is vegan may need, would not make the person no longer Vegan

Nit combs. Very careful not to hurt the nits. Then rehome them on the head of that really annoying person at work.

The original question would be more interesting if it referred to Jainists rather than vegans.

1. hedgehogs eat slugs and hedgehogs are endangered, so get a hedgehog house!
2. head lice are unpleasant, a bit itchy (no, not washing your hair does not keep them away, if that was true they simply would not ever have existed) but they are actually not harmful to humans unless you have an allergy. So dear vegans - you can just leave them alone to thrive on your bonce if your reason for removing them is "self defence".

This vegan doesn’t buy or eat avocados because they are disgusting. Hth.

@VanGoghsDog of course they're harmful. They are itchy and uncomfortable and they are contagious. Having an itchy and sore scalp constantly for the rest of your life and having to avoid all humans with hair to avoid passing on your lice farm is not a reasonable or practical solution.

Well, re dirty hair, all I know is that I have never had head-lice despite being surrounded by epidemics of them at school (and my mum did check regularly). No other thing I can think of to justify it, unless they hate vegetarians

@Wellsbells

Vegans don’t believe in killing things either though do they? Especially if you’re not going to eat them

Nah, you're thinking of religious beliefs such as Jainism.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa_in_Jainism

Vegans are people who chose not to eat animal products. There are many reasons people may choose to be vegan.

One common reason is political, for example. Animal products are much more damaging to the environment than other foods which don't support industrialised farming methods.

Or hippies (my mum was a massive one!)...

I thought they fed off blood and could cause anemia, like fleas? Which wouldn’t mean they are harmful?

Just finished the first round of nit treatment for the term

I'm not even going near the vegan issue but can I ask @Wellsbells ... are you actually treating an actual case of lice or are you just dousing your kids in insecticide for absolutely no reason whatsoever - and it seems - on a regular basis?

Cos that's far more bonkers than both your question and releasing nits into the wild put together.

@Mistymonday

Well, re dirty hair, all I know is that I have never had head-lice despite being surrounded by epidemics of them at school (and my mum did check regularly). No other thing I can think of to justify it, unless they hate vegetarians

Most people haven't had head lice though.

I got them off my then DSS about four years ago, I was 48, so up to age 48 I hadn't had them either.
And I was also a child in the past in a school that had plenty of outbreaks, and I was a nursery nurse in schools and hospitals, and then a nanny, and then I worked in schools as a consultant about ten years ago.

And I wash my hair most days.

It's nothing to do with natural oils at all.

Yes I think they just don’t like some people’s heads, I’ve never had them either

[quote NYCDreaming]@VanGoghsDog of course they're harmful. They are itchy and uncomfortable and they are contagious. Having an itchy and sore scalp constantly for the rest of your life and having to avoid all humans with hair to avoid passing on your lice farm is not a reasonable or practical solution.[/quote]
I didn't say it was "reasonable or practical" nor that it was a "solution".
I just said they are not harmful to humans, which they are not.

Yeah, obviously it's not nice to have an itchy head, I didn't say it was "nice". Obviously people should get rid of them. I wasn't suggesting people shouldn't.

Yes, they live off blood but I can't see any suggestions anywhere that this causes anaemia. Probably another of the zillions of myths there are about head lice, much like the one about them not liking washed hair.

I was merely pointing out that saying you kill them for "self defence" doesn't actually work.

Headlice are a parasite, much like intestinal worms, and as a vegan, I would kill both of these without a second thought - but I'm just one vegan, maybe there are others carefully tending to their parasites as if they were beloved pets.

Severe long term head lice infestation can cause anaemia. Not very common but apparently it does happen.