When it comes to hair loss, thinning, and balding, the leading culprits are often parasitic mites. Mites spread very easily and they are hard to get rid of because their eggs can get all over your body. Then, these mites can end up all over your home. Mites can get in your bed, in your brushes and combs 💇, and in towels, rags, clothing 👕, and furniture. Anyone who comes in contact with an infected person or their contaminated home can easily get the mites themselves and share them with the people they have contact with. So, it is important that we understand mites and recognize when we have them so that we can treat ourselves and help get rid of them. 

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In general, mites feed on you and steal nourishment from your blood and tissues. When nourishment is stolen from your scalp, it can stop your hair from growing and cause thinning, balding, and hair fall out because your hair is no longer getting enough vitamins and minerals that it needs to grow properly. If the mites are allowed to continue reproducing, they can make you feel anemic and tired, so for optimum health, you must be mite-free.

Here are 5 of the most common mites that are found living in or on hair

Crab Lice

Crabs are most commonly known as pubic lice or crab lice. Crabs are tiny parasites that live on our bodies. However, what most people don’t know is that crabs are not limited to the pubic area. Crabs can actually live in any area with hair, which includes your underarms, eyelashes, beard, or skin. In particular, crabs are commonly found on the chest and abdomen. This is because we tend to have hair all over our bodies. There is a lot of hair on the chest and abdomen of men. 

In essence, crabs are parasitic bloodsuckers that drink human and animal blood and are spread easily from person-to-person through physical contact with another body or animal, clothing, sheets, bedding, carpeting, and hair. There are many ways that you can get crabs.

Here are a few additional ways that you can get crab lice

• By putting your face next to someone who has mites all over their body
• Through contact with a contaminated person’s chest, abdomen, or hair
• Through sexual contact and intimacy, such as kissing, hugging, and contact with the pubic area
• Through contact with infected clothing, furniture, carpeting, or a toilet seat

“Image from page 24 of “Control of household insects and related pests” (1961)“, Internet Archive Book Images, Flickr.

“Around 3 million cases of crabs are reported in the United States each year, mostly spread through sexual contact” (Murrell, D. (2017). Pubic Lice and How To Get Rid of Them. MedicalNewsToday).


There are many symptoms associated with crabs, including itching, sores, rashes, and bacterial infections. Crabs bite you in order to feed on your blood, so spots will appear in the areas where they are feeding.

Fungal Ringworm Parasite

“Image from page 5 of “Ringworm in the light of recent research : pathology, treatment, prophylaxis” (1898)”, Internet Archive Book Images, Flickr.

Ringworm is very easy to spot because it is caused by a fungal parasite that causes a red rash and balding on the head to form in the shape of a ring at the site of infection. The fungus that causes ringworm, tinea, also causes athlete’s foot and jock itch. Unfortunately, ringworm is very common, highly contagious, and a lot of pet owners get it often.

“Ringworm“, Lisa Zins, Flickr.

“Ringworm from animals may account for 20-50% of fungal skin infections in humans. One study showed that 50% of people who had contact with infected cats developed an infection with M. canis…The percentage of dogs and cats suspected of having ringworm that actually tests positive for the fungus varies widely, from 14-92%. From 3-30% of normal animals may be positive. The percentage is consistently higher in cats” (Ringworm For Pet Owners, Worms & Germs Promoting Safe Pet Ownership).

Ringworm is a parasite that is easily transferred from pets to their owners and vice versa. This means that people can get ringworm from their dogs, cats, or any pet they have that has fur and goes outside. Your pet goes outside and comes in contact with this fungus from the ground or something they ate or killed. Then, your pet will come into the house and have physical close contact with you, and that is how you can get ringworm. 

Some common symptoms of ringworm are when your pet has excessive shedding, starts balding, itches a lot, and develops red and scaly rashes. If your pet has ringworm, you should take it seriously because your health will also be affected. Thus, it is very important that you give your pet parasitic medications from time to time, especially when they are showing signs of some infection, rash, or pain. It is also important to wash your pet each time they go outside with soaps or astringents specifically designed to kill lice, mites, and fleas like the Natural Herbal Lotion.

“Different dermatophytes are more common in certain species, such as Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes in dogs and cats. Dermatophytes that are adapted to humans do not normally infect animals but can contaminate their fur. Dermatophytes, specifically M. canis, are very commonly found on cats. Signs of infection in animals are not always apparent. Cats are considered the primary zoonotic source of dermatomycosis in humans” (Ringworm For Pet Owners, Worms & Germs Promoting Safe Pet Ownership). 

Something that may surprise you is that you can give ringworm by sitting outside on the ground or simply by touching something that someone or their contaminated pet had contact with. 

“File: Porrigo decalvans; a variety of ringworm Wellcome L0034550.jpg“, Wellcome Images, Wikimedia Commons.

“Ringworm can spread while petting or grooming dogs or cats. It’s also fairly common in cows…Ringworm can spread by contact with objects or surfaces that an infected person or animal has recently touched or rubbed against…ringworm can be spread to humans by contact with infected soil” (Mayo Clinic Staff. Ringworm (Body). Mayo Clinic).

Scabies Mites

“Scabies“, 2005, Micah MacAllen, Flickr.

Scabies is the name of a contagious skin disease that is characterized by red bumps and itchy skin. This disease is caused by an infestation of the scabies mites. 


“Scabies is not an infection, but an infestation. Tiny mites called Sarcoptes scabiei set up shop in the outer layers of human skin…the mites burrow and lay eggs inside the skin” ((2022). Scabies Slideshow: Symptoms, Cause, and Treatments. WebMD). 

Scabies is very common. The scabies mites cause rashes, blisters, acne, sores, scaly skin, and can lead to bacterial infections. People often mistake scabies for mosquito bites because they look similar. The same mosquito can bite you up to 8 times, but in general, if the bite marks last too long or if you seem to have them all year round, then you should consider getting checked for scabies.

“Scabies infestation occurs worldwide and is very common…It has been estimated that about 300 million cases occur each year throughout the world. Human scabies has been reported for over 2,500 years. Scabies has been reported to occur in epidemics in nursing homes, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other institutions. In the U.S., scabies frequently affects the homeless population” (Stöppler, M. Scabies. MedicineNet). 

“File:Scabies-RechterFuss.jpg“, Penarc, Wikimedia Commons.

A lot of people think of scabies as something mostly on the hands. However, in reality, the scabies mites can live all over your body, including on your head, neck, chest, feet, genital area, and anywhere there is skin and tissues for them to eat. Anyone who has scabies is not only contaminated with these mites, but they are also contaminated with the mites’ feces and their microscopic babies, which are all over them since these mites are constantly laying eggs inside the skin.

Demodex Mites

“File: Demodex mite 1.JPG“, 2005, Joel Mills, Wikimedia Commons.

Demodex mites are small parasites that live on the body and feed on your skin cells, sebaceous oil glands, and hair follicles. Demodex mites live in our pores and in our hair. Men tend to get Demodex mites a bit more frequently than women do. The reason for this is because of hygiene and because Demodex mites are drawn to testosterone. Since men have more testosterone than women, Demodex mites are heavily drawn to them. 

Demodex mites are very common, and although they are often found on the face and in the hair, they can actually be all over your body since we have hair and pores all over us.

“Demodex, a genus of tiny parasitic mites that live in or near hair follicles of mammals, are among the smallest of arthropods with two species Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis typically found on humans. Infestation with Demodex is common; prevalence in healthy adults varying between 23-100%” (Rather PA, Hassan I. Human Demodex mite: the versatile mite of dermatological importance. Indian J Dermatol. 2014 Jan;59(1):60-6. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.123498. PMID: 24470662; PMCID: PMC3884930.).

“Blepharitis“, Wikipedia.

In addition to hair loss, balding, hair thinning, and anemia, other illnesses and problems associated with Demodex mite infections includes rosacea, lack of eyebrows, red crusty watery eyes, eyelash fallout, inflamed swollen eyelids, acne, facial redness, itching, dermatitis, rashes, scaly skin, peeling skin, blepharitis, malnutrition, and malignancy.

Lice

James Gathany & Frank Collins, Pixnio.

Lice feed on your blood and steal your nourishment. They live on you and lay their eggs. These parasites are commonly found in hair and are a rampant problem in families with children because children tend to share things with other children at school and they have a lot of close contact with their peers.

“Every year, between 6 and 12 million people worldwide get head lice. Most of those millions are kids. Any kid who goes to school has probably already heard about lice. They can spread easily at schools, so if one kid gets them, the rest of the class might get them, too” (What Are Head Lice? Rupal Christine Gupta, Nemours KidsHealth). 

“Lice“, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/CDC.

A lot of people have some misunderstandings about lice. One common belief is that lice are just on the hair on our heads. In truth, lice can be all over your body and in the genital area. Furthermore, a lot of people think lice are fairly harmless, even though they cause hair loss, balding, and thinning. However, lice also spread diseases in a similar way to how the Plague was spread by rats. Since people generally just treat their head when they have lice, lice can keep coming back and spreading. If one person in the house has lice, everyone should be treated all over for lice. The home must also be treated for lice because lice and their eggs will be shed as you walk, so they can get in towels, clothing, carpeting, and bedding.

“Several of the infectious diseases associated with human lice are life-threatening, including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever, which are caused by Rickettsia prowazekii, Borrelia recurrentis, and Bartonella quintana…Although these diseases have been known for several centuries, they remain a major public health concern…Trench fever has been reported in both developing and developed countries in populations living in poor conditions, such as homeless individuals…outbreaks of epidemic typhus and epidemic relapsing fever have occurred in jails and refugee camps in developing countries…experimental laboratory studies have demonstrated that the body louse can transmit other emerging or re-emerging pathogens, such as Acinetobacter baumannii and Yersinia pestis” (Badiaga, S. & Brouqui, P. (2012). Human louse-transmitted infectious diseases. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 18(4), 332-337. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03778.x ). 

It is important to understand that all parasites are very adept at survival. Lice, in particular, have recently mutated to resist traditional medical treatments. These new mutated lice are called “super lice” and I wrote about them in an article on this website. You can this article here.

Conclusion

A key takeaway about mites and parasites is that they are spread by contact with contaminated objects and through physical intimate contact with people and animals. Thus, you can share parasites with others by hugging, kissing 💏, sharing hair accessories and clothing, walking on contaminated carpeting, sleeping in other peoples’ beds, and through sexual acts. Places that are crowded and where there is poor hygiene, such as an all-boys dorm room, a senior citizen home, and nurseries can see parasitic infections spread like wildfire. 

Protecting yourself and your loved ones starts with awareness and understanding how diseases and parasites are spread. Having a healthy body starts with daily cleansing and hygiene and requires you to be observant of those around you. Avoid hanging out at someone’s house or hugging them temporarily if you notice that they have a rash or are scratching too much. Noticing things like these and regularly doing parasite treatments can really make your life easier and make your body healthier.