There is a reason why flies may keep buzzing around your hair, yet they do not bother others that are seated around you.
Dirty hair that stinks, homemade hair moisturizers, and infections that cause sores on your scalp are some of the reasons your hair can attract flies. Flies are attracted to bad odor. Flies will find your hair attractive if you don’t wash it regularly.
Flies on or around your hair can be very embarrassing, especially if you are seated with a respected guest or on a first date since flies are always dirt-related.
11 Reasons Why Flies are Attracted to Your Hair
You need to find out why flies are overly attracted to you. This will help you in getting the right solution. Below are several other reasons why flies may find your hair more attractive;
1. Hair spray
Certain hair sprays contain large quantities of alcohol. Alcohol will attract flies because they cannot resist alcohol and anything that smells of it.
It is also important to note that any hair spray containing lots of ethanol will drain your hair and even cause a bad odor when you go out in the sun. This is one of the major reasons some people may attract lots of flies when they are out, even at the beach.
You may want to check the type of body and hair spray you use if you keep flies attracted to you, especially in hot weather.
2. Shampoo
Like the hair spray, any shampoo with lots of ethanol will irritate your skull and even cause dandruff in the long run. Flies will then be attracted to the smell of dead skin that is ever-present in your hair.
Flies will also be attracted to the bad odor from your hair after the ethanol is done, draining the natural moisture that softens it. When dry, the hair will tend to smell, attracting flies that can frustrate you in public.
3. Chemicals for softening hard hair
To control the rate at which flies are attracted to your hair, you need to take time and learn what type of hair you have.
If it is soft, get the right chemicals that will soften them but with fewer chemicals that will burn your scalp.
Remember, if you have wounds from chemical burns under your hair, flies will definitely smell the blood clots, attracting them to your hair.
4. Fleas
Fleas are tiny insects that always hide under your hair near your scalp. They will bite and suck blood for survival, and the open wounds will overly attract flies to you and your hair.
Flies will naturally detect the smell of blood coming under your hair, even if it is in very small quantities that you may not realize.
Fleas will also lay eggs under your hair; if you are not careful, they can multiply and damage your scalp.
5. Hot weather
When walking under the sun or sunbathing on the beach, you may notice that flies are suddenly attracted to your hair.
This is because your hair becomes moist, and the sweat build-up on your head is very strong, especially if you have lots of hair. The strong foul smell will attract flies to your hair on a hot sunny day.
In some cases, a fly may hide under long hair and even look like it is dead. When shaken, it may suddenly fly away. This is why some people think that dead flies come back to life. This is just a myth because they can really be still, and you may think they are dead at some point.
6. Homemade hair treatments
Some homemade hair treatments are good, but if not rinsed off well, they will leave a bad smell on your hair. I remember there was a day I used natural eggs mixed with avocado to help moisturize my hair naturally.
Then, I rinsed it off with hot water without any shampoo and sprayed it. Then I dashed out in hot weather.
While at the market, I noticed flies were overly attracted to my hair. As much as I could not feel the smell, it was like they could since it was on my hair. So it is true that homemade hair treatments can lure flies to your hair if not rinsed properly.
If possible, rinse with lots of water and use a good shampoo that will moisturize and leave your hair with a fresh scent to keep the flies away.
7. Scalp eczema
Eczema on your scalp will definitely irritate your head and make you scratch it all the time. Long air will hold the bloody and flaky skin that falls off while you scratch.
This will start to produce a smell that will attract flies to your hair if not washed off properly. Flies love the smell of anything that is decomposing and once they since it on your hair, they will definitely fly and buzz towards your head.
8. Oily hair
As much as your body will produce natural oil to keep your hair moisturized, there are cases where there is an overproduction of sebum that oils the hair and protects the skin.
When this overstays on the hair, it will overly attract flies to you, and those flies will not go away because they have something to feed on. It is advisable to find ways of controlling this so that flies are not attracted to you.
9. Old synthetic wigs
When synthetic wigs are overused, they will start to smell, thus attracting flies to your head. This is because synthetic wigs have a coat of alkaline that is needed for them to last long under heat.
With time, the alkaline coat fades, and this always happens after about 4-6 months, depending on how frequently you use the wig.
If you notice that flies are following and buzzing around your head while using those wigs, consider washing or replacing them as soon as you can afford to.
10. Poor Hair Hygiene
If you are going to keep long hair, you really have to be ready to buy shampoos at least and keep the hair groomed and neat. Failing to do so will be a reason for flies to keep circling your head.
Avoid touching your hair with unclean hands, especially if you are eating anything and your hand is still stained. Your hair has a way of retaining anything that lands on it, and the food particles may attract flies to your hair.
11. Head Lice
Lice are parasites that feed on blood and can invade the human hair and stay there for a long. They will lay eggs and bite your scalp. Those sore on your scalp will then make flies keep circling your head and buzzing in your ear.
Head lice infestation is something you may want to deal with as fast as possible. They are easily spread, especially among children.
When they bite the scalp, it will become itchy and red. This is a major attraction to flies because they want to feed on the blood.
Calina Mabel has over 15 years of experience in the field of journalism and communications. Currently, Calina Mabel is the Content Writer for categories such as Cockroach, Ants, Bed Bugs, Mosquito, Rodent, Termite, and Flies on Pestweek.com. She aims to build content for these categories with a focus on providing valuable and accessible information to readers, in order to create the world’s largest knowledge community about Pests.
All content written by Calina Mabel has been reviewed by Emily Carter.