Chop it of to avoid head lice?

They will live in your hair whether it is long or short, so I don't think short hair is the answer...unless you want short hair. If you shaved your head, you would probably avoid them (if they didn't have any hair at all to grab onto and hide in, they would just wash off of your head when you took a shower). They sell shampoo thats supposed to kill them if you get them....I've never tried it, nor have I ever gotten them, so I can't attest to how well it works, but I would assume it does, since the kids I knew in elementary school that got them did not come back bald after they were sent home.

Longhairs with enough length can bun their hair, so that does decrease the odds. IMO I think it's better than a short bob. Actually, I've always been told that headlice can't literally "hop" from one person to another, and that there has to be direct contact or contact with some head gear. Anyone know for sure?

Anais

If you have no head to head contact, Moi, you should be able to avoid them. My wife had problems twice with the louts, and the first time Sue chopped off most of her hair after several weeks of failed attempts. No store or prescription remedies work on long hair because the products must be applied dry. You need about five bottles!
The second time (last year), her locks were saved thanks to mayo! Saturate your dry hair with it, put it in a shower cap and leave it in as you sleep. When you wake, shampoo with Dawn and condition. Her lice were combed out big, brown and dead. Then, a few days later do it again, in case of new hatchings. There is no need to cut for fear of lice, in my view. Good luck, Bob
P.S. It's said that vaseline works also.

Olive oil works too...the lice suffocate in it....

I might add the lice like Olive oil about as much as a 2 and 3 year old like having their hair smothered in it. lol

I shouldn't think it would be a huge problem. If you're sacrificing your hair for something that probably won't happen and is hardly *that* difficult to cure, then maybe you want to cut it short anyway, and are just looking for a better reason to convince yourself?

Moi, Sue cut her mid-back hair shaggy short after a month of trying to rid herself of lice in 1992. It was sad for me, but I appreciated that she tried "everything" to keep it long. All the conventional remedies were dismal failures. It was an awful experience back then, but last year they were gone within a week. Best, Bob

AnaisSatin is right. Head lice do not jump (like fleas); they crawl. You would have to come in close contact with someone who has lice -- e.g. sharing a hairbrush or pillow, or very close personal contact.

Don't bother with vaseline, it's like heck to get out of your hair. XD But Mayo sounds like a good remedy! I've never had head lice before, but I'm a freak about sharing brushes and hats.. I only share my brushes and hats with like 3 people, my mom, my brother, and my best friend who would tell me if she ever got lice. =P

If you hear of an outbreak of nits at your school, wash your hair with a tea tree shampoo as this will repel the nits from your head.  (This is a preventative measure rather than a cure, although tea tree oil applied to the scalp will kill nits and, if it's a mild case, the shampoo should work too).  Tea tree oil has a drying effect, though, so be sure to follow up with an intensive, moisturising conditioner.

Washing your brushes, combs and hair accessories in the tea tree shampoo is also a good preventative measure. 

If you do get nits, slathering your head in conditioner (something cheap is fine - you'll need to use lots), massage it into the scalp and hair for five minutes, then bend your head forward (so your hair is hanging down over your face), get a comb and comb through the hair from the scalp.  Use a firm, "flicking" motion to try and get as much of the conditioner out of your hair as possible.  You will notice all of the dead nits falling out.  Then rinse your hair as normal (if you've used a low grade conditioner, you may want to re-condition afterwards with your usual brand).  When you get out of the shower, comb through it again, especially in the scalp area, as the conditioning will have loosened the eggs and now by combing you can push them down the hair, which breaks them up so they will not hatch.

A "nit comb" with close teeth is the most effective tool to use, but you could probably use an ordinary comb first and then follow up with the other one afterwards if necessary.

Hope this helps.  Don't cut your hair, if you don't want to.  Best to stick to the rules for the children and keep it tied back securely (a French plait is probably the best).