# Does any organism eat human dandruff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620 "2019-03-27T16:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/1 "2019-03-27T16:59:42Z")
This question comes from a weird image from a recent dream – is there any organism that specifically eats just human dandruff? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/2 "2019-03-27T17:01:57Z")
Dandruff is just dead skin. The dust mites that live in your bed sheets (including your pillow) eat your shed skin. That is about as close to specific as you are probably going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/3 "2019-03-27T17:04:11Z")
House dust mites happily munch on any dropped skin flakes in the vicinity and could at least in theory live happily on your dandruff, but human dandruff is not the only thing they can eat. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/4 "2019-03-27T17:07:59Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > human dandruff is not the only thing they can eat. …but 8 out of 10 mites agree that it’s head and shoulders above any other food. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/5 "2019-03-27T17:22:05Z")
Not exactly dandruff in the usual sense, but how about mites that live in your [eyebrows](https://www.thoughtco.com/bugs-in-our-eyebrows-1968600)? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/6 "2019-03-27T18:37:20Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Dandruff is just dead skin. The dust mites that live in your bed sheets (including your pillow) eat your shed skin. That is about as close to specific as you are probably going to get. Also [lice](https://www.thoughtco.com/top-bugs-that-feed-on-humans-373908). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/7 "2019-03-27T18:40:29Z")
As said, dust mites. Some percentage of household dust is dead skin, although not the majority of it as often said. But it’s probably tastier for the mites than the dirt and artificial materials that make up a lot of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/8 "2019-03-27T18:41:22Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Not exactly dandruff in the usual sense, but how about mites that live in your [eyebrows](https://www.thoughtco.com/bugs-in-our-eyebrows-1968600)? Gee, thanks a lot for that link! Now, I feel like scrubbing my entire body with steel wool. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/9 "2019-03-27T18:58:26Z")
Thanks for the replies! ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/10 "2019-03-28T13:34:48Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Not exactly dandruff in the usual sense, but how about mites that live in your [eyebrows](https://www.thoughtco.com/bugs-in-our-eyebrows-1968600)? Small correction, but according to the article, they live in your eye_lashes_. In other words, closer to your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/11 "2019-03-28T14:59:09Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Gee, thanks a lot for that link! Now, I feel like scrubbing my entire body with steel wool. 😕 My work here is done. > [@Hermitian](#): > > Small correction, but according to the article, they live in your eye_lashes_. > > In other words, closer to your eyes. Huh. I googled ‘eyelashes’ because that’s what I remembered, and it says eyelashes in the article as well as the headline, but I somehow got the impression it was talking about eyebrows\* and figured it was a scare headline. So I corrected my non-mistake. \*Like **Jasmine** I imagine, I didn’t wanna read the article _too_ closely. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/12 "2019-03-28T22:16:26Z")
Doctor fish, if you want something that’s prettier? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-organism-eat-human-dandruff/831620/13 "2019-03-28T22:28:39Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Gee, thanks a lot for that link! Now, I feel like scrubbing my entire body with steel wool. 😕 That might not be a good idea. Your body is [a habitat](http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/your-body-is-a-planet) for more things than the cells that make up the actual human part.