Someone asked me the other day, “Does hair dye kill lice?” I wasn’t sure of the answer, so I decided to do some research on the subject. I was torn. If hair dye could reliably kill lice, it would make treatment a lot more affordable and easy for families. But wouldn’t everyone know about it if it worked? It was time to see what others said about the subject.

First, I read anecdotal stories and saw many people claiming that it worked for them when nothing else has. The harsh chemicals that can be found in hair dyes seemed to be just as effective if not more so than products such as Nix. I read that some moms who were breastfeeding use this since they don’t want to use something as harsh as Nix. Many of these stories came from people who would be dying their hair anyway and not using it just as a cure.

Encouraged by the stories I was reading, I decided to search for scientific studies. While anecdotes are great, they aren’t enough to say whether or not something works. Unfortunately, I could not find any studies that suggested that hair dye could be used to get rid of nits or that it would prevent a head lice infestation. I’m not sure if they’ve done multiple studies on this and proven it to be ineffective, or if they just haven’t studied it in depth.

So my next question was, “Is it safe?” I decided that if it were safe to use, it certainly wouldn’t hurt trying it even if there wasn’t scientific evidence to support it. Unfortunately, it can be dangerous. A scalp with lice and nits is likely to be sore from all of the bites. Add to that the chemicals that you find in products such as Nix. Mix in permanent hair color and you have a formula for burns and maybe even blisters. So you should definitely not use lice treatments and hair dyes at the same time. If you are only using natural products such as tea tree oil and lice combs you will probably be OK, but it still may burn. Definitely don’t use this on a child, but as an adult you may decide to try it. I’m not recommending it, but it is your choice.

So, does hair dye kill lice? I think more studies are definitely needed, but right now there is no proof that it does and it might cause further problems such as a burned scalp. But some adults decide it is worth the risk and have found this treatment to be helpful.