CAN HAIR DYE KILL LICE

Head lice are parasitic, wingless insects that live in hair and scalps of people. They can live
up to 30 days on the scalps. They range in colour from translucent white to brown. Anyone
with hair can get head lice. They are tiny as sesame seeds.

They require human blood to survive. Head lice infest your scalp and devour your blood
making your head itchy and cause loss of hair. They lay white coloured eggs called nits.

Head lice mainly affect children. According to health line, approximately 6 to 12 million
people face the problem the same year. Children attending elementary school and
preschool and those in the house hold have the highest risk of infection.

There is little scientific evidence that hair dye causes lice to die. Hair dye has strong
chemicals. However, the might not be able to penetrate the castings of the lice eggs (nits).

Many people claim that hair dye is an alternative treatment and has assisted to prevent and
battle with lice.

How hair dye affects lice

Hair dye are categorised into;

 Permanent hair dye

 Temporary hair dye

The mostly type that kills lice is permanent hair dye. This type of dye kills lice permanently
but not the nits.

The chemicals in the hair dye only have effect on the lice but they cannot break the hard
shell of the nits. The nits are natural glue-like substance adhering the shells hair. The hair
dye is ineffective at eliminating nits before they match.

The permanent hair dye contains strong chemicals such as;

Para-toluenediamine

Para-phenylenediamine
Para-aminophenol

These chemicals are paired with hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. These ingredients are
powerful enough to eliminate head lice.

The ammonia in the permanent dye is an alkaline, corrosive chemical that produces an
irritating gas, this gas causes the suffocation of lice this killing the lice.

Hair dye ingredients that kill and control head lice

 Ammonia
 Vaseline and Henna
 Black walnut and tea tree oil
 Sea salt and Coconut oil
 Artemisia and Fenugreek
 Olive oil and Tamanu oil
1. Ammonia

This is a gas chemical that dissolves into liquid. It can be used in hair dyes mainly to open
hair cuticle so as to receive the hair colour pigments. Ammonia is effective in loosening the
glue produced by the hair lice and it kills them or makes it easier to remove with a comb or
any other method.

2. Vaseline and Henna

Vaseline is a by-product of mineral oil that has shown to ‘suffocate’ the lice and nits and
enhances smooth hair and easy to comb.

Henna is a Herbal from India that has been used for a long time as a natural hair dye and
also toxic for lice mainly the adult lice.

3. Black walnut and tea tree oil

Walnut is a type of dye that turns hair to dark brown and possesses anti-parasitic properties.
It also contains anti-lice action that kills lice immediately.
Tea tree oil has anti-lice action and find infestation this helps keeps the lice out and also
kills.