Hair dye and lice seem to have no connection, but it is rumored in salon circles that this unusual association may work. Head lice or head lice infestation is an irritating and embarrassing condition. There are several treatments for head lice. These include the use of insecticidal shampoos and hair lotions. Some are from natural insecticides like neem oil. Other preparations are more chemically based and require a prescription for dispensing.
Understandably, some parents stop using these products after a few unsuccessful attempts. Products like malathion and lindane could have harmful cumulative side effects. Manual removal with a lice comb is the most effective way to eliminate pests, but it is time consuming and does not completely prevent reinfestation. It also does not provide lasting relief from symptoms.
Treating lice with hair dye stems from some parents’ exasperation at the cost of using over-the-counter formulas. Fed up with spending a lot of dollars on lotions and shampoos to treat lice, they have turned to looking for something or anything to ease the itchiness, embarrassment, and irritation. Some forums recommend such quaint remedies as mayonnaise, vinegar, and mouthwash. These inexpensive and readily available homemade staples have not been clinically tested, although some mothers trust them.
This is an unusual remedy for killing lice – the lice method of hair dye. Hair lice sufferers have noticed that when their hair was dyed in the salon, their hair lice condition improved. Some have even testified that the hair lice have been completely removed. What do hair dyes or hair coloring materials contain? Before synthetic colorants were invented, natural pigments from plants, flowers, and tree bark were used to change or accentuate hair color. Traditionally, henna, a plant extract, was used to darken hair, while chamomile was used to lighten it. These pigments inevitably fade after some time, so more permanent additives are needed to make the colorants stick to the hair longer. This was where coal tar aniline dyes were used for semi-permanent dyes and paraphenylenediamine or PPD for permanent hair dyes. For these ingredients to be effective, hair must be prepped before color is applied.
Then the use of chemicals to peel the hair was introduced. The hair shaft is opened by using chemicals like ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. The dyes that use these ingredients are called oxidation dyes. Using more of these chemicals made hair color lighter in less time. It is these same chemicals that are attributed to the effectiveness of hair dyes as anti-lice agents for hair. Hair has a protein called keratin and it is this substance that the hair shaft openers act on. When the hair shaft is opened, the glue that cements the nit to the hair is also disturbed, releasing the nit in the process. No nits, no adult lice in the future.
Another ingredient in hair dyes that can work against hair lice is alcohol. When using home cooking remedies, some women add Listerine, a high-alcohol mouthwash to boost their homemade formulas. Lice seem to have an aversion to things. Hair dyes are also high in alcohol. Its unpleasant side effect is hair dryness, as it removes moisture from the hair shaft. Perhaps it is this quality that prevents the reproduction of lice. If I were a louse, all the other polysyllabic and unpronounceable ingredients would be more than enough to get anyone off my mind.