Get your facts straight; does hair dye kill lice?
Having bugs crawling underneath your hair can be irritating. If you have been a victim, you will agree with us that the experience is enough to make a person go berserk. Among all the hair bugs in the planet, the lice takes the trophy. The single lice in your hair can make you as irritable as a goat with a worm in its head. We have seen desperate people take desperate measures to get rid of lice. The most popular is the hair dye; but does hair dye kill lice? Before we examine this question, it is advisable you understand the life cycle of a louse and how it affects your choice of lice shampoo.
Understanding the life cycle of a louse.
According to (CDC), a female louse lays up to 8 eggs (nits) per day. The minuscule eggs cement at the base of the hair shaft, usually resembling dandruff. The nits take six to nine days to hatch into a nymph. The nymph takes around seven days to develop into an adult louse.
With the nourishment from your blood, adult lice can live up to 30 days from hatching. However, to survive, the lice have to suck your vital fluid several times a day. This means that they cannot survive for long outside your scalp.
Why the hair dye isn’t a permanent solution.
Given that the hair dye mimics a neurotoxin, it has the capability of killing lice with a fully developed nervous system. In the life cycle of a louse, the nervous system begins to develop two days after the eggs are layed. This means that the hair dye will not eliminate all the lice and their eggs on your head. The hair dye can only kill and nits with a fully developed nervous system. Even though it might help reduce the infestation, there is a likelihood that the infestation will be back within no time.
Once you have used a hair dye, the crawling and itching might subside for a week or two but once the nits hatch, the nightmare continues. Given the life cycle of a louse, the bug can multiply into thousands within a short period. Taking into account that an adult female louse lays about eight eggs in a day, the hair dye is not a permanent solution.
Even though it can kill adult lice, hair dye is not a clinically proven method of lice elimination. People who have used it have reported it to offer temporary relieve.
Not all brands of hair dye will kill adult lice.
If your intention is to ease the irritation as you look for a permanent solution, then you can apply hair dye. However, be warned that not all brands of hair dye will work. The ability of the dye to kill adult lice depends on the chemicals used to make it. If you decide to use the hair dye, choose the one with high levels of ammonia and alcohol.
However, always remember that hair dye is not a permanent solution to eliminating lice. Dyeing your hair will only eliminate the crawling and the itching for a short period.
Hair dye will not prevent you from lice.
Even though hair dye will eliminate adult lice once they have developed a colony on your scalp, it cannot be used for preventive purposes. Given the neurotoxic characteristics of hair dye, it will kill adult lice immediately after application but it will not prevent you from getting lice. If you are to use it for preventive purposes, then you have to be applying it every single minute.
However, there is no guarantee that immediately your hair is dyed; you can walk or burrow in a lice-infested zone without being infested. The hair dye approach preventive measure is as useless as wearing a hat in a lice-infested area.
Careless use of Hair dye can result in health problems.
According to the American Cancer Society, some of the chemicals used to make permanent and semi-permanent hair dyes are carcinogenic. The use of hair dye in children can be harmful given that their scalp is still tender and susceptible to allergic reactions.
Therefore, when dealing with lice, the use of hair dye as a temporary measure should be your last option. Even though irritating, lice do not spread diseases and are likely not to kill you or your children. However, the use of hair dye especially the permanent type in children below the teenage cohort can lead to lifelong health problems.
A combination of hair dye and vinegar won’t work either.
People assume that when combined with vinegar, hair dye will eliminate both the adult lice and their nits. The assumption is based on the fact that vinegar contains an acid that kills nits while hair dye contains ammonia that kills adult lice. Even though this might work, the combination of vinegar and ammonia can be dangerous. Vinegar contains acetic acid which when combined with ammonia that is a weak base can harm your scalp.
You do not have change the color of your hair to get rid of lice.
Many people who advocate a hair dye as a home remedy for lice treatment will advise you to use the permanent or the semi-permanent type. Apart from the fact that this is not a permanent solution, it will force you to change your appearance. This can be very detrimental especially to children who are in the process of developing their self-image. Applying dye on your hair to get rid of lice will not only make you associate the event with embarrassment but might lead to regrets when the bugs resurface.
Lice suffocation is not a permanent solution.
The use of mayonnaise and a plastic bag is another very weird and misinformed approach to dealing with lice. The proponents of this approach suggest that applying mayonnaise all over your head and covering it tightly with a plastic bag will suffocate the bugs. Once your head is in the plastic bag, you should wait for six hours to remove it and wash your head. To ensure that all the lice are dead, you should then use a hair dryer. After all this, the adult lice will be gone, and you will be required to use a nit comb to remove the nits. This process should be repeated weekly for two months.
Apart from making you look like a moron, this process is tiresome and dangerous. There have been cases where children have been accidentally suffocated to death during this process. Placing a plastic bag on your child’s head for six hours to kill lice can cost their life. Also, the process is not guaranteed to eliminate the lice fully given that an escape of one is enough to make you go back to step one.
You will be mad to use gasoline.
The use of gasoline as a lice-control mechanism dates back in 1917 when people were a step behind on the evolution ladder. This practice resulted in a lot of casualties with people catching fire now and then. Even though there are some few cases of people pouring gasoline on their heads to fight lice, the practice is long forgotten.
Other ridiculous products used in lice control and treatment include butter, olive oil, petroleum jelly, coconut oil, mouthwash, and kerosene. Even though some of this products work to some extent, they are not a permanent solution to the problem. In addition, some of them have health repercussions and can increase stigma to those who have lice.
What works in lice treatment?
When settling for a lice treatment product, you should make sure that it has the capabilities to eliminate both the adult lice and their nits. The product should also be safe to use both in the short run and in the long run. Before using the product, ensure that you carefully read the manufacturer’s instruction for effectiveness and safety purposes. Here are some of the questions you should ask yourself before settling on a product.
Is the lice treatment product natural?
Unlike chemical-based products, natural lice treatment and control products are effective and safe to use. In addition, they have the capability to eliminate both the adult lice and their nits. The natural lice treatment products are made from organically grown herbs. Most natural lice treatment and prevention products are registered as medicinal products and works within the shortest time possible. Unlike home remedies such as hair dye, natural lice treatment products does not require the use of a nit comb.
Does it have a friendly scent?
If your lice treatment product smells like rotten eggs, you are likely not to use it as required. When buying a lice treatment product, the last thing you want is the humiliation from its smell. Having lice can be humiliating and embarrassing but having a funny smell during the treatment process is more humiliating. When used with children, a bad smelling lice treatment product is likely to increase stigma from their peers hence lowering their self-esteem. On the other hand, if the kids love the treatment product scent, they are likely to look forward to lice treatment. When everyone is cooperative and looking forward to treatment, it will be easy to eliminate lice.
How is the packaging?
The packaging of a lice treatment product plays a big role in determining its easy application. An easy to spray packaging will ensure a thorough application of the lice treatment product. When treating lice, you will need to reach every part of the scalp to get rid of nits.
What are the ingredients?
The use of natural ingredients in the treatment of head lice is recommended given the minimal negative health effects. With the ever-evolving natural medicine, herbal products have become the most preferred ways of lice treatment.
Why ClearLice is the number one lice treatment product in the market.
With over seven years of experience, ClearLice offers you the best solution to lice problems. Through continued investment in research, ClearLice has been developed to become the number one eliminator of adult lice and their nits. The product is the safest in the market and offers you instant results on use. The ClearLice Kit is a comprehensive package meant to help you get rid of lice in your body and environment. Here are some of its special features.
ClearLice has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
From past user experience, ClearLice is highly effective in lice treatment and control. To view other users review, please visit,
http://www.amazon.com/Clearlice-Natural-One-day-Treatment-Pesticide/dp/B00BWTQMZA
ClearLice is a non-toxic product.
ClearLice is made from natural ingredients to ensure users safety. The ingredients include enzyme proteins with are non-biodegradable proteins that help to destroy nits. The product also contains Neem Oil, which has insect repelling and anti-fungal properties that are effective in destroying lice. Other important ingredients in the product include Wrightia Tinctoria, which acts as a skin antibacterial and Tea Tree Oil, which is used as a first aid remedy.
ClearLice also has peppermint oil that is antiseptic in nature and is effective in removing lice and dandruff. Other ingredients include Sweet Flag, which is a natural insecticide, Coconut oil that is a skin conditioner, and Natrum Muriaticum, which has dehydrating properties.
ClearLice has an attractive scent.
Apart from its effectiveness in lice elimination, ClearLice is comfortable to use given its peppermint scent. You do not have to avoid social gatherings when treating your pediculosis. The product is engineered to give you a sweet smell while helping you to shed off those pests.
One day treatment.
Unlike other lice treatment products, ClearLice eliminates lice and nits within a day of the treatment. You do not have to retreat now and then.
Amazing packaging.
ClearLice comes in an excellent packaging to allow you to apply the product effectively and with ease. The packaging has allows you to spray every part of the scalp to ensure that all nits are eliminated.
FDA Registered.
ClearLice is an FDA registered product with a proven track record. With this product, you can say goodbye to lice problems.