Does Bleach Kill Lice?

Our guide busting the myths on whether or not bleach will kill lice.

There have been rumours going around for decades – and even longer – on the best home remedies for head lice – and it’s no wonder! They become a yearly issue in family homes all around the United States every year, usually being brought in by school kids. But which of these remedies really work, and which are simply playground chatter?

We’ve talked before about how useful hair dye is in eradicating a head full of lice. But does bleach kill lice, and is it really safe to use?

Today, we’re sharing our guide which aims to bust the myths on whether or not bleach kills lice.

Read on for the truth!

Does 100% Clorox Bleach Kill Lice?

First up, we’re going to be taking a look at whether or not one hundred percent Clorox bleach kills lice.

The answer is very simply, yes. This commonly used household cleaner is one of the only ones we found which successfully kills lice. This is alongside enzyme sprays, and hot water.

This is a fine way of eradicating lice from around the home when cleaning to ensure there aren’t any left. However, you should absolutely NOT use Clorox bleach on your head.

We hope that this is an obvious statement, but just in case it isn’t for some, here are a few of the reasons why you should never allow household bleach to come into contact with your skin, never mind put it on your scalp:

•         If applied to the scalp, this bleach would absorb through the skin and could cause poisoning.
•         This is even more so the case if there are any sores or scabs to be seen on the scalp.
•         Bleach can quite literally cause chemical burns, and they can get really nasty too.
•         If you get bleach in contact with your eyes, it can cause an array of issues, including eye injury, eye damage, and even permanent blindness.

It’s really not to be messed with, and should only be used for its’ appropriate uses.

Got it. So Will Hair Bleach Kill Lice?

Adults all over the united states and the world will use hair bleach in order to get their desired blonde appearance, but is this commonly used hair dying tool any good in killing lice?

As stated above, this is entirely different to Clorox bleach, which should never, ever be used on the head or the skin.

The bleach products which are designed entirely to change the colour of hair do not contain Clorox. The vast majority of these hair bleaching products will contain the following ingredients:

•         Hydrogen Peroxide.
•         Ammonium Sulphate.

Now, both of the ingredients found in hair dying bleach that we’ve mentioned above may be useful in killing off some of the weaker lice on the head. However, they will NOT be one hundred percent successful in the getting rid of head lice.

The issue with actually attempting to get rid of the lice using hair bleach, is that it will have to be left on the hair for a fair amount of time. By which time, you might not only have damaged, platinum blonde hair, but it’s likely that the bugs will turn translucent also. Imagine trying to find translucent head lice in white hair? We’d rather not!

If you use hair dye bleach to get rid of lice, you’ll likely end up stuck in a vicious cycle, wherein the weak lice are killed but the strong survive, the strong lice lay eggs which hatch even stronger lice – and bam! You’ve got a fully – fledged lice infestation again.

Our advice? Look for an alternative method.

 Thanks for reading!