Why you should never dye your hair with Kool-Aid

First and foremost, as master colorist Madison Garret explained to Teen Vogue, Kool-Aid is not meant for hair. “The dye used in Kool-Aid is a food dye, it’s not the same as a hair dye,” she advised, noting the substance will do nothing but sit atop the hair and stain it rather than penetrating the strands like actual hair dye does. Likewise, the stain could be permanent because there’s no guarantee that the dye will wash out. 

“In many cases it can’t be removed, so your only options are to grow it out, cut it off or dye it darker,” Garrett warned. Keep in mind, too, that repeatedly scrubbing your hair will damage it just the same as trying to scrub a stain out of clothing does. The Kool-Aid itself contains harsh artificial colors and preservatives that could cause damage by themselves, too, particularly because, unlike those found in hair dye, they’re not specifically designed to be used on hair.