Types of hair dye

Thank you for this amazing and helpful site.

I see from the question and answer on your site that hair dye is permitted. Is permanent or semi permanent or some other type of dye halachically preferable to other types?

Thank you.

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your question.

There does not seem to be a difference between permanent and semi-permanent dyes regarding chatzitzah. Most hair dyes are absorbed into the hair and do not leave a tangible residue. Therefore they are not considered a chatzitzah.

You should just take care that your dye job is well maintained prior to immersion and you do not have noticeable roots/patches that need to be touched up, and with which you would be uncomfortable being seen in public.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases.

If you have further questions or comments about this email, please click here to Ask the Yoetzet.

The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefitted from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.