Did Early Christians Forbid Dyeing Hair?
Early Christian writers often rejected dyeing the hair as vanity and false pride. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Commodianus all speak against changing hair color, and they connect that warning to passages like Matthew 5:36. Their teaching is strong and repeated across the second and third centuries, even though a few related Bible verses are more indirect.
110 early-church witnesses · 168 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about dyeing the Hair?
Early Christian writers usually treated dyeing the hair as a form of pride, deception, or worldliness, not as a good Christian practice. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Commodianus all speak against changing the hair’s color, with some linking it to vanity and a refusal to accept old age. They also tie their warning to Bible passages such as Matthew 5:36 and 1 Corinthians 11:6, which were read as teaching that people cannot control or improve God’s design by dyeing the hair.
The evidence is broad and consistent across the second and third centuries, though some related Bible cards about hair color and grooming are background rather than direct hair-dye texts. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Most early Christian writers treated hair dye as a sign of vanity, not as a neutral beauty habit.
- Clement, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Commodianus all speak against changing hair color.
- They often linked the practice to Bible warnings about not changing what God has made.
- A few related passages about hair and gray hair are background, not direct commands about dyeing.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians condemn dyeing the hair?
Yes. The strongest sources explicitly describe dyeing the hair as immoral, deceptive, or shameful, and they place it alongside cosmetics and other forms of vain adornment.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
... with a double-meaning statement. But for men to shave and smooth themselves is disgraceful. As for dyeing the hair, putting ointment on gray hair, and dyeing it yellow, these are practices of completely immoral effeminates. Their woman-like grooming should be left alone. They think that, like serpents, they can cast off the old age of their head by coloring and renewing themselves. But even if they treat the hair skillfully, they will not escape wrinkles, nor will they avoid death by trying to deceive time. For it is not dreadful, it is not dreadful, to look old when you cannot close your eyes to the fact that you are old.
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Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women Direct teaching
I see some women dye their hair with saffron. They are even ashamed of their own nation, ashamed that their birth did not place them in Germany or in Gaul. So, as it is, they transfer their hair there. With their flame-colored head they foretell evil for themselves, yes, very great evil. And they think graceful what they are actually defiling. More than that, the force of these cosmetics burns damage into the hair. Even the constant use of any moisture, though it has no drug in it, stores up harm for the head. And the sun's heat too, though it is so desired because it gives the hair both growth and dryness, is harmful. What grace can agree with injury? What beauty can agree with uncleanness? Should a Christian woman heap saffron on her head as if on an altar? For whatever is usually burned in honor of an unclean spirit may seem to be a sacrifice, unless it is used for honest, necessary, and healthful purposes, for which God's creature was provided. But God says, "Which of you can make a white hair black, or out of a black a white?" And so they refute the Lord. "Look," they say, "instead of white or black, we make it yellow, more winning in grace." Yet those who regret having lived
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
...true is changed into a lie by the deceitful dyes of cosmetics? Your Lord says, "You cannot make one hair white or black." Matthew 5:36 And yet, in order to overcome your Lord's word, you would make yourself mightier than He is, and stain your hair with bold effort and profane contempt. With an evil sign of what is to come, you are already making for yourself a beginning of flame-colored hair. And you sin, O wickedness, with your head—that is, with the nobler part of your body! And although it is written of the Lord, "His head and His hair were white like wool or snow," Revelation 1:14 you curse that whiteness and hate that gray hair which is like the Lord's head.
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Commodianus, Writings Direct teaching
...ou pursue vanity with all the pomp of the devil. At the mirror you adorn yourself, with your curled hair turned back from your brow. And moreover, with evil purposes, you put on false medicaments. On your pure eyes you put stibium, with painted beauty. Or you dye your hair so that it may always be black. God is the overlooker, who dives into each heart. But these things are not necessary for modest women. Pierce your breast with chaste and modest feeling. The law of God bears witness that such laws fail from the heart which believes. For a wife approved by her husband, let it suffice that she is so, not by her dress, but by her good disposition. Put on only the clothes that the cold and the heat, or too much sun, require, so that you may be approved as modest, and show forth the gifts of your capacity among the people of God. You who were formerly most illustrious, give yourself the appearance of one who is contemptible. She who lay without life was raised by the prayers of the widows. She deserved this, that she should be raised from death, not by her costly dress, but by her gifts. O good matrons, flee from the adornment of vanity. Such attire is fitting for women who haunt th
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
They taught them also to paint the eyes with blackness drawn round them in a circle, and to stain the cheeks with a deceitful red, and to change the hair with false colors, and to drive out all truth, both of face and head, by the assault of their own corruption.
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Unknown, Unknown Work Direct teaching
Consequently neither is the hair to be dyed, nor grey hair to have its color changed.
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Commodianus, Writings Direct teaching
... of the way they perished, yet most of you, given over to luxuries, obey them. You break the law by staining yourselves with dyes. The apostle cries out against you. Yes, God cries out through him. "Your dissoluteness," he says, "ruins you by itself." So then, be what Christ wants you to be: gentle, and joyful in Him, because in the world you are sad. Run, labor, sweat, and fight with sadness. Hope comes through labor, and the palm is given to victory. If you want to be refreshed, give help and encouragement to the martyr. Wait for the rest that is to come through the passage of death.
More related quotations from this section 12 shown
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...ood, and unnecessary extras in general, what are we to think should be said about love of ornament, dyeing wool, a variety of colors, fussiness about gems, delicate work in gold, and still more, artificial hair and curled arrangements? And furthermore, what should be said about staining the eyes, plucking out hairs, painting with rouge and white lead, dyeing the hair, and the wicked arts used in such deceptions? May we not very well suspect that what was quoted a little above about the grass was said of those unornamental lovers of ornaments? For the field is the world, and we who are bedewed by the grace of God are the grass. And though cut down, we spring up again, as will be shown more fully in the book On the Resurrection. But hay figuratively means the common rabble, attached to passing pleasure, flourishing for a little while, loving ornament, loving praise, and being anything but truth-loving, good for nothing except to be burned with fire. "There was a certain man," said the Lord, telling the story, "very rich, who was clothed in purple and scarlet, enjoying himself splendidly every day." This was the hay. "And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at the rich man's
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...lder than all things. Prophecy has called Him "the Ancient of days," and, as the prophet says, "the hair of His head was like pure wool." And the Lord says that no one else can make hair white or black, in Matthew 5:36. How, then, do these godless people compete with God, or rather openly fight against Him, when they change the hair that He made white? Scripture says in Sirach 25:6, "The crown of old men is great experience," and "the gray hair on their face is the flower of great experience." But these people dishonor the respect due to old age, to the head covered with gray hair. It is not, it is not possible for a man to present his head as genuine when he has a false head. But that is not how you learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, in regard to your former way of life, the old man — not the gray-haired man, but the one who is corrupt because of deceitful desires — and be renewed, not by dyes and ornaments, but in the spirit of your mind; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, as Ephesians 4:20-24 says.
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Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women Supporting witness
But, however, God says, Which of you can make a white hair black, or out of a black a white?
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
And you who stain your hair, now at least cease in the midst of sorrows;
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
And although it is written of the Lord, His head and His hair were white like wool or snow, Revelation 1:14 you curse that whiteness and hate that hoariness which is like to the Lord's head.
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Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women Supporting witness
to arrange the hair, and disguise its hoariness by dyes;
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Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women Supporting witness
And yet such as repent of having lived to old age do attempt to change it even from white to black!
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
But additions of other people's hair are entirely to be rejected, and it is a most sacrilegious thing for spurious hair to shade the head, covering the skull with dead locks.
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Tatian, Fragments of Tatian Supporting witness
...hese are punished and corrected by the Word. He also said that women were punished because of their hair and ornaments by a power appointed over those things. He said that this same power also gave Samson strength through his hair, and punishes those who are driven to sexual immorality by the adornment of their hair.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
It is enough for women to protect their hair and fasten it simply at the neck with a plain hairpin, caring for modest hair in a simple way for the sake of true beauty. For prostitute-like braiding of the hair, and arranging it in curls and twisted strands, only makes them look ugly. It cuts the hair and pulls it out because of those deceptive braids. Because of this, they do not touch their head, since they are afraid of disturbing their hair. Even sleep comes with fear, lest without knowing it they ruin the shape of the braid.
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Commodianus, Writings Supporting witness
...oud in the law, condemn as unrighteous women those who adorn themselves in this way. You stain your hair. You paint the opening of your eyes with black. You lift up your pretty hair, one by one, on your painted brow. You anoint your cheeks with some sort of red color laid on. And moreover, earrings hang down with very heavy weight. You bury your neck with necklaces. With gems and gold, you bind hands worthy of God with an evil presage. Why should I tell of your dresses, or of the whole pomp of the devil? You reject the law when you wish to please the world. You dance in your houses. Instead of psalms, you sing love songs. Although you may be chaste, you do not prove yourself so by following evil things. Therefore Christ makes you, such as you are, equal with the Gentiles. Be pleasing to the hymned chorus, and to an appeased Christ. With ardent love fervently offer your savour to Christ.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
...at beauty which God and nature have given you, but modestly lessen it before men. So do not let the hair of your head grow too long, but instead cut it short, lest by carefully combing your hair, wearing it long, and anointing yourself, you bring upon yourself women who are ensnared or who ensnare others. Neither wear overly fine clothing to seduce anyone. Neither, with evil craftiness, seek overly fine stockings or shoes for your feet, but only what fits decency and usefulness. Neither put a gold ring on your fingers, for all these ornaments are signs of lustfulness. If you concern yourself with them in an indecent way, you will not act as a good man should. For it is not lawful for you, a believer and a man of God, to let the hair of your head grow long, or to brush it up together, or to let it spread out, or to puff it up, or by careful combing and braiding to make it curl and shine, since this is contrary to the law, which says in its additional precepts, "You shall not make curls and round shavings for yourselves." Nor should men destroy the hair of their beards and unnaturally change the form of a man. For the law says, "You shall not mar your beards." For God the Creator
What did early Christians say about hair grooming and adornment?
The sources often treat hair dyeing together with braiding, curls, artificial hair, wigs, and other elaborate grooming. The general pattern is a call for simplicity and modesty rather than ornamental display.
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Matthew 5:36 Direct teaching
And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
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1 Corinthians 11:6 Supporting witness
For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.
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1 Timothy 2:9 Supporting witness
likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,
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1 Peter 3:3 Supporting witness
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
Common Questions
Did the early Christians think dyeing hair was wrong?
Yes. Clement, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Commodianus speak against dyeing hair and connect it with vanity, deception, and disrespect for old age.
Did early Christians use the Bible against hair dye?
Yes. They especially used Matthew 5:36 and also appealed to passages about modest dress, head covering, and the honor of gray hair.
Was this view shared by many early Christian writers?
Yes. The warning appears in writers from the second and third centuries, so it was not a one-off comment.
Source Index for Dyeing the Hair
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 138 ranked source links from 168 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 138 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 110
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Bible Passages 58 included
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.