When it comes to hair color, there is a lot to consider. If you are someone who is trying out coloring your hair and you get some on your skin, you may want to remove the color from your skin. This article has 12 different things that could be worth looking into.
Table of Contents
1. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is a time-honored solution to getting rid of all sorts of stains. Permanent hair color is one such stain. In order to use rubbing alcohol to remove hair color, you’re going to want to use a cotton ball or similar implement to dab the rubbing alcohol on the affected skin gently and then rinse off quickly.
Rubbing alcohol is somewhat harsh, so it can dry out your skin or cause irritation if you leave it on for too long. If you have sensitive skin, it may be best to try a gentler solution first.
2. Makeup Wipes
Makeup wipes are one of the simplest stain solutions out there. Simply use them to wipe the area of skin that has been stained. Now, makeup wipes are typically made of sodium lauryl sulfate. If you have sensitive skin, these wipes can also be somewhat irritating, so if you do use makeup wipes, make sure to wash your skin off afterward.
3. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly is a great color remover. All you have to do to use it is just put some on your fingers and rub at the stain until it starts to come out. Then, you can rinse it when you’ve got it out.
In addition to being great at removing skin stains from hair color, petroleum jelly is a great option to prevent such stains in the first place. Placing some along your hairline before you start applying the hair color will help prevent the color from staining your skin.
4. Hair Conditioner or Shampoo
A hair conditioner or gentle shampoo can be a great way to get hair color out of your scalp or skin without removing the color from your hair. Just be careful, as some shampoos (such as those containing hydroxy acid) can ruin your hair color. Warm water and shampoo is an easy and effective solution that is also relatively easy on the skin and hair. Take a small amount of shampoo, apply it to the hairline, and massage it into the hairline before wetting or washing the hair.
5. Baking Soda & Dish Soap
Combining baking soda and dish soap creates an excellent mixture that will really help to get tough stains off your skin. This method is especially good if the color is stuck on your hands. It is also pretty convenient since dish soap and baking soda are very common household items. However, it will technically work on your face as well, but you most definitely want to avoid it ever getting in your eyes.
6. Toothpaste
Toothpaste is something nearly everyone has on hand. Luckily, it also can work great to remove hair color! Make sure your toothpaste isn’t the gel kind, and then rub the toothpaste on the color stain using a cotton ball. Leave the toothpaste in for about 5 to 10 minutes. After that, all you have to do is rinse it off.
7. Olive Oil
Olive oil is a great option for removing hair color from your skin. It is a very gentle one, too, making it a great option for those with sensitive skin. All you have to do is rub some into your skin using a cloth and then rinse once the color is out. Since olive oil is so mild, it may take some time to remove the stained color, but unlike some other methods, you don’t have to rush to rinse it out.
8. Nail Polish Remover (for Hands)
Using a cotton ball to rub some nail polish remover on the stains on your hands can help get rid of them really fast. This method is best just for your hands because it can irritate the skin on your face (and really sting your eyes if it gets into them).
Make sure to remove the nail polish with soap and water after you’re done so your hands don’t start stinging.
9. More Hair Dye
This may sound like a joke at first, but the fact is that hair color is one of the best ways to remove, well, hair color. This is according to someone who says they have worked as a hairdresser. If you have hair color on your skin after you finish coloring your hair, all you have to do is rub some more on with a cloth and then rinse it off. If your hair color has been set already, you can combine some hair color with shampoo to help remove it and rinse it off.
10. Hairspray
Since hairspray usually contains alcohol, spraying some onto a cotton ball or cloth and then using it to wipe your skin can help to remove hair color stains. Just make sure to wipe off and rinse the area afterward since the alcohol in it is also drying and irritating. This option is a good replacement for when you don’t have any pure rubbing alcohol on hand to use.
11. Time, Water & Soap
Using water and shampoo to wash your hair will gradually remove the color from your skin as well. So technically, you don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary to remove hair color from your skin eventually.
Now, if your skin has just barely gotten some color on it, then the first thing you should try to remove it with is just plain old soap and water, which is going to be the easiest out of all of these methods.
12. Baby Oil, Olive Oil, & Petroleum Jelly
This method works great for getting color off of your hands. All you have to do is combine baby oil, olive oil, and petroleum jelly into a mixture. Then, just put it on the stained skin on your hands and leave it overnight. It helps to cover your hands with socks so that you don’t stain your sheets (an even bigger hassle than stained hands if you asked me).
This is essentially all of the best “gentle” color removal materials combined and should help eliminate even the most well-set stains.