Ways to get hair dye off your skin
We’ve all been there, the temptation to cut corners and reach for the home hair dye kit, and you’ve not done too bad a job. Unfortunately, however, in your mission to make sure you don’t miss a single hair, you’ve managed to also alter the colour of your skin, most likely on your forehead, neck or around your ears. So, what do you do? We’ve pulled together some of the best-known methods for getting rid of that irksome hair dye stain below.
Before you start
It’s always a good idea to wear clear plastic bottles if you are going to be cleaning an area above your eyes to avoid any unnecessary irritation.
Soap and Water
Ok, so the first thing you need to do once you realise that some of the hair dye you have used has leaked onto your skin is to reach for the soap and warm water. If the dye hasn’t yet dried then this alone could be enough to remove it. It will certainly go a long way to erasing the worst of it.
Rubbing Alcohol
For this, you’ll need to grab some cotton wool balls and apply the rubbing alcohol to them, without drenching them. You don't want to risk getting it in your eyes. Gently run the alcohol infused cotton wool balls over the affected area until you have removed all of the dye. Make sure you don’t scrub at the skin and always rinse it off afterwards.
Various oils - Olive/Coconut/ Argan/ Baby oil
Any of the above are useful for removing hair dye stains from skin and are also non-abrasive and kind to your skin, making them a really safe option. Apply to a cotton wool ball and wipe over the affected area until clean. Use a circular motion on more stubborn areas.
Toothpaste
No, it’s not an old wives tale, toothpaste actually does have other uses other than cleaning your teeth and hair dye removal just so happens to be one of them. It’s abrasive qualities are perfect. Apply a tiny amount of non-gel toothpaste to the affected area with a clean, soft bristled toothbrush and rub in small circles until the marks are gone. Rinse afterwards.
Baking soda
When mixed with washing up liquid, the gently abrasive texture of the resulting paste makes a really good mini scrub for any affected areas. Mix two teaspoons of baking soda with two teaspoons of liquid soap, then with a cotton wool ball or a clean, soft bristled toothbrush, gently exfoliate the dyed skin and remove staining.
Hydrogen Peroxide
In small amounts, hydrogen peroxide is both safe and useful in small for all manner of cleaning purposes, and that includes hair dye removal. Apply 2% Hydrogen peroxide to a blob of cotton wool, rub over the stained skin and then leave for a minute. Rinse off well. Be mindful that if you accidentally get any peroxide in your hair, it will also remove the dye from the shaft.
Visit a salon and confess your sins
If all else fails, it’s not the worst idea to pop along to the salon and ask for assistance. Professional stylists have access to a range of specialist products for this job. There may be a small charge but it will be worth it to get the job done safely and effectively, you might just have to swallow the lecture.
