The darker hair dye is, the harder it can be to remove stains, from your skin, towels and other textiles or surfaces. Even with the most steady hands, you can still end up with highly pigmented hair dye in places where it doesn’t belong.
Find out how to remove hair dye stains in the most effective way, whether they happen on your hairline, on your clothes, on wood or on white surfaces like your bathtub and sink. Use these simple tricks to get rid of the stains quickly.
How to Remove Hair Dye Stains from Skin
Whether you stain your scalp, your ears or other areas while you apply the hair dye, there are quite a few simple solutions that you can try right away:
Toothpaste
If you have an old toothbrush, all you need is a little toothpaste. Make sure it’s a non-gel one for the best results. Gently scrub the stain on your skin with the toothpaste and toothbrush until it’s gone.
Nail Polish Remover
When stain don’t come off with toothpaste, other options include nail polish remover and isopropyl alcohol. Simply soak a cotton ball with either one and gently rub at the stain. If your skin gets red and irritated, you should stop and try a different approach.
Baking Soda
One of the best answers to the question of how to remove hair dye stains is baking soda. All you need to do is mix it with water to make a thick paste. Rub it on your skin without pressing it on too hard. After a couple of minutes, rinse it off to see if the stain is gone. If not, try again.
Heavy-Duty Hand Cleaner
A regular soap won’t usually help you get rid of hair dye stains, especially if you don’t lather them right away. Try a more heavy-duty solution, like Lava soap, and gently scrub the skin to remove all the pigment from the dye.
How to Remove Hair Dye Stains from Towels and Clothes
Bleach and ammonia are the best ways to get rid of hair dye from your clothes and your towels, but remember to never use them together.
Oxygen-based bleach
From OxiClean to Clorox, oxygen based bleaches are the best way to tackle hair dye stains, particularly if they’re darker in color. Chlorine-based bleach should only be used on white textiles or as a last resort, since the risk of color fading is much higher. Use half a cup of oxygen-based bleach for one gallon of water and soak it for 30-60 minutes. Leaving it overnight is also an option, but it can also also irreparably damage the fibers. Rinse well and launder.
Ammonia
When you’re wondering how to remove hair dye stains with ammonia, the process is very similar. It can work particularly well for red hair dye. Mix one cup of ammonia per gallon of water and soak for 15 minutes. Afterwards, you can rub the stain (on the back of the fabric), then soak it for another 15 minutes, before rinsing and laundering. You can also add an oxygen-based bleach, but only if you made sure that you rinsed all the ammonia out.
How to Remove Hair Dye Stains from Wood
Baking soda is the star when it comes to cleaning wood surfaces that have been stained with hair dye, but it doesn’t work wonders on its own.
Baking Soda and Dishwashing Detergent
With one tablespoon of each in two cups of water, you’ll get the perfect cleaning solution for wood floors or furniture. Rub with a soft cloth, then rinse well with warm water.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
The classic combo can be the best answer to the question of how to remove hair dye stains from wood floors or furniture. Mix them in equal qualities, rub the paste on the wood until the stain is gone, then use warm water to rinse.
How to Remove Hair Dye Stains from the Sink and Tub
When you get hair dye on ceramic surfaces, cleaning up may be easier, since you don’t have to be so gentle. Rubbing alcohol, mail polish remover and hydrogen peroxide are all excellent cleaning options, but rub with a soft cloth to make sure you don’t scratch these surfaces.
Oxygen-based bleaches like OxiClean are another great option, and so is WD-40, as long as you make sure it never gets on your skin. Wearing gloves is very important when cleaning hair dye stains from your bathtub and sink.
