How to Remove Hair Dye From Skin, Hair, Hands & Nails

When changing your hair color, the goal is to keep all of the dye in your hair without staining your hands, face and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, this easier said than done because sometimes your glove(s) will rip or the dye will splatter, leaving you with unwanted messes. And as many people can attest to, scrubbing dye out isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. Furthermore, there are times where the color won’t turn out the way you wanted, and in order to fix the mistake, you’ll have to remove the dye from your hair and start all over.

Whether you’re trying to get dye out of your hair or off of the skin, it will take some hard work. But hopefully, the following tips for removing dye from your hair and skin will drastically cut down on this work.

Removing Dye from Hair

There are several different methods for removing dye from your hair, and the method often depends on the details of the situation. To expand on this point, you should go for the less harsh methods in the beginning, and step things up a notch if this doesn’t work.

One of the simplest ways to remove dye is by using some dandruff shampoo mixed with baking soda; when you do this, make sure the hair is wet before applying the mixture. Assuming you perform this treatment several times throughout the week, you should be able to remove the dye.

For those who’ve used a demi-permanent color to darken their hair, a good natural treatment is to make a water and Vitamin C solution; when mixed right, it should turn into a paste. The next step involves putting the paste into your hair and leaving it sit for an hour or so. Assuming you do this within a couple of days after your dye job, this should take most (if not all) of the color out.

If you don’t mind spending money to remove dye from your hair, you can purchase a hair color remover. These products remove the dye through chemicals, and all you need to do to use them is follow the instructions. Some of the most popular brands of hair color removers are Jheri Redding Color Fix, Jerome Rusell’s Punky Off, Color Oops Hair Color Remover, L’Oreal Color Zap and Roux Clean Touch.

Removing Dye from Skin

The great thing about removing dye from your skin is that there are a number of different household items you can use to get the job done. One of the most common household items is toothpaste, and you should rub a small amount on the stained area, then rinse the area with water. You can repeat this process throughout the week until the dye is completely gone.

If the thought of rubbing toothpaste on your body doesn’t sound appealing, you might try rubbing petroleum jelly on instead. A couple of things to note about this method is that A) you will need a lot of jelly to get the dye off of your skin, and B) rubbing the jelly on too hard can cause irritation to your skin.

Assuming the dye is still on your skin, ditch the petroleum jelly and grab some nail polish remover. To use the nail polish remover, saturate a cotton ball or pad, and rub it onto the stained area. Much like the petroleum jelly, nail polish remover can also cause irritation to your skin so watch out for this.

Removing Hair Dye from Hands/Nails

When removing hair dye on your hands, soak your hands in some "first aid strength" hydrogen peroxide for several minutes. After you’ve done this, use baking soda and a nail brush to gently scrub the nails and skin. Keep in mind that it could take more than one go with this method; however, it is still a great way to remove dye from the skin.

In some instances, you can add water to leftover hair dye, and then rub it in circular motions until the dye is gone. Use your shampoo or hand soap in combination with the dye/water mix for extra stain-removing power!

If none of these methods work for you, the last thing to try is a tint removal product found in most beauty stores. These products are designed specifically for the removal of hair dye, and they’re non-damaging to the skin; but they do come with a price tag.

Removing Hair Color from Hard Surfaces

Getting dye on the surfaces around you is often an unfortunate byproduct of dying your hair. Assuming you have this problem, the first thing you should do is consider what surface the hair dye in on. For example, if you’ve stained marble or tile flooring, a great way to take care of this problem is to put some rubbing alcohol on a rag and scrub the stain out.

For those who’ve had the misfortune of getting dye on carpet, you should make a solution out of carpet cleaner and warm water; once the solution is complete, you can scrub the carpet until the stain comes out. Just remember that when removing dye from any hard surface, the quicker you get to the problem, the better chance you have for success.

Preventing Hair Dye Stains and Problem

You can save yourself a lot of scrubbing and wasted time by taking precautions when dying your hair. For one thing, you can use baby oil or petroleum jelly along your hairline (not on your hairline) to keep the dye from sticking to your skin. Another big part of preventing hair dye mishaps is covering the area around you with towels. So if you are dying your hair in the bathroom, make sure to cover the floor and any nearby counters with towels.

Just by doing small things such as covering hard surfaces with towels or putting baby oil below your hairline, you can avoid the trouble that comes with having to scrub or wash out hair dye after the fact.