How to Dispose of Dye

When dying your hair at home, use semi-permanent vegetable dyes.

From a fiery red head to a platinum blonde, millions of people dye their hair every day. To cut down on expenses and avoid pricey salons, many people prefer to dye their own head of locks in the comfort of their own home. Unfortunately, many hair care products often contain chemicals and hazardous wastes. When dying your hair at home, use semi-permanent vegetable dyes. It's much safer and easier to dispose of.

Things You'll Need

• Latex gloves

Instructions

1. Put on a pair of latex gloves before discarding the left over hair dye. This will prevent any remaining product from getting on your hands and leaving unwanted stains.

2. Empty the remaining hair dye into a kitchen or bathroom sink under cold running water.

3. Rinse out the hair care bottle and place it in a bin, discarding it at your community's recycling center.

4. Call your local county or city public works office to find out if your municipality has other rules for the disposal of personal care products.

Tips & Warnings

• If any dye does happen to stain you sink or counter top, some household cleaning bleach will take it right out.

• Keep leftover products in their original labeled containers in order to refer to directions for use and proper disposal.

• Do not dump leftover hair products into the street, storm drains or ground. In fact, in some municipalities it's against the law.

• Keep all chemical products and waste out of reach of children and animals.

Resources

• New York University: Waste Disposal
• Los Angeles County Public Works: Household Hazardous Waste