How to Get Professional Hair Dye Off Your Hands

Forgetting to wear gloves can lead to hair dye staining your hands.

Hair dye works best when it is applied to hair follicles and not to the hands of the person doing the dye job. Although the dye fades and washes off on its own as it does on hair, that is generally too slow a process. The best way to remove professional hair dye stains from your hands is to wear gloves and not get it on them in the first place. Failing that, there are a number of household products found in your kitchen cupboard and bathroom vanity that can be used to remove the hair dye stains.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Chlorine bleach
• Hand lotion
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Rubbing alcohol (optional)
• Cotton balls (optional)
• Acetone-based nail polish remover (optional)
• Pumice-based soap bar (optional)

Instructions

1. Soak your hands in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach unless you have sensitive skin. Leave your hands in the liquid until you see the dye beginning to rub off when you apply pressure to the skin. Remove your hands and rinse thoroughly with water. Dry your hands fully, then rub the surface of the skin with hand lotion to replace any lost moisture.

2. Use toothpaste (paste, not gel) and a toothbrush to remove the dye. Apply the toothpaste in small concentric circles until you see the dye start to lift. Continue for the entire skin surface. Rinse well and dry your hands. Apply hand lotion to re-moisturize your skin.

3. Create a paste with equal parts white vinegar, water and baking soda. Apply the paste in the same way that you applied the toothpaste. Rinse your hands well, and apply hand lotion immediately afterward.

Tips & Warnings

• Other household product options that you can use to try to remove the hair dye include rubbing alcohol (applied with cotton balls), nail polish remover (with acetone) or a pumice-based soap bar. All of these procedures can leave the skin of your hands extremely dry, so moisturize them thoroughly with hand lotion.

References

• Henna Hut: How to Remove "Chemical" Hair Dye from Skin
• Daily Glow: How to Remove Hair Dye Stains; 2009
• Hairfinder: Remove Hair Dye From Hands