How to Remove Pigmented Ink From the Skin

Pigmented ink residue seeps into the crevices of the skin.

Pigmented ink stains on your skin can be caused by accidental marker swipes, changing out a printer ink cartridge or a wide variety of other things. Most of us have already realized that ink does not easily wash off with standard hand soap and water. While washing is a good start, you must use other solutions that can get down into the crevices of the skin, which is where most of the pigmented ink residue gets stuck.

Things You'll Need

• Acetone-based nail polish remover
• Cotton balls
• Hand soap
• Water
• Towel
• Shortening
• Spoon
• Paper towel
• Glass cleaner

Instructions

Nail Polish Remover

1. Apply 1 tsp. of an acetone-based nail polish remover to a cotton ball.

2. Rub the cotton ball vigorously over the ink-stained area of the skin using firm pressure. If the ink stain is large, you may need to use several acetone-soaked cotton balls.

3. Wash your skin thoroughly with hand soap and water to remove all traces of the acetone nail polish remover from the skin.

4. Dry the skin completely with a towel.

Shortening

1. Open a can of cooking shortening and scoop out 1 to 2 tsp. with a spoon.

2. Place the shortening onto the skin area that is stained with ink and massage it in using your fingers. As you massage, you will see some of the ink pigment beginning to come off of the skin.

3. Wipe the skin with a paper towel to remove the majority of the shortening.

4. Wash the skin with hand soap and water to remove the remaining ink and the greasy residue left by the shortening.

5. Dry the skin thoroughly with a towel.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also spray the skin with 1 to 2 tsp. of glass cleaner to dissolve the ink.

References

• Reader's Digest: Removing Ink Stains
• Bertram's Inkwell: Brief History of The Fountain Pen