Woman combing her wet hair
Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images

If you’re rethinking those pink streaks you dyed into your hair or you’re not completely satisfied with the shade of blond your hairdresser gave you, you don’t have to cringe every time you walk by a mirror. Hair dye usually comes in temporary, semi-permanent or permanent, with each one varying in intensity and longevity. But even if you have permanent hair dye in your strands, you can still get it out – or at least lighten the color – with baking soda.

Break Out the Baking Soda

Baking soda helps to strip the color from your hair, and if you’ve used temporary or semi-permanent hair dye, you can likely get the dye out completely. For permanent dye, it make take several attempts to completely remove the dye, or you may not be able to get all of it out. Start by wetting your hair with the hottest water you can comfortably stand without burning yourself. Put dandruff shampoo in the palm of your hand, then sprinkle an equal amount of baking soda onto the shampoo and blend the two together. Smooth the mixture throughout your hair. Rinse well, and repeat as many times as necessary to remove all of the hair dye.