How to get paint out of hair

How to remove paint from hair

1. 1

   Act while the paint is wet

   If the paint is still wet and water-based (latex, acrylic or craft paint), rinse the painted section under warm water, squeezing it between your fingers, then shampoo it.

   Why: Wet latex and acrylic paint are polymer particles still dispersed in water, so they rinse out before the particles fuse into a film. Poison Control's advice for paint on skin is simply soap and water.

2. 2

   Pick off dried flakes

   If the paint has dried, crumble and pick off whatever flakes you can with your fingers, working from the ends of the hair toward the scalp. Don't pull at strands that are stuck.

   Why: Dried paint is brittle on the outside and often breaks away from the hair in pieces, which leaves less to loosen.

3. 3

   Work in oil

   Rub vegetable or olive oil into the painted strands so they're well coated, and leave it for a few minutes. Keep a towel on the shoulders and keep oil away from the eyes.

   Why: Oil softens the paint film and makes the strands slippery, so paint slides off instead of snapping the hair. It's the same principle dermatologists use for gum, and it doesn't irritate the scalp.

4. 4

   Slide the paint off and comb

   Hold the hair above the paint to avoid tugging the scalp, then slide the softened paint down and off with your fingers. Use a fine-tooth comb for small specks, starting at the ends. Add more oil where it's still stuck.

   Why: Working from the ends stops you tightening a knot near the roots, and holding the hair protects the scalp.

5. 5

   Shampoo twice and condition

   Apply shampoo to the oiled hair before wetting it, lather, rinse, and repeat. Finish with conditioner and a wide-tooth comb.

   Why: Shampoo on dry, oily hair grips the oil better. Conditioner helps detangle after all the combing.

Why paint is easy wet and hard dry

Paint is pigment in a binder that forms a film. In latex and acrylic paint, the binder is polymer particles carried in water. As the water evaporates, the particles fuse into a flexible plastic film that no longer dissolves in water. Oil-based paint cures by oxidation into a harder film and dissolves only in solvents. That's why paint is an adhesive stain, and why timing decides the method.

On clothes, the answer to dried or oil-based paint is a solvent, as the paint on clothes guide explains. Hair grows from a living scalp, though, and anything you put on it touches skin and sits near the eyes. Poison Control notes that paint removers can irritate the skin, so for hair the approach is oil, patience and combing instead.

What the sources say

No dermatology or extension source gives a tested method specifically for paint in hair. The steps here combine paint chemistry, Poison Control's advice to wash paint off skin with soap and water, and the American Academy of Dermatology's oil-and-comb method for sticky substances in hair, which also warns against solvents on the scalp.

By situation

Acrylic or craft paint on a child

Many children's craft paints are water-based; check the label. Rinse with warm water and shampoo while wet. If it has dried, the oil method works and is gentle enough for kids; keep oil and shampoo away from their eyes.

Oil-based paint or primer

Don't reach for paint thinner or turpentine. Use the oil method, which may take several rounds of oiling and combing. Oil-based paint films are harder than latex, so be patient.

Spray paint

Spray paint leaves a fine mist of specks. Oil the area well, then use a fine-tooth comb, working in small sections. Shampoo twice.

Paint in eyebrows or near the eyes

Use only a drop of vegetable oil on a cotton pad with the eyes closed, and wash with a mild cleanser. If paint gets into the eye, rinse with water and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Thick, matted clumps

Oil generously, wait longer, and separate the clump gently with your fingers before combing. If a small clump won't release after several tries, trimming it is a last resort; a hairstylist can help.

What not to do

• Don't use paint thinner, turpentine, mineral spirits or gasoline on hair or scalp. Paint removers irritate skin, and these hydrocarbons are among the most dangerous poisons for children if swallowed or inhaled.
• Don't use acetone or nail polish remover. Acetone irritates and dries skin, causing redness and peeling, and it's an eye irritant.
• Don't yank or rip at stuck paint. Dried paint grips the strands, and pulling breaks hair and hurts the scalp.
• Don't wait to wash out wet latex paint. Once it dries into a film, water alone no longer removes it.

Other methods that work

Conditioner instead of oil

A thick conditioner left on the painted strands for a few minutes also makes them slippery for combing. It's gentler and easier to wash out, though often slower than oil on dried paint. It's a traditional method with weak evidence.

Caution: Rinse well afterward.

Dish soap

Dish soap breaks down wet water-based paint and cuts the oil afterward. It's traditional for hair, with weak evidence.

Caution: It can dry hair and irritate skin. Use a little, keep it out of the eyes, and follow with conditioner.

Stain still there?

Tiny specks are still in the hair

Oil the area again and go through it with a fine-tooth comb in small sections. Remaining specks often come out over the next few shampoos.

The scalp is red or stinging

Rinse with plain water and stop treating for the day. See a doctor if a rash, swelling or burning develops.

Safety

• Never use paint thinner, acetone or other solvents on hair, scalp or skin.
• If paint gets in the eyes, rinse with water; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for advice.
• Keep paint and thinners away from children.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Paint on other surfaces

• Paint stains: the complete guide
• Paint on carpet
• Paint on clothes

Other stains on hair

• Stains on hair: the complete guide
• Glue on hair
• Grease and oil on hair
• Gum on hair
• Petroleum jelly on hair
• Putty on hair
• Slime on hair
• Tree sap on hair
• Wax on hair