How to get tree sap out of hair

How to remove tree sap from hair

1. 1

   Protect clothes and separate the sticky section

   Drape a towel over the shoulders. Clip the rest of the hair out of the way so the sap doesn't glue more strands together while you work.

   Why: Oil and softened sap transfer easily to fabric, where they make a second stain.

2. 2

   Coat the sap completely with oil

   Work vegetable oil or creamy peanut butter into the sap with your fingers or an old toothbrush until every sticky bit is covered. Use only vegetable oil near eyebrows or eyelashes.

   Why: Dermatologists use oils to make sticky substances like gum stiffer and less sticky, so they let go of the hair. Pine sap is a resin that dissolves in oils and solvents rather than water.

3. 3

   Wait a few minutes

   Leave the oil on for several minutes so it can soak into the sap. Add a little more if the sap still feels tacky.

   Why: Oil needs time to penetrate a lump of resin. Pulling too soon just stretches the sap and the hair.

4. 4

   Work the sap off and comb it out

   Pinch the softened sap and slide it down the strands toward the ends. Then comb through with a wide-tooth comb, starting at the ends and working up toward the scalp, holding the hair above the tangle so you don't pull the scalp.

   Why: Combing from the ends up loosens a tangle a little at a time instead of dragging it into a knot.

5. 5

   Shampoo twice and condition

   Shampoo the area, rinse, and shampoo again to remove the oil and any sap film. Conditioner helps the comb glide through any remaining tangles.

   Why: Shampoo is a detergent, so it lifts the oil and dissolved resin. One wash often leaves hair greasy.

6. 6

   Repeat for any leftover bits

   If small sticky flecks remain once the hair is dry, repeat the oil, wait and comb steps on just those spots.

   Why: Hardened sap can take two rounds, and it's gentler than cutting.

Why sap clings to hair, and why oil works

Pine sap, or pitch, is mostly plant resin: a sticky mix of terpenes such as pinene that doesn't dissolve in water and slowly hardens as its lighter parts evaporate. That's why rinsing does nothing and shampoo alone just smears it. It belongs with the other wax and resin stains, which all need an oil or solvent rather than water.

On clothes, the tree sap guide uses solvents like rubbing alcohol or dry-cleaning fluid. Hair is different: it grows from living skin with the eyes close by, so harsh solvents are out. Oils are the scalp-safe solvent. They soften the resin and make it less tacky, the same principle the American Academy of Dermatology uses for gum in hair.

By situation

Pine sap or Christmas tree sap

Pine and fir pitch are the stickiest saps and harden quickly. Use plenty of oil, give it longer to soak in, and expect a second round for hardened lumps.

Sap in a child's hair

Peanut butter is easy to work in and holds onto the sap, but check for peanut allergies first and use vegetable oil instead if there's any doubt. Keep everything away from the eyes.

Sap in eyebrows or eyelashes

Use only a little vegetable oil on a cotton swab, as dermatologists recommend for gum in brows and lashes, and work slowly with closed eyes. Never use solvents anywhere near the eyes.

Sap in curly, thick or long hair

Curls wrap around sap and form a tight tangle. Saturate the section with oil and conditioner, work in small sections and detangle from the ends with your fingers before using a comb.

Old, hardened sap

Dried sap is brittle. Gently crumble any hard lumps between your fingers, then apply oil to soften what's left and continue as usual.

What not to do

• Don't use acetone, nail polish remover, gasoline, paint thinner or other solvents on hair. Acetone irritates and dries the skin and eyes, and extension guides warn that fuels used as cleaning solvents are extremely dangerous.
• Don't cut the hair right away. Dermatologists say oil treatments usually make cutting unnecessary for sticky tangles.
• Don't pull or rip the sap out. Sap grips the strands and the scalp, so yanking breaks hair and hurts.
• Don't use a hair dryer to soften it. Heat melts the resin so it spreads over more strands and closer to the scalp.

Other methods that work

Creamy peanut butter

The American Academy of Dermatology suggests it alongside vegetable oil for gum. It's thick enough to stay on the sap, and its oils soften the resin.

Caution: Not for anyone with a peanut allergy, and not near the eyes.

Hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol

Often suggested because alcohol dissolves resin, and it does work on sap on fabric. On hair it's a traditional method with weak evidence and no dermatology source behind it.

Caution: Alcohol dries hair and stings broken skin. Keep it away from the eyes and use it only on the hair shaft, not the scalp.

Cutting it out

A last resort for a small piece at the ends that oil won't release, or a large mat. A hairstylist can trim it neatly.

Stain still there?

The hair is still greasy after shampooing

Shampoo once or twice more, concentrating on the oiled section, and rinse thoroughly each time.

The sap won't budge

It hasn't absorbed enough oil. Add more, work it in with an old toothbrush and wait longer before combing.

The scalp is red or irritated afterward

Rinse with lukewarm water and stop treating it. See a doctor or dermatologist if it burns, swells or blisters, especially if a solvent was used.

Safety

• Keep oils, peanut butter and anything else used for sap away from the eyes. If something gets in an eye, rinse with water and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
• Check for peanut allergies before using peanut butter.

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

Questions

Tree sap on other surfaces

• Tree sap stains: the complete guide
• Tree sap on clothes

Other stains on hair

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