How to Get Hair Dye off Nails

If you’re a hairstylist or color your own hair at home, you’ve probably encountered times when you discover a random dye stain. Removing a stubborn stain from the countertop is one thing, but stained skin and fingernails are a different story. Learn how to get hair dye off nails using a variety of simple and effective solutions.

Coloring your hair is a long and messy process, and you expect to get a bit of the coloring on your scalp and forehead.

However, it’s not until you finish the dye project that you notice a hair color stain beneath and on your nails. This can be disconcerting, especially if you’ve just had a manicure or got acrylics at the beauty salon.

Easy Ways to Remove Hair Dye from Fingernails

Of course, it’s important to learn the best way to get hair dye off your face if you get some dye on your forehead but the hands are also susceptible. Your hands are often the second thing people notice after your face, and shaking someone’s hand with brown-stained fingernails is not the first impression you want to make.

Fortunately, you don’t have to hide your hands until the hair dye stains fade away. While permanent hair dye seems impossible to remove, it’s easier than you think.

While dye stains eventually wear off, stained fingernails look unsightly. Discover tips for removing a hair dye stain from natural and acrylic nails using everything from fingernail polish remover to hydrogen peroxide. The same principles apply to remove hair dye from skin, like on your hands or face.

Using a Soapy Solution to Remove Hair Dye from Fingernails

The easiest way to remove hair dye from fingernails or food dye from the skin if you catch the stain while it’s fresh is to use soapy water. While this method doesn’t always work to remove set stains, it’s a good starting point before moving to a stronger cleaner.

Apply some hand soap to the stained nail and use your finger to rub the soap over the affected area. Rinse the nail under warm water and check to see if the stain remains.

Another way to remove the dye is to soak your nails. Fill a plastic tub with warm water and add a few squirts of hand soap.

Soak your nails in the soapy solution for several minutes, and use a nail brush to gently scrub the nail clean. Rinse your hands with water after the stain is gone.

Remove Hair Dye from Fingernails with Nail Polish Remover

If warm water and soap don’t do the job of getting dye stains off your nails, fingernail polish remover often does. However, the key to remove hair dye from fingernails is to use a remover that contains acetone.

Pour nail polish remover onto a ball of cotton and rub it with a circular motion over the dye stain. Lemon juice or makeup remover is also helpful to remove hair dye if you do not have any nail polish remover.

Continue the steps with freshly soaked cotton balls until all hair dye is gone, and rinse your hands beneath running water to clean away residue.

Clean Hair Dye off Acrylic Nails with Hairspray

A clever way to clean hair dye off acrylic nails is to use hair spray. Many hair sprays contain alcohol that helps loosen the bond between the dye and your nails, and this method is beneficial since many of us have a can of hairspray sitting in the bathroom.

Spray some hairspray onto the corner of a washcloth, rub it on the stained nail or spray it directly on the nail. Reapply the spray to clean sections of the cloth and repeat the steps until your fingernail is clean.

Wash your hands and nails with soapy water and rinse them with clean water to ensure all residue is gone.

How to Get Hair Dye off Nails with Toothpaste

While it sounds unusual, toothpaste is a great tool to remove hair dye from under fingernails, as long as it’s a non gel type. This works as well as baking soda paste without the fuss to remove egg dye from your hands in addition to your nails.

Squeeze some toothpaste onto a cotton pad and rub the paste on the gel polish stain. Continue working the paste over the nail for about 30-seconds and then rinse it under running water. If any of the stains remain, repeat the steps or try another technique.

Getting Hair Dye off Gel Nails with Petroleum Jelly

If you prefer not to use strong solutions like rubbing alcohol or acetone, petroleum jelly works wonders to remove hair dye from gel nails. The oiliness helps to loosen the bond of the dye from the fingernail for easy and gentle removal. It’s also great to clean tie dye from your hands.

For really stubborn stains, apply some petroleum jelly to a cotton ball and rub it over the affected nail. If you do not have this product, use another oily substance like olive oil or baby oil.

Cover the stain and let it sit for a while as it breaks up the dye stain. Wipe away the oil and dye with dry cotton, and clean your hands with warm, soapy water to remove the oils.

Using Rubbing Alcohol to Get Hair Dye off Fingernails

Rubbing alcohol is a liquid useful for removing many stubborn stains, from ink and permanent marker to paint. It’s also a great solution to clean hair dye off acrylic nails for a clean finish.

Apply rubbing alcohol to a cotton pad and rub it over the stain in a circular motion. If you do not have any, alcohol wipes are the perfect substitute and work just as well.

Repeat the steps with new cotton balls or wipes until the stain is gone, and rinse your fingernails under running water. Finish by applying lotion to your hands and nails to prevent them from drying from the alcohol.

Getting Hair Dye Stains off Fingernails with Baking Soda

Many dye removers are too strong for sensitive skin. If you prefer to use a natural and gentle cleaner to remove a hair colour stain from gel nail polish or acrylic nails.

Apply some mild dish soap to a cotton ball and sprinkle some baking soda over the top. Rub the cotton on your stained nail using a circular motion until the stain is gone.

If you have a stubborn dye stain, repeat with a fresh cotton ball, soap, and baking soda. Once your fingernail is clean, rinse your hands under running water.

Get Hair Dye off Fingernails with Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a common item in many homes, and you probably have a bottle in your medicine cabinet right now. While it is often touted as a great way to bleach your hair, this liquid safely and effectively removes hair color from your skin and nails and is an excellent alternative to other methods.

Pour enough hydrogen peroxide into a small bowl or container and soak your fingernails in the solution to dissolve the dye stain. Once the dye is gone, clean your hands with soap and water and apply hand lotion to prevent your nails and skin from drying.

Prevent Getting Hair Dye on Your Fingernails

We’re all taught that prevention is the best cure, and knowing how to prevent hair dye from getting on your skin, fingernails, and other surfaces makes life easier. In case you wind up with hair bleach on skin, here are several tips to ensure that your next hair dye experience goes smoothly.

Before setting up the hair dye products, protect the work surface. Start by spreading newspapers, plastic wrap, or old towels over the sink, counter, and other areas where you are working.

Apply a decent amount of petroleum jelly to the areas of skin that may be exposed to the coloring during the hair dye process, such as your forehead and neckline. However, avoid getting any on your hair.

The ideal way to protect your nails and hands is to wear gloves. While wearing gloves may feel uncomfortable, they protect your skin and nails from irritation and staining.

Take caution while discarding the hair coloring products after dying your hair. Instead of just throwing them into the bathroom trash, dispose of them into a separate trash bag, and toss it in the outside garbage bin.

This final precautionary step ensures that no hair dye materials cause accidental staining after the job is complete.

We all love a little pampering now and then, whether getting our nails done or a new hairstyle. However, accidents happen while coloring hair, leaving unattractive dye stains on skin and nails. Fortunately, these stains are easier to remove than you may have thought.

We hope that learning how to get hair dye off nails using the proper cleaning technique keeps your manicure looking beautiful, and we’d love it if you’d share our fingernail hair dye removal tips with your friend and family circle on Pinterest and Facebook.