Flies on my Mane

August 25, 2006 8:30 PM

Here's a fun one. My hair got caught in flypaper. Now what?

I managed to pry the paper off of my head (OW. Owowow) and pick out the flies (EWW. Ewewewew), but the glue has jammed my hair into a permanent, sticky Ace Ventura flip. The nastiest shampoo in the house won't put a dent in it. Any suggestions for how to ungoo my `do, or is it time to find an especially merciful hairdresser and buzz it all off?

posted by Schlimmbesserung to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

yes! opportunity! new hair. Go for it.
posted by anadem at 8:32 PM on August 25, 2006

You might find that rubbing alcohol takes it out. Of course, you may also find that rubbing alcohol turns your hair into something more closely resembling used hay. YMMV.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 8:32 PM on August 25, 2006

Best answer: The MSDS info for fly paper says this:

Solubilize adhesive in vegetable oil, mineral oil, or waterless hand cleaner, then wash with mild soap and water. Repeat if necessary.

I was going to say use some Goo-gone which is basically just orange oil. It smells very nice. It is the most amazing de-stickyfier ever.
posted by brain cloud at 8:35 PM on August 25, 2006

(just to expand on the above):

if you go the oil route, use a lot and let it really work itself in by itself. Leave it on for a while before trying to rinse it out. I hope you weren't planning on going anywhere tonight ;)
posted by brain cloud at 8:38 PM on August 25, 2006

Response by poster: Goo Gone! Fuck yes! I'm going to smell like the stuff for days, and there's a generous amount of it turning my bangs to straw as we speak, but here's hoping it kills the glue. Thank you kindly!

...and why didn't I think of MSDS?
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 8:46 PM on August 25, 2006

Peanut butter works great. Really.
posted by iconomy at 8:50 PM on August 25, 2006

Goo Gone is great, but as far as I remember it is not "orange oil". It is a mineral or petroleum based oil with citrus scent added to it. I don't have a bottle of it in front of me to confirm.
posted by randomstriker at 10:38 PM on August 25, 2006

Dare I ask how this happened?
posted by rsanheim at 10:49 PM on August 25, 2006

Response by poster: I live in a very low-ceilinged basement apartment. The flypaper (a tube-shaped contraption that you can hang from things) was dangling to the right of our sink. I was washing dishes, dropped a spoon, and in my valiant attempt to catch it, leaned right without looking and went crown-first into the flypaper. The rest is history.

All is well, now, though. I smell like solvent, but the glue is gone.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 11:06 PM on August 25, 2006

You might try using window fly catchers. They are less messier than the old hanging flypaper. These work by catching flies that are attracted to the warm sunlight on windows. Disregard if you don't have windows.
posted by plokent at 12:06 AM on August 26, 2006

I dunno if my bottle of Goo-Gone has gone bad, but that stuff smells like ass. Use in a well ventilated area indeed.

Works though.
posted by Andrew Brinton at 12:08 AM on August 26, 2006

I second the window fly catchers. I just started using them in my kitchen. Got mine at Wal-mart-it's the only place I have seen them at so far.
posted by konolia at 5:14 AM on August 26, 2006

Response by poster: Yeah, windowless kitchen. Thanks, though.

(before you ask, it's ventilated by a fume-hood-like contraption the landlord installed in the ceiling)
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 5:49 AM on August 26, 2006

Goo Gone contains petroleum distillates. You'd never realize how nasty it is, because of the fantastic edible orange scent. Until I read the label, I always thought it was harmless: it comes with warnings to avoid skin contact and use in a well ventilated area. It's worked great for all of my gum/stickers/goo messes. I'd recommend this product for what you need.

I think Andrew Brinton is confusing Goo Gone with Goof Off. Goof Off smells like chemical death: a really strong xylene smell. And it contains that. It'll pretty much dissolve anything off of anything, and its way more unpleasant to use.

Go with the Goo Gone.
posted by donguanella at 6:26 PM on August 26, 2006

Slight drift here, but.... I don't know why it works, but hanging a zip-loc baggie of water above an open doorway keeps flys at bay. It's true. Strange, but true. And it sounds a whole lot less trecherous and gross than sticky paper with fly bodies all over it. :::shudder:::
posted by SoftSummerBreeze at 2:40 PM on August 27, 2006