My face is clean. But it looks dirty.

December 14, 2006 5:51 PM

I dye (colour!) my hair black a couple times a month. I just like it better.

The problem is, I can't seem to keep from getting black dye ALL OVER my face in the process. And I don't know if I have crappy skin or what, but the dye takes a couple days to fade completely. This is annoying. I've tried a vaseline type border along my hairline, but it didn't seem to help. Anyone have any tips/ideas?

posted by heavenstobetsy to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

i dye my hair black too. i think the type of dye you use can make a difference -- i use garnier, and it just wipes right off my skin with water and a washcloth.

before i found garnier, though, i used alcohol to remove the dye from my skin.
posted by kerning at 5:55 PM on December 14, 2006

Cigarette ashes take the dye off skin, or you can get a product at a beauty supply store (not just a drug store) that does an excellent job. I've forgotten the name, sorry, but I used it back in my Ravishing Raven days.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:55 PM on December 14, 2006

gloves in a bottle?
or mebbe liquid skin...
posted by dorian at 6:00 PM on December 14, 2006

I usually keep a box of fresh gloves and wet and dry paper towels on the counter while I'm dying my hair. I don't know how quickly you wipe off the dye after spilling it on your skin. If you wipe it off quickly, use vaseline, and take a long shower afterwards and your skin is still stained, then you should probably start trying different brands of dye.
posted by Juliet Banana at 6:18 PM on December 14, 2006

Not with black color, but I've used chlorine bleach to get hair dye out of my skin in the past and it's worked out OK.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:20 PM on December 14, 2006

Does it still dye your skin if you wipe the dye off of your face with a washcloth?

(Sorry if this is a dumb question.)
posted by Monday at 6:20 PM on December 14, 2006

Wow at some of the extreme methods for getting out black hairdye from skin. If you catch it fast enough, shampoo or conditioner on a piece of cotton wool should do the job. Takes a bit of elbow work, but it's a lot kinder.
posted by saturnine at 6:32 PM on December 14, 2006

At the beauty supply stores such as Sally Beauty in the states you can buy hair color stain remover wipes such as: Andre No Rub Hair Color Remover Wipes and I think L'Oreal makes some too. It is like magic on skin and has even cleaned parts of my walls and floor. I'm a mess with my red hair dye too.
posted by mcbietila at 6:34 PM on December 14, 2006

Seems like you need to use a thicker layer of Vaseline. It also helps to avoid any sort of scrubby or exfoliating cleanising for a few days beforehand. Wipe the dye off the moment it gets on your skin, and apply more Vaseline if necessary. Exfoliate gently after you rinse out your hair.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:37 PM on December 14, 2006

I put on a complete face mask (the mud type) before I dye my hair. Then, I wipe up splashed dye as soon as it hits the mask (with a damp paper towel). The mask stops it from seeping into the skin, giving me enough time to remove it.
posted by xo at 7:32 PM on December 14, 2006

seconding the Andre wipes mentioned by mcbietila. They work like magic. (and this from someone who once had to use BLEACH to get red dye off her face)
posted by Kellydamnit at 7:39 PM on December 14, 2006

My technique, perfected after much experience: hair pinned up, thick (and wide) vaseline, careful application in sections, immediate removal of dribbles with a soapy washcloth and/or q-tip with reapplication of vaseline if possible, and a thorough scrub with an old washcloth in the shower. I hardly ever have evidence of a dye job, no matter how dark I go. A friend swears by olive oil to remove skin stains. We've both regularly gone black.
posted by moira at 7:39 PM on December 14, 2006

A trick I learned from a fireman-turned-hairdresser: slather conditioner (the thicker the better) all over exposed skin. Ears, neck, forehead, everywhere. It's easier to get off your skin than Vaseline is, and blocks the dye just as well.
posted by cmyk at 3:23 AM on December 15, 2006

I use a thick face cream, much like the conditioner mentioned above, but honestly if you are careful, pin up your hair in sections, then put a plastic bag over it while processing, you really shouldn't get any on your skin.
posted by stormygrey at 6:14 AM on December 15, 2006

Do NOT put bleach on your skin.

Some things to try:

1. Buy a more expensive upscale brand of dye.

2. Have someone do it FOR you , so that you can just lean back with your hair out of your face. Have any friends you trust?

3. Scrub any dyed skin with shampoo ASAP. Shampoo works much better than soap in these cases. Keep a warm shampoo-y washcloth on hand while you are working so that you can get to the stains right when they land.
posted by hermitosis at 6:36 AM on December 15, 2006

One of the hair colour packages suggested using "Sea Breeze" astringent to remove colour on the skin. I looked at my sample size of the stuff, and it contained hydrogen peroxide. Now I just use some hydrogen peroxide on a tissue now and it takes off errant hair colour. I tend to get dye on my ears and neck.
posted by Savannah at 7:03 AM on December 15, 2006

Not sure what type of dye you're using, but rubbing alcohol works great for me. I use Feria.
posted by denimflavored at 11:52 AM on December 15, 2006

toothpaste will also get dye and ink off of skin--works wonders for the little smears of dye around your hairline, and is easier to control (at least for me) than rubbing alcohol.
posted by kumquatmay at 2:25 PM on December 18, 2006