As a parent of four girls with long hair, I can say that few things are worse than something sticky tangled in a braid or ponytail. Usually, ice cream, lollipops and glue wash out of the girls’ hair with a generous portion of shampoo. Slime, however, is another matter. If your child has been playing with slime and has gotten it somehow tangled into their hair, here’s what you can do to get the slime out of your kid’s hair.
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If your kids enjoy adding color to their hair but want to avoid the hassle of slime removal, consider Hair Chalk as a fun alternative. It’s a mess-free way for them to express their creativity without the cleanup headache. Hair Chalk offers a colourful and enjoyable experience without the fuss of dealing with stubborn slime. Plus, it’s easy to brush or wash out of your kids’ hair.
What is slime?
Slime is a mixture of hazardous chemicals like borax, food colouring, and glue. It’s often marketed as “putty” with different other ingredients added such as minuscule metal beads or glow-in-the-dark paint. It usually has a soft texture and is fun for kids to play with (until it gets dirty or stuck in their hair). It’s also a popular craft to DIY with kids on a rainy day.
However, slime is not easy to remove from hair without proper techniques. It’s also important to note that slime is harmful to your hair. It should be removed as soon as possible. It can lead to early balding, hair damage and hair fall. If your kids do love slime, try to supervise their slime playing and warn them to keep it away from their hair. If they do get it in their hair, don’t panic—read on.
Here are the top 10 ways to get slime out of hair.
How to get slime out of kid’s hair
Hair oils
Oils that can be used for hair have excellent repellent properties for the ingredients that make up the slime. They act on the glue present in dirt and start its breakdown so that it gets removed easily. The following steps should be followed for safe removal of slime using oil.
- Take any good quality oil.
- Smear the hair with the oil gently.
- Keep the oil on your hair for thirty minutes. (Have your child read a book or turn on a TV show.)
- Gently comb the hair to get the slime out of it.
Oil is a natural method for cleaning hair and has minimum side effects.
Shampoos and conditioners
Shampoos and conditioners can also be used to remove slime from your child’s hair. If your kid loves having baths, this could be a great option for getting the slime out of their hair.
Start your child’s bath. Wet their hair. Apply the condition first and let it sit for about ten minutes (while they play in the tub). After that, comb your child’s hair gently, which will remove the slime. You may want to start with a wide-tooth comb here or try to work some of the slime out with your fingers.
Then you’ll want to shampoo your child’s hair and apply conditioner again. When your child is done their bath, they should also be slime-free!
Vinegar
Vinegar is a natural killer of gum. It acts on the slime and promotes its easy removal. Here’s how to use vinegar to remove slime from your child’s hair:
- Take a pot and pour some vinegar into it.
- Dilute the vinegar by two times with the help of water.
- Dip the affected area of your hair in it.
- Wash your hair after twenty minutes with a good quality shampoo.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is another oil found in most pantries that can be used to remove slime from hair. (If your child has a peanut allergy, please don’t use this method.) If you do have peanut butter handy, here’s how to use it to remove slime:
- Scoop some peanut butter into your palm.
- Apply it on the slime and adjacent area.
- Wash the hair after thirty minutes of application to get maximum results.
Mayonnaise
This is another natural method to remove slime from hair. Mayonnaise is thickened oil that may be less messy to apply to hair than other oils. Apply the mayonnaise on the hair and start combing the hair gently for two to three minutes. The mayonnaise acts on the slime and makes it easy to remove from the hair.
Brake cleaner
Brake cleaner is one of the productive agents used for many ages to remove slime from hair. It has antioxidant and bleaching agents, which promote the dissolving of slime. It should be applied in the following way:
- Apply the brake cleaner on the affected area of the hair.
- Wait for twenty minutes.
- Gently comb the area and shampoo your hair immediately after this.
Alcohol
Alcohol is used for ages to remove sticky substances from hair. It has spectacular dissolving properties. It should be used in the following manner to remove slime from hair:
- Spray or pour your slime-affected area with alcohol.
- Start combing your hair gently for about five minutes.
- The slime starts dissolving after two to three minutes.
- Immediately wash your hair with distilled water once the slime disappears.
A research carried out by the American College of Dermatology had found that alcohol is one of the safest and cheapest ways to get rid of slime. It acts on the slime and breaks the bond between its molecules. Knowing that, many other manufacturers mimic the same mechanism that alcohol uses to devise slime-removal solutions. While a product designed to remove slime may be more effective, alcohol is always affordable and simpler to use.
Baking soda
Well, well, well, at this point, you might as well ask is there anything baking soda CAN’T do?
Baking soda is a robust base that acts on the slime ingredients and promotes their pain-free removal. It is essential to use the baking soda in the following manner to get maximum effects:
- Mix one cup of baking soda in water and stir it.
- Dip your hair in the mixture for thirty minutes.
- Once the slime starts shedding off the hair, remove it.
- Wash your hair with shampoo.
Soap and water mixture
Soap is a powerful cleanser of gum and glue. It is a potent base that dissolves the constituents of slime in it. Here’s how you should be used:
- Wash your hair with lukewarm water.
- Apply soap on the hair and wait for fifteen minutes.
- Rub the slime with your hands until it gets removed from the hair.
Haircut
Sometimes, the slime gets so hard that it becomes almost impossible to remove it that none of the above solutions work.
So, instead of getting harder and harder on the hair and damaging its roots, it is advised to cut the affected hair.
What method should you choose?
Many times, parents are worried and confused at the same time about the choice of remedy to get slime out of their kid’s hair. On the safe side, always go with natural methods. They are safe, productive, and have less harmful effects.
Next, pick whatever is most convenient. If you don’t have peanut butter in your pantry, try the mayonnaise. An upset kid doesn’t want to wait for you to run to the store to get a certain product to clean their hair.
If the natural methods fail, now it’s your choice whether to use specialized shampoos and conditioners or get a haircut.
Slime may be fun for kids to play with, but it takes no time to get you in a mess. It should be removed as soon as it gets entangled in hair. Different natural and artificial products are available to remove slime from hair. However, many of the products mentioned above can cause havoc if used without proper instructions. Above all, in case of any allergy after using the above methods, immediately contact your dermatologist.
Do your kids like playing with slime? Have you ever had to get slime out of your kid’s hair?
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