By Gage Hanson
Slime has officially swept the nation. There’s countless youtube videos on how to make slime. Every toy store is selling buckets of slime. Kids everywhere are making it. It is made from a simple concoction of Borax, baking soda, food coloring and glue. However, this simple recipe makes for a very sticky product. With kids that like to make messes everywhere, some slime may end up in their hair and leave their parents wondering how to get it out. Well, this short guide will help you figure out how to get slime out of hair.
Remove Slime With Conditioner
The simplest method is to remove slime with conditioner. You can find conditioner in most households, and you don’t need any special, high-end salon conditioner. Any old conditioner should help remedy the situation.
get slime out of hair
First, soak the hair in hot water. Then, apply the conditioner and make sure to apply the conditioner from the scalp to the ends of the hair. If you want to get rid of the slime, you need to make sure that the entire head is covered so the conditioner can help remove the slime from the hair.
This method is effective because the conditioner will naturally break down the elements of slime. After the slime is broken down, it will wash away easily. Some slimes might not be as easy to get out though.
Take Slime Out Of Hair With Food
Mayo and peanut butter are two key ingredients for sandwiches (hopefully separate sandwiches), but they are also useful tools when looking to take slime out of hair.
If you find slime stuck in a kid’s hair and the conditioner doesn’t cut it, grab a jar of mayonnaise and rub it in as if it was a bottle of shampoo. Using a brush or comb is a good idea too. This will help even out the mayonnaise and catch more clumps of slime.
Wash out the brush or comb as it collects the slime and mayo. Keep brushing the mayo into the hair with a comb and soon enough, the slime will start to break down into small enough pieces that can be easily washed out.
Peanut butter works in a similar way to get slime out of hair, but is tougher to wash out and should only be used when the slime is extra sticky.
The oils in peanut butter will act similar to the conditioner and break down any tough slime. Make sure to rub it into the strands of hair super well. Once your hair is evenly coated and on the verge of being ready for a layer of jelly, it is time to wash the peanut butter out with running water. The shower or sink will work great. Then, viola, your hair is slime free and you have a mostly full jar of peanut butter for snacking on.
Get Rid of Slime With Vinegar
If you’ve had to read this far on how to get slime out of your hair, you have some particularly hard to work with slime. Whether there was too much glue in the slime recipe, or your hair is extra thick, the slime just won’t break down and come out. Thankfully, we have vinegar. While you can get rid of slime with vinegar, it is a little bit trickier of a process.
To start off, you want to pull out the larger chunks of slime with your hand or a comb. These large chunks will keep the vinegar from properly applying across the entire head of hair. After the large chunks of slime are gone, you will want to apply the vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar and distilled white vinegar are both good options, but you will want to make sure to distill the vinegar in a two to one ratio with water. That means for every cup of vinegar, mix in a cup of water. Vinegar can be rough on your scalp and hair, so you want to make sure it is diluted so as to not damage your skin.
Put some goggles on—vinegar in the eye will sting, a lot—and start to apply the vinegar mixture. Rub it into the hair thoroughly and wash it out with warm running water. Your hair might give off a faint salt and vinegar chips smell, but now the slime will be gone.
Tips And Tricks For Slime Stuck In Hair
While these are the three main, and effective, methods for removing slime from hair. There are a few other tips and tricks for slime stuck in hair.
- Wash your hair immediately after slime gets stuck in it. Dry slime is much harder to remove than wet slime. If you notice slime in you or your kids hair, grab that jar of mayonnaise and start spreading.
- For children with sensitive hair, dilute your vinegar solution even more than the 2:1 ration. The acidic nature of vinegar is what makes it great for getting slime out of hair, but it can be damaging to someone with an extra sensitive scalp or fine hair. Diluting the solution more, and wearing goggles are even more important recommendations for children.
- The slime might leave behind food coloring in lighter colored hair. Either wash the hair a few times with shampoo, or use a dab of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Rub the hair gently from top to bottom to remove the color. In extreme cases, you can use a color stripping shampoo to get the food dye out.
Hopefully these methods solve your problem and help you figure out how to get slime out of hair. It may vary on a case to case basis as to which solution works best for you and your kids, but these are the main products and strategies to use. Good luck, and have fun sliming.
This is part of our Guides series. If you have any suggestions, please email Dave at dbroer@lincon.com.
