Do you remember Cynthia from The Rugrats?
Angelica Pickles carried her around like she was the Holy Grail. Cynthia wasn’t part of the main cast, but she certainly stood out. I’m sure you’ll agree if you can recall what she looks like.
For a month, I sported the same embarrassing haircut, because someone in the first grade thought it would be funny to pour slime all over me.
Impatient as I was, I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring and have my mom fix the mess for me.
So, I did what any six-year-old would do ― I sawed my locks off and walked through school looking like a living, breathing Cynthia doll. Well, maybe minus the bald spots.
Lucky for you, this guide can help you, your kids, and their playmates avoid such a mishap!
Play with slime or its more relentless cousin, slime putty, sans the worries, because now you’ll know exactly how to get slime out of your hair without cutting it.
How do you get slime out of a child’s hair? Well, it helps to know what you’re going up against before getting rid of it.
Slime is usually made of a mixture of glue, Borax, and water. Other derivatives such as oobleck contain cornstarch, while slime putty is made of salt and flour.
Oobleck can be washed off with cold water, because cornstarch only becomes more viscous in hot water. Slime and slime putty, however, aren’t as easy to get rid of.
Water can’t, but oil sure can do the trick. Home remedies may thus include any of the following items:
If you aren’t a fan of oil dripping down your scalp, you can always use a weak acid to get that gunk out of your hair. Just remember to put on a pair of goggles if you prefer either of the items below:
A quick rinse with shampoo will definitely help after using any of the items above on your hair too, so do have one prepared as well.
Using a slippery substance allows you to coax the slime out of your hair, so any of the available oils in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets will do.
Mayonnaise, olive oil, or coconut oil may be the most common options in your home. However, if using edible ingredients doesn’t sit well with you, you may use baby oil too.
Do note that this method may require washing your hair with shampoo more than once. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend this, as excessive shampooing may dry your hair out. However, it’s necessary to get rid of the oils lest your mane collect dirt.
Peanut butter is another oil-heavy product you can use for slime removal. It’s a great alternative to using just oil as it doesn’t feel as greasy. Crunchy peanut butter will work, but it’s probably better to use the creamy variant so you won’t have to wash nuts off your hair after.
Vinegar has many uses spanning from skincare applications to light bleaching and cleaning.
If you’ve tried your hand at DIY beauty products before, chances are you might have apple cider vinegar on your shelves too. If you don’t, using white or distilled vinegar will do.
Well, it contains acetic acid, which can easily dissolve glue and other adhesives. This ultimately helps in decreasing the adhesion between the slime and your hair.
If you aren’t fond of the smell of vinegar, use soda instead. It works similarly to vinegar as it contains some citric acid.
It doesn’t have to be Coca-cola as most sodas contain phosphoric, citric, or carbonic acid as well. Simply follow the procedure dictated for using vinegar, and slime will be out of your hair in no time.
Slime putty is just much more resilient slime. It’s best to use oil or a hair conditioner to combat it. Spraying on a diluted mixture of vinegar or soda can help too.
Sometimes, slime isn’t the only thing you have to get rid of.
If the recipe contains dyes or food coloring, it may bleed into your hair, too ― especially if it's a lighter shade. If regular shampoo doesn’t wash the color off, you can try using rubbing alcohol instead.
Slime can be tough to get rid of, but you and your kids don’t have to stop playing with it because removing it from your hair isn’t impossible.
This entire list proves that even slime-purging can be a fun process, so there isn’t anything to be worried about.
However, if you ever find yourself asking, “How do you get sticky stuff out of hair?” this guide will prove handy too. The home remedies listed above work just as well for gum and glue.
If we’ve missed other common home remedies, let us know in the comments!
Don’t make the same mistake I did, and keep your scissors away from your kids. They’re not appropriate toys, to begin with. Playtime need not be slime-free because we’ve got your back and promise to keep your hair slime-free.
