How to Get Pink Hair Dye Out

Co-authored by Michael Van den Abbeel and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: September 9, 2022 References

Pink hair can be fun until it's time for a change. While you might be tempted to reach for bleach, you can try a gentle vitamin C treatment to remove the surface dye. If there's still a lot of pink dye left on your hair, spread a color stripping product on your strands, which should get rid of most of the dye. Unfortunately, your hair might have a pastel pink tint even once you've gotten a lot of dye off. To completely remove all traces and get your hair back to a more natural color, wash your hair with a bleach bath.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Washing Out the Dye with Vitamin C

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You don't want your skin to dry out or get irritated, so put on a pair of gloves before you handle the acidic vitamin C. Buy a cheap pair of gloves and put them on before you crush the vitamin C.^{[1]
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2
Crush a vitamin C tablet into a fine powder. Get out a 1000-mg vitamin C tablet and put it into a mortar. Push down on the tablet with a pestle until it's powdery. This makes it easier to dissolve in shampoo. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, put the tablet in a sealable bag and whack it with a rolling pin until it's powdery. Then, pour the vitamin C powder to a bowl.^{[2]
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- You may be able to find powdered vitamin C for sale at your local pharmacy. To use the powder, just work with 1/4 teaspoon (1 g).
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3
Mix 1 large squirt of shampoo with the vitamin C powder. Squirt shampoo into the bowl and use a spoon or tint brush to combine it with the vitamin C powder. Use dandruff or clarifying shampoo if you really want to strip a lot of the dye out of hair. You can use other types of shampoo if you don't have these at home.^{[3]
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- 1 large squirt of shampoo is about the size of a quarter.
- If you have long hair and want to use more shampoo mixture, double the amount of shampoo and vitamin C powder.
4
Get your hair wet and rub the mixture into your hair. Hold your head under warm running water to get your hair soaking wet. Squeeze out most of the water. Then, scoop the vitamin C shampoo mixture onto your hair and use your gloved hands to massage it throughout your hair.^{[4]
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- Take the time to really work the mixture through all of your hair, especially if it's long.
5
Leave the mixture on your hair for up to 1 hour. Give the vitamin C a chance to work deep into your hair so it lifts the dye. If you're worried that the mixture will drip down into your eyes or if you have long hair, rock a disposable shower cap.^{[5]
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- Set a timer and do something fun while you wait. Just don't forget that you have the mixture on your hair!
6
Rinse the mixture out and apply a conditioner. Hold your hair under warm running water and massage it until your hair doesn't feel soapy. You might feel like you're rinsing for a long time, but it's important to get all of the suds and dye out of your hair. Then, condition your hair to give it extra moisture.^{[6]
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- Since this is a pretty gentle method, repeat it if you want to remove more dye.
Tip: This method is great if you just dyed your hair pink or did it within the last few days. You might be able to get the older dye off, but it will probably only fade 1 to 2 levels of pink from your hair.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using a Color Stripping Product

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1
Buy a hair color remover that's designed for semi-permanent color. Go to the beauty supply store or drugstore and buy a reductive hair color remover. Most kits have 2 bottles that you'll mix together to form a solution.^{[7]
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- 1 bottle is an activator and the other bottle is the remover. These work together to shrink the molecules of hair color so you can easily wash the color away.
- Don't run out of product if you have long hair! Buy a few boxes if your hair goes past your shoulders.
2
Put on gloves and read the manufacturer's instructions. It's important to read the instructions that come in your package of hair color remover since the processing times might be different based on the brand. Then, put on a pair of gloves to protect your skin from the chemicals in the color stripper.^{[8]
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- Color removers are notoriously stinky, so open a few windows to ventilate your space.
3
Pour the bottles into the bowl and stir until they're combined. Open both of the bottles and pour them into a non-metallic bowl. Then, use a spoon or tint brush to mix the liquids together.^{[9]
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- Stir for at least 30 seconds so the solution is thoroughly combined.
If you have short hair, just scoop the solution onto your hair using your fingers. For longer hair, divide it into 4 equal sections and dip a tint brush into the solution. Then, brush each section of your hair until it's coated.^{[10]
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Tip: To divide your hair, comb your hair and part it down the middle. This makes 2 sections of hair. Then, part each of the sections horizontally to make 4 small sections. To keep the sections of hair from falling, clip them back.
5
Cover your hair with a shower cap and let it process for about 1 hour. Don't let your hair dry out while the remover is working. It's tricky to rinse crunchy product from your hair! Instead, put on a shower cap or wrap plastic wrap around your hair. This also keeps it out of your eyes.^{[11]
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- If you can, stay in a warm room while your hair processes. The heat opens your hair cuticles so more of the color comes out.
6
Shampoo and rinse your hair 5 times to remove the pink hair dye. Jump in the shower and thoroughly coat your hair with the shampoo you usually use. Then, rinse it out completely. Wash and rinse your hair at least 4 more times so you get all of the color removing product out of your hair. If you don't remove the product, the dye will stay in your hair.^{[12]
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- Since you want to be thorough, you'll probably need to shower for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Shampoo work as a surfactant that helps clean the hair, use a shampoo that is more gentle and isn't as harsh on your hair.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Trying a Bleach Bath

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1
Put on a pair of gloves and open a window. Even cheap gloves protect your skin from the bleach, which can irritate it. Since you don't want to breathe in bleach, open a window and work in a well-ventilated room.^{[13]
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- You may want to wear an old shirt that you don't mind accidentally ruining.
2
Pour 1 part bleach powder with 1 part developer into a bowl. You can buy bleach powder and developer at beauty supply stores or online. If you're new to coloring your hair, look for a 10-volume developer. If you think your hair can handle a stronger treatment, use a 20- to 30- volume developer.^{[14]
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- For example, if you mix 2 tablespoons of powder, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of developer.
- Reach for a non-metallic bowl to mix the developer solution. A plastic bowl is great since it won't react to the chemicals in the solution.
- You can use a higher volume developer which has more peroxide, but it's more damaging to your hair.
Did You Know? Although a bleach bath uses bleach, it's not as strong as applying straight bleach to your hair. The bleach and developer solution protects your hair from damage, but will still get the pink dye out.
Use a tint brush or non-metallic spoon mix the bleach powder and developer really well. Keep mixing until you don't see any clumps of bleach powder.^{[15]
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4
Mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of shampoo. Squirt as much shampoo as you normally use to wash your hair into the bowl. Reach for your usual shampoo or try a clarifying shampoo, which may get more of the dye out of your hair. Then, keep stirring to blend the shampoo with the bleach and developer.^{[16]
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- If you want to make more bleach bath for your long hair, feel free to double the amounts.
5
Brush the solution onto your hair, working from the bottom to your roots. Dip the tint brush into the solution and start brushing it onto the ends of your hair. Work your way up towards your scalp. Then, use your gloved fingers to rub the solution onto your roots.^{[17]
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- Try to work quickly so the solution evenly strips the pink dye from your hair.
6
Cover your hair with a cap and leave the solution on for 15 to 30 minutes. If you don't have a shower cap, wrap your hair in plastic wrap so the solution doesn't dry out or get into your eyes. Then, begin checking your hair after 15 minutes to see if the color looks like it's faded.^{[18]
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- If you used a high volume developer, you probably don't need to leave it on for more than 15 minutes since it works so quickly.
- If you used a low volume developer, you can usually leave the bleach bath on for up to 30 minutes.
7
Rinse your hair to remove the shampoo and dye. Take a shower and rinse the solution out of your hair with warm water. Since there's already a lot of shampoo in the solution, all you have to do is rinse your hair until the suds are gone! Then, wash your hair with plain shampoo and condition it to restore some moisture.^{[19]
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- If you're getting rid of the pink dye so you can dye your hair a different color, you don't worry about conditioning your hair. Conditioner could actually prevent the new hair color from processing the right way.

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Tips

Your hair might feel dry once you've gotten the dye out. Apply a moisturizing conditioner to make your hair feel softer and more nourished.

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You'll get the most dye out of your hair if it's really clean to begin with. Don't add other products to your hair before using a dye-removing treatment.

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