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Can Baking Soda Remove Semi-Permanent Hair Dye? How?

Temporary hair dye makes for a fun way to experiment with new colors. However, the result doesn’t always look like what you had in mind.

The good news is that a semi-permanent color is easy to remove. Can you remove semi-permanent hair dye with baking soda? Yes! Read on to learn more about the easiest way to get rid of hair dye.

Can Baking Soda Remove Semi-Permanent Hair Dye?

Yes. Baking soda is a simple and inexpensive way to lighten your hair or remove unwanted temporary colors. Note that you might have to apply baking soda more than once to remove the color completely.

Semi-permanent hair dye is relatively easy to remove since the pigments sit on the surface of the hair. Thanks to baking soda’s abrasive properties, this ingredient can strip the hair of the pigment sitting on the surface.

You can mix baking soda with other ingredients to get better results. Because baking soda can be harsh on the hair, it’s also important to use a deep conditioner or hair mask to repair your hair.

How to Remove Semi-Permanent Hair Dye With Baking Soda?

How Can You Remove Semi-Permanent Hair Dye With Baking Soda

If you’re not happy with the outcome of your temporary dye job, get to work as soon as possible. The pigment will be easier to remove if you don’t give it enough time to bind to the hair.

The easiest way to apply baking soda to your hair is to create a paste. You can add a few drops of water to some baking soda to turn it into a paste, but you’ll get better results if you mix baking soda with lemon juice, dish soap, or anti-dandruff shampoo.

How To Remove Color With Baking Soda

Once you have mixed your paste, apply it generously to wet hair and let it sit for 15 minutes. If you’re using lemon juice, you’ll get better results if you sit in the sun for a while.

Next, you should lather your hair thoroughly to activate the baking soda’s properties. Rinse with some warm water.

You can repeat this process as many times as needed, but keep in mind that baking soda and other ingredients can dry out and damage your hair.

It’s best to apply a deep conditioner or a hair repair mask after removing the color.

Other Methods for Removing Semi-Permanent Dye from Your Hair

It might take a few tries before you completely wash the color out from your hair. If baking soda is making your hair dry and brittle, there are other methods you can use:

  • Create a paste with some water and some crushed Vitamin C tablets. Vitamin C contains ascorbic acid and will act as a lightening agent.
  • Use coffee grounds to scrub your hair and strip the pigments from the surface.
  • A clarifying shampoo is another great way to remove unwanted color.
  • Heat can help. Rinse with plenty of hot water and use a blow dryer.

What Is the Best Ingredient To Mix With Baking Soda?

What Is the Best Ingredient To Mix With Baking Soda?

Let’s take a closer look at how the ingredients mentioned above work:

  • Baking soda acts as an abrasive cleaner. This ingredient can scrape pigments and other impurities from the surface of the hair.
  • Lemon juice contains a bleaching agent known as citric acid. When applying it to your hair, it will lighten pigments.
  • The dish soap acts as a surfactant to break down oil and grease. It has a similar effect on pigments.
  • Anti-dandruff shampoos contain selenium sulfide, an ingredient that can prevent infections. Its cleaning properties make it ideal for removing pigments.

You can make your own pigment-removal paste by mixing two or more of these ingredients. 

Will Baking Soda Damage Your Hair?

Baking soda is an abrasive ingredient. It can help remove pigments, but it will also strip your hair of its natural oils. You’ll have to repair your hair with a deep conditioner, hair mask, or natural remedy like coconut oil.

Baking soda can help strip semi-permanent hair dyes from your hair thanks to its abrasive properties. However, you’ll get better results if you mix baking sodas with other ingredients.

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