Sticky Situation: How to Get Gum Out of Hair

At one point or another, everyone is bound to face a gum-related mishap.

Thankfully, this sticky mess doesn’t have to mean the of for you or your kid’s hair (or clothes).

If you or your kiddo has found yourself with a heaping wad of gum tangled in your hair, fear not! Before you whip out the scissors and start cutting, try these tips on how to get gum out of hair.

Conditioner

A conditioner is something you probably already have that works pretty well for getting gum out of hair.

To use conditioner work a small amount of conditioner into the hair surrounding the gum. Once you work the conditioner into the hair it should create a slick barrier between the gum and the hair.

If this works correctly you should be able to gently pull or comb the gum out with your fingers.

Ice Cubes

Freezing the gum is another great way to get it out of hair.

Grab a piece of ice and rub it over the entirety of the piece of gum. Eventually, this should harden the gum. Once the gum is hard you can begin to break it off into pieces and begin pulling it out of the hair.

Repeat this process as needed until you can get the gum out entirely or as much as possible. If the gum does not work fully, try another method after you break off as much as you can.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is another product that you definitely already have that works wonders for removing gum from hair.

Similarly to using conditioner, you want to apply a small amount of toothpaste to the gum and work it in with your fingers. However, after you’ve done so you should allow the toothpaste and the gum to dry.

To keep any more hair from getting tangled, consider sectioning off the affected hair.

Once the toothpaste and gum dry you should be able to more easily pull the wad of gum out or brush it out with a comb.

Vaseline

In order to use vaseline to remove gum, you should take a liberal amount of vaseline and work it into the gum itself.

This method uses the vaseline as a lubricant of sorts to create a slippery surface and loosens up the grip that the gum has on the hair. Once the gum begins to separate from the hair you should be able to gently pull it out with your fingers.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter may sound like a weird thing to put in your hair, but it ranks pretty high when it comes to how to get gum out of hair.

To begin with, you should scoop out a couple of spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter and begin working it into the gum and the surrounding hair. While you’re doing this you should try to coat the gum completely.

Once you do this you should allow the peanut butter time to sit and do its work hardening the gum and reducing the stickiness. After the gum has become hard you can try to remove it from the hair using your fingers or by brushing it out with a comb or toothbrush.

Hair Mousse

If you’re someone with curly hair that has hair mousse laying around, try using it to remove gum from hair.

You can begin by spraying the hair mousse either into your hand or directly onto the gum and the surrounding area. Gently work the mousse into the hair and gum and it should break down the gums grip.

Once everything is coated and slippery it should be easier to gently pry the gum out of the hair.

Rubbing Alcohol

You can use rubbing alcohol as an agent to reduce the stickiness of the gum itself, but you should be careful while applying it around hair.

Start by pouring the rubbing alcohol onto a cotton pad or a small cloth and use that to soak the gum. Once the gum has absorbed the rubbing alcohol you can begin to try to pull the gum out of the hair.

Oil

Wondering how to get gum out of hair using oil? Well, you can use a number of different oils such as olive oil, canola oil, or coconut oil to get the gum out. It works similarly to the conditioner or vaseline methods above.

Simply take your oil of choice and pour some of it directly onto the gum and the surrounding hair. Work this oil into the gum until the area is fully coated. Once everything is covered in oil let the oil sit for a few minutes and work its magic.

After the oil sits for a bit the gum should be less sticky and easier to get out of the hair.

Baking Soda

Use the baking soda method of how to get gum out of hair by making a paste with a small amount of baking soda and water. The paste should be thick enough that you can pick it up with your fingers and apply it to the hair and gum.

Once the gum is coated with the paste let it sit until the baking soda hardens the gum and renders it less sticky. You can then begin removing the gum gently from the hair.

Worst Case Scenario: Cut It Out

If worse comes to worst and none of the remedies above work, you can simply cut the gum out of the hair.

You can do this with a quick clip at home or, depending on the severity of the snip needed, go see a professional hairdresser to do the job for you.

On the bright side: maybe it’s time for a new hairstyle anyway!

How To Get Gum Out Of Hair Is Something You Should Know

Sticky gum definitely ranks alongside things like red wine and ink for one of the peskiest substances to deal with once they’ve gotten onto a surface they don’t belong.

Thankfully for everyone involved, there are tons of home remedies that will help get the gum out.

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