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A friend of mine accidently got candle wax in their hair, and we have no idea how to get it out! we want to try and avoid chopping it off, because it's close to their scalp.
help please?
I'm not sure what will disolve wax without ruining the hair, but you might check at a hardware store, they should know. I would suggest running VERY hot water over the area, preferrably without getting any on the scalp. if you can bring water to a boil, then have your friend lean over the sink, you could let it cool for a minute, then pour without getting any on the scalp. Not an easy situation, either way.
On second thought, I think it's a sign from God that your friend needs to dreadlock their hair! ;)
Lol! Not that he's biased or anything *grin*
hehehe, of COURSE not! *looks around nervously* :D
Suggestions:
1. Call a salon and ask a pro what to do. They "see it all" which probably includes something like this.
2. Call the non-emergency number for your nearest hospital emergency room. They should be able to help.
3. Avoid boiling water and hanging over the hot steam. You'll burn the scalp or nearby skin from just the steam.
4. Hair has an oil residue, of course, and candle wax has an oil base. Both respond to warmth including water. A long warm shower should soften the wax enough that it can either be gently brushed out (depending upon the depth of the wax and length of hair) or gently massaged till it loosens, then falls off.
5. Suddenly claim conversion to Bhuddism, shave the person's head completely and treat them to a vegan lunch.
Use ice to freeze the wax. Wax gets brittle when it is frozen and will break and flake out.
Or better yet, LN2 (just kidding of course).
Well a quick search for google for "How to get Candel wax out of hair" yeilded the following article.
In Typical Google "Content is King" style, the article is from a BDSM Web Site so this been a family site I won't "link to the kink" but here's the jist of the article:
"Take it from me, getting hardened candle-wax out of your chest hair is a total pain."
he goes onto say...
"a good hot shower is often enough to soften the wax enough to make it easy to remove."
Obviously they weren't considering the accidental spillage of wax on hair, but the principal applies, I'd also consider using a hair dryer to melt the dried wax. It should then wash out more easily, but wash it away from the rest of the hair. Separate the strands you don't want to wash it throughout the hair.
Be patient there should be no need to cut it out.
Sorted
Thank goodness for those BDSM web sites, eh Sorted? /nudge
Lol! Lets not go into that here...
I'll keep my alter-ego for the fetish clubs. *grin*
I got some in my own hair just the other day. I was trying to blow out a little tea-light thing inside a small glass votive. It wouldn't go out, so I just blew harder and harder. Eventually the wax spat back in my face. It went in my left eye, eyebrow, left side of my mustache, and left side of my hair near my (centre) parting at the front. When I opened my eyes, the candle had gone out, but had also spun upside down in the dish!
I brushed out all the wax just using my hands, and AFAIK it all came out. I didn't wait for it to cool atall. I was worried I would have damaged my eyesight, but the old blink reflex works pretty well (I once got solder in my eye and blinked it right out, but that hurt for a long while and this didn't). My wife was laughing her a***e off, while I was worried about my eyesight!
I am guessing that your friend has rather more wax in their hair? I think a shower is a good idea, and I expect it will come out, even if it takes a while.
I would second the suggestion that you try icing the wax to make it easier to break out of the hair, that's how it is suggested to remove wax from carpet. You could also try using a greasy substance, like peanut butter or solid shortening, to lubricate and hopefully remove any little pieces that remain after icing.
I DO NOT recommend trying to heat or soften the wax in any way, that is likely to just make it worse. My $.02
