If you have hair dye that you want to get rid of ASAP, you may be looking for easy and affordable ways to remove hair dye from your hair, and one popular kitchen staple people like t use on hair is ketchup.
If you have heard that ketchup can remove hair dye, you may be wondering if that is true. I did the research, and here is what I discovered!
Does Ketchup Remove Hair Dye?
Ketchup cannot remove hair dye because ketchup does not possess any ingredients that remove hair dye. However, ketchup can remove green colors from hair because the red color from ketchup can neutralize green, meaning ketchup can remove green from hair. However, ketchup is not that strong, so ketchup can only remove mild to moderate amounts of green from hair.
Are you wondering how ketchup removes green from hair, how to use ketchup on your hair, and if there are side effects to using ketchup on your hair? Keep reading!
Can Ketchup Remove Hair Dye?
Ketchup does not directly remove hair dye because ketchup does not contain the proper ingredients needed to remove hair dye.
Instead, ketchup can look as though it removes hair dye because ketchup removes green from hair.
Ketchup is capable of neutralizing the green tones in hair, which can occur from hair turning muddy due to overlapping hair dye colors, chlorine touching bleached hair, green hair dye, etc.
How Does Ketchup Remove Hair Dye?
Ketchup does not remove hair dye from your hair, but ketchup can remove any green colors from your hair.
Generally, ketchup is capable of removing green tones from hair because ketchup’s red color cancels out green colors.
When you look at a color chart, red is across the green, which means that red will neutralize the color of green.
For instance, most people need to apply red hair dye over blonde hair dye if they want to change their hair color into brown.
Applying brown hair dye directly over blonde hair without applying red hair dye first will create a muddy and green color.
Therefore, ketchup can work similarly to red hair dye because ketchup’s deep red color can remove green tones.
Moreover, ketchup is acidic, and the acidic properties in ketchup can help “strip” off any green hair tones.
For example, white vinegar is another acidic ingredient that can be used to strip hair dye, so ketchup’s natural acidity can help remove green from hair.
Is Ketchup An Effective Way To Remove Hair Dye?
Ketchup can be an effective way to remove green tones from the hair, but ketchup will not be an efficient way to remove hair dye.
Generally, ketchup does not possess any properties that will strip hair dye since ketchup is only capable of neutralizing green tones.
As for removing green from hair, ketchup can be effective, but ketchup will only have noticeable effects if there is only a mild to moderate amount of green in the hair.
Vividly or deeply green hair may be too much for ketchup to remove by itself, so you may need to opt for other hair stripping products.
Moreover, you may need to apply ketchup on your hair several times to completely remove moderately green tones in your hair.
How Do You Use Ketchup To Remove Hair Dye?
Generally, you can simply apply ketchup directly onto dry hair, focusing on getting the ketchup on the green areas of your hair.
Normally, it would be best to leave the ketchup on your hair for 10-20 minutes to give the ketchup time to neutralize the green from the hair.
If desired, you can use cling wrap, a shower cap, hair ties, etc. to keep the ketchup from dripping on your body and face.
Next, rinse your hair out well with water, being sure to remove any traces of ketchup from your hair and scalp.
Ideally, you should follow up the rinsing by cleansing your hair with a gentle shampoo and conditioner to completely get rid of the ketchup.
If you are not happy with the results, you may repeat the process two more times until you get rid of all the green tones.
However, if you have used ketchup on your hair three times and the green is not fading, you may need to opt for other hair products to remove the green from your hair.
How Long Do I Leave Ketchup In My Hair?
Normally, it is fine to leave ketchup in your hair for 10-20 minutes, but some people leave ketchup in their hair for up to 30 minutes.
Does Ketchup Remove Blue Hair Dye?
Ketchup cannot remove blue hair dye since ketchup is not strong enough to get rid of hair dye.
If you were to apply ketchup to blue hair, you may notice that your hair looks a bit more muted or purple since ketchup’s red color will add warmer tones to your blue hair.
Will Tomato Sauce Remove Hair Dye?
Similar to ketchup, tomato sauce is not acidic enough to strip off hair dye, but tomato sauce can help remove green tones from your hair since tomato sauce is red and acidic.
However, you may prefer using ketchup over tomato sauce since tomato sauce is runny, meaning the tomato sauce can spill over your body and face while you apply the tomato sauce to your hair.
What Kind Of Ketchup Is Best For Hair?
Typically, almost any brand of ketchup will work fine on hair given that most of the ketchup’s ingredients are natural.
For instance, Heinz, Hunts, Frenchs, and Del Monte are all good and easily accessible ketchup brands you can use on your hair.
Take a look at our related articles to find out if ketchup removes green hair, if ketchup removes rust, and if ketchup ruins car paint.
Conclusion
Ketchup cannot remove hair dye because ketchup is not acidic enough to strip hair dye, but ketchup can neutralize green tones from hair.
Moreover, ketchup can only remove green tones from hair if the hair is mildly or moderately green, and you may need to use ketchup several times to remove all the green from your hair.