# EEK! Gum in my hair!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 24, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732 "2004-07-24T22:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/1 "2004-07-24T22:18:14Z")
I was chewing gum while holding my guiena pig, when she leaped out of my arms. I gasped and turned around kinda sharp, when my hair swept past my mouth, and took my gum along for a ride. So now I have a wad of white gum in my hair. So HELP! What can I do to get rid of it!?!? I am trying to comb it out, but it isn’t working all that great. There is one bit that just won’t get out. So HELP DOPERS! MY HAIR IS AT STAKE! ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/2 "2004-07-24T22:23:51Z")
Try peanut butter. If that fails…freeze it with a piece of ice and break it out. ---
**Author:** ![Moon-Watcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@Moon-Watcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moon-Watcher)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/3 "2004-07-24T22:29:05Z")
Ice cubes are useless man! Chewing gum’s got to be _chewed_ out! ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/4 "2004-07-24T22:32:30Z")
Kinda awkward trying to find someone to chew the gum out of your hair, I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/5 "2004-07-24T22:34:27Z")
I have been brushing it for like 15 minutes. I finally lost my patience and cut out the huge hunk that was hopeless. I still have bits of it left, but I’m brushing/combing it out. We didn’t have peanut butter here, and how is that supposed to help? By the way, icing it doesn’t work. I got chewing gum in my Barbie once, so we froze her then tried to break it, but it didn’t work. And I will NOT have someone chew my hair. Ewwwww… If you can tell, I’m obbsesive over my hair. It has to be perfect. Gum stuck in it really makes me spaz out. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/6 "2004-07-25T00:22:31Z")
The oil in the peanut butter dissolves or breaks down the gum, allowing easier removal. Don’t know if other kinds of oil will work or not. Peanut butter works very well, ice works ok too. Hope you get your hair tidied up soon. Good luck. Next time (we’ll hope there isn’t one) see if a friend or neighbor might have some peanut butter, they’ll be sympathetic, gum in hair is a PAIN. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/7 "2004-07-25T00:23:41Z")
Erm, shampoo gets the peanut butter out of the hair afterwards with ease btw. :o Should have mentioned that earlier. Been where you are, used the peanut butter, it worked. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/8 "2004-07-25T00:28:12Z")
Gah, for chunks of gum, in shag carpet, clothing, or hair, massage the peanut butter in, then use a comb, or rake it out with your fingers. Dawn or a regular shampoo removes the oily peanut butter, if it’s clothing, use a bit of dawn, or shampoo, and spot wash the peanut butter before laundering. If it’s a carpet, use whatever gentle grease cutting detergent you have, either Dawn or Shampoo, and paper towels to blot the mess up. That’s what worked for me when I was babysitting anyway. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/9 "2004-07-25T11:07:45Z")
A kid got one of those “Push Pop” things stuck in my hair when I was about 8. My mum had to cut it out. I feel your pain. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/10 "2004-07-25T11:31:11Z")
Eucylptus oil is what you need! ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/11 "2004-07-25T12:31:34Z")
My little white long-haired dog found a stick of Big Red gum on my nightstand once. She was apparently attracted by the cinnamon smell. We had to cut it out of her beard. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2004, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eek-gum-in-my-hair/256732/12 "2004-07-25T12:32:16Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > The oil in the peanut butter dissolves or breaks down the gum, allowing easier removal. Don’t know if other kinds of oil will work or not. Peanut butter works very well, ice works ok too. Hope you get your hair tidied up soon. Good luck. Next time (we’ll hope there isn’t one) see if a friend or neighbor might have some peanut butter, they’ll be sympathetic, gum in hair is a PAIN. Yeah. lubricating oil, cooking oil, kerosene, even lighter fluid but watch out for fire, peanut butter or anything along that line will get it out.