# How do I get hair wax off my hands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2002, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377 "2002-10-01T10:23:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/1 "2002-10-01T10:23:28Z")
I put wax in my hair most days, to make it attractively choppy and messy. I am having trouble getting the wax off my fingers after applying it to my hair - obviously, soap and water doesn’t really work, wax being waterproof. Am I missing a better way of getting the wax off than simply wiping them vigorously on a towel (and messing up the towel)? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/2 "2002-10-01T10:29:34Z")
You may find that rubbing your hands lightly with vegetable oil (sunflower or something) before applying the wax prevents it adhering to your skin quite so well. Depending on the type of wax, it may also be possible to splash a bit of vegetable oil on your waxy hands and thus dissolve the wax, then wash off the wax/oil mixture with soap and hot water. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/3 "2002-10-01T10:50:28Z")
How about one of these newfangled surface cleaners with orange-peel terpenes? There’s Orange Clean, or there’s a Mr Muscle version of same. The best bet would be something called “Stain Slayer” which comes in a little spray can. Difficult to get hold of, though - Lakeland Limited used to do it, but have rested it from current catalogues. Mangetout - oil on the hands would get on the hair. Not the desired effect. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/4 "2002-10-01T11:07:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tansu \* > \*\*Mangetout - oil on the hands would get on the hair. Not the desired effect. \*\* I wouldn’t have thought it would be a problem; I’m thinking of a very thin film of oil, maybe a quarter teaspoonfull to cover both sides of both hands. Barrier cream might be another possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/5 "2002-10-01T11:15:30Z")
Think of how the wax is applied. Pressure is involved to get the wax on the hair, and sculpt it onto shape. In order for no oil to get on the hair, the two layers of oil and wax would have to stay intact - if the wax layer was compromised, say by pressure from the application process, it’d fail. If, in getting the wax on the fingers in the first place, some oil got onto the top of the wax, it would fail. If not all the oiled layer was covered in wax, and some naked oil layer touched the hair, it would fail. Try it on your own hair and get back to me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/6 "2002-10-01T11:16:00Z")
Use hot or very warm water to soften the wax, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/7 "2002-10-01T11:38:01Z")
> [@](#): > > In order for no oil to get on the hair, the two layers of oil and wax would have to stay intact - if the wax layer was compromised, say by pressure from the application process, it’d fail. If, in getting the wax on the fingers in the first place, some oil got onto the top of the wax, it would fail. If not all the oiled layer was covered in wax, and some naked oil layer touched the hair, it would fail. C’mon; there’s already natural oil on the skin of your hands anyway (not to mention your hair); I’m not talking about using gallons of the stuff. There isn’t much likelihood of my buying some hair wax just so I can test a suggestion anytime soon. My suggestion was based on what I know to be a successful technique when decorating with oil-based gloss paints (yes, yes, I know these are different from hair wax), which are notoriously difficult to remove from skin; the thin application of oil mostly soaks into your skin and makes it just a little harder for sticky substances to adhere to it. I still think that vegetable oil may help in loosening it after application. Just out of interest; how do you remove the wax from your hair? shampoo? - if so, then maybe that’s the best thing for cleaning your hands. ---
**Author:** ![Jammers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@Jammers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammers)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/8 "2002-10-01T12:06:40Z")
I just wipe my hands on my bumcheeks. Seems to do the trick… ---
**Author:** ![mellonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@mellonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mellonhead)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/9 "2002-10-01T12:15:30Z")
I used to use a ‘hair wax’ as product for my hair. The only thing that got the stuff off my hands was really hot water and Lava soap. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/10 "2002-10-01T12:20:33Z")
how do you get it off your hair? ---
**Author:** ![mellonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@mellonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mellonhead)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/11 "2002-10-01T12:27:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*how do you get it off your hair? \*\* You don’t use it at all. After using hair wax for a few years for the desired ‘look’ I got tired of having totally wrecked hands from the Lava soap - not to mention using clarifying shampoon everyday so my hair could look ‘kinda’ clean. I switched to silicone based products…it’s water soluable! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/12 "2002-10-01T13:45:35Z")
What I remember from biology lab is benzene dissolves wax (paraffin), xylene dissolves benzene, alcohol dissolves xylene, and water dissolves alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/13 "2002-10-01T14:08:33Z")
i use a splash of hot water to soften the waxiness then quickly use a tea-towel. they are rough than bath towels so seem to do a better job. if i can’t find a tea towel then i just use whatever clothes my housemate has left on the radiator to dry ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/14 "2002-10-01T15:47:45Z")
I do soften the wax by rubbing it in my fingers first. The very thin film of oil, while potentially possibly a good idea, is a bit faffy for a low-maintenance woman like me when you consider I’d have to be very careful not to cover my hands and head in oil or something (I’d be likely to somehow manage to fall over and pour the stuff on me by accident, because that’s just the kind of of top-notch co-ordination I possess in the morning). So I guess the only option without resorting to waxy bumcheeks is to continue messing up my towels? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/15 "2002-10-01T16:14:21Z")
Am I right in saying that benzene is nasty stuff though Gary? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/16 "2002-10-01T17:59:40Z")
I wouldn’t want to bathe in it, Mangetout. I doubt it would do any real harm if only on the skin for a few moments, but there could be a problem with repeated exposure. I was being a bit tongue in cheek about using the series of chemicals for daily handwashing, but it could be helpful for wax removal where more common methods weren’t feasible. In biology lab, we encased tissue samples in paraffin, then sliced the wax blocks on a microtome to put a series of tissue slices (10 microns thick, if I remember right) on microscope slides. The wax was necessary to enable precise slicing, but it impeded visual clarity, so we had to rinse each slide with the succession of solvents in order to leave just tissue remaining. Worked like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![Virtuosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/35a633/32.png) [@Virtuosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Virtuosity)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/17 "2002-10-01T20:20:17Z")
disposable gloves? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-hair-wax-off-my-hands/130377/18 "2002-10-02T00:28:12Z")
Use a hair dryer on high to melt the thin film of wax on your hands and wipe it off immediately with a hot, wet towel.