# Would Nair be a safe way of dissolving a hair clog in the sink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 21, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025 "2004-12-21T19:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/1 "2004-12-21T19:32:54Z")
Doesn’t Nair essentially melt hair? If so, wouldn’t this be a safe (compared to lye or Drano, etc.) way to dissolve said clog? ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/2 "2004-12-21T19:56:06Z")
Safe for the pipes or safe for the person using it? About the pipes I don’t know, though since Nair pretty much gets washed down the drain when you wipe it off your legs or whatever part of your body you’re trying to de-hair, I would assume it’s safe. It’s pretty safe to the touch, considering it sits on your skin for 5-10 minutes. Some people are sensitive to it, though. I personally can’t leave it on long enough to dissolve hair before my skin gets all red and bumpy. Also, while I’m reasonably sure it’s safe to use in the drain, it’s probably not nearly as effective as Draino or Liquid Plumber or what have you. Also, Nair smells really, really bad, and in my experience, the smell tends to linger. Liquid drainers usually don’t smell as bad. Also, any water in the pipes or sink/bathtub would dilute it a bit, causing it to be even less effective. A hair clog is also a lot more dense (one would hope) than the hair on someone’s legs or bikini line, so there’s a lot more to dissolve. In conclusion - it’s probably safe (I’m sure someone will be along shortly to confirm or refute this), but also probably not as effective. It’s also not any cheaper, and you’d probably need more of it than a product that’s meant to clear drains. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/3 "2004-12-21T21:38:25Z")
Get a plumber’s snake! (not the heavy 1/2" 50’ kind, get a 1/4" kind 12 feet long or 25’ if you insist). Cheaper in the long run, and when the drain cleaner doesn’t work and the plumber comes, he doesn’t have to deal with pools of caustic lying in wait for him in the pipes. Easier on the environment as well as the plumber. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/4 "2004-12-21T21:44:57Z")
I’d second the plumbers snake. It’s worth it in the long run. Also, spend a couple of bucks on a drain strainer, or you can even put a ball of old pantyhose in the drain to catch the hair. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/5 "2004-12-22T00:32:50Z")
Doesn’t Nair just dissolve part of your hair’s roots so that it doesn’t hurt like a mother\*\*\*\* when you pull them out? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/6 "2004-12-22T03:41:20Z")
Ah, the SDMB Anti-Drano Cabal strikes again! Curses! [/half-kidding] ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/7 "2004-12-22T03:52:30Z")
SDMBADC, I kinda like that… Definitely skip the chemicals and use a plumber’s snake. Cheap, removes just about anything that could go down your drain, has no toxic side effects and unlike Drano THEY WORK. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/8 "2004-12-22T03:52:46Z")
Nair would NOT work- it only dissolves the cuticle (?) at the base of the hair, not the hair itself. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/9 "2004-12-22T04:09:33Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > Definitely skip the chemicals and use a plumber’s snake. Cheap, removes just about anything that could go down your drain, has no toxic side effects and unlike Drano THEY WORK. I don’t know where people keep getting the idea that Drano doesn’t work. I used some the other day, and now I no longer have to stand in 4 inches of water while I take a shower. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/10 "2004-12-22T04:24:20Z")
[Depilatory Chemistry](http://www.ewg.org/news/story.php?print_version=1&id=2871) > [@](#): > > Depilatory creams such as Nair use calcium thioglycolate or potassium thioglycolate to remove the hair. > > Bess McKnight, a marketing manager for the company that makes Nair, Church & Dwight Co. Inc., said the thioglycolate weakens the hair by breaking down one its main ingredients: keratin. A colourless protein contained in skin, hair and nails, keratin is composed of chains of amino acids. > … > When calcium thioglycolate or potassium thioglycolate is applied to a hairy area, the compound breaks down the keratin’s amino acid chains, releasing sulfur. The killer for using Nair to unplug hairy drains is this: > [@](#): > > Adding water too soon will neutralize the reaction, however. McKnight said the thioglycolate would bind to the water molecules instead of the keratin, stopping the intended process. So Nair won’t work, unless you’re willing to dry your plumbing out before trying to unplug it. I use Red Devil lye (sodium hydroxide) for hair plugs. It works. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/11 "2004-12-22T04:39:03Z")
> [@Mr2001](#): > > I don’t know where people keep getting the idea that Drano doesn’t work. I used some the other day, and now I no longer have to stand in 4 inches of water while I take a shower. Drano works VERY well at removing clogs. However, each time it is used, a little more of the pipe is dissolved, too, and you have to wonder where the caustic chemicals go after the clog is gone… I remember having drain problems in an apartment complex once, and a couple of maintenance guys came to fix it. Guy One pours half a bottle of Draino in the sink… Guy Two: “I heard that was bad for pipes. Shouldn’t we try something else?” Guy One: “Yeah, it’s bad for pipes, but by the time the Draino eats through the pipes, it’ll be time to replace them anyway. But we won’t be here anymore, so it really doesn’t matter.” Now that we have our own house, and we are responsible for paying for pipe and drain failure, we have invested in a snake. It has solved most of our drain problems, although we have used Draino stuff a few times when the snake didn’t work. I also bought a small drain plunger that has worked to clear drains BEFORE we even pulled out the snake. (We have a 10yo son who LOVES to put strange things in the sink…) ---
**Author:** ![Trailer\_Park\_Casanova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@Trailer\_Park\_Casanova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trailer_Park_Casanova)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/12 "2004-12-22T05:15:47Z")
Use bleach. Not the store house brand, but either clorox or purex. Trust me, it’s cheap, safe and effective. Far cheaper than nair. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/13 "2004-12-22T05:20:29Z")
Is this a GQ thread or a Greenpeace meeting. The OP asked if Nair essentially “melted” hair and if it could(in a pinch i’m sure) be used as a drain cleaner. Drain cleaners, hair removers and hair relaxers all work through their high alkaline levels breaking down hair. I can’t find a good site that compares those levels, though I believe them to all be quite high (11-13?). [But on preview **Squink** , I see, has the scoop] My personal cheaper recommendation is the baking soda, vinegar,cover, wait, kettle of boiling water method. Worked every time I tried it. Though drano works too, I’m saving it for an “emergency” clog. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/14 "2004-12-22T05:46:25Z")
There’s some very good information here; thanks. I’ll work at trying a few of these methods tomorrow on my slow drain; I’ll report back. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/15 "2004-12-22T13:24:25Z")
I read that baking soda followed by hot vinager was good for removing clogs. It should at least be safe for the environment. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/16 "2004-12-22T15:08:32Z")
There’s also a product called “washing soda,” which is made like baking soda, only it’s much more alkali–11 vs. 7.5. It’s in the laundry section of the grocery, very cheap, environmentally friendly, and would probably dissolve hair, especially if followed by lots of boiling water. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/17 "2004-12-22T16:00:45Z")
> [@Sir Prize](#): > > I read that baking soda followed by hot vinager was good for removing clogs. It should at least be safe for the environment. But not as safe as a plumber’s snake! It’ll pay for itself, really! And it makes you feel like a man! Everyone should buy a plumber’s snake! Well, not really, but seriously, if I had a nickel for every post on the SDMB recommending the purchase of a plumber’s snake . . . 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/18 "2004-12-22T19:30:39Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Well, not really, but seriously, if I had a nickel for every post on the SDMB recommending the purchase of a plumber’s snake . . . 🙂 Can someone link to a pic ? I don’t know what it is, since we usually leave the plumbing to the plumber (who charges around $1 to clean a drain). ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/19 "2004-12-22T19:54:19Z")
[http://store.digitalfaucet.com/detail/1/186/10/1/26/Pipe\_Snake.html](http://store.digitalfaucet.com/detail/1/186/10/1/26/Pipe_Snake.html) There’s a basic home model, and it takes a bit of elbow grease to use. Sone don’t even have the crank, and i understand there are even mini-models designed to clear a U-bend, upon research. [http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/0567-1.html](http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/0567-1.html) Then you’ll have the next step up, A Milwaukee Drain Cleaner—essentially a snake-on-a-drill. This is a general first-call tool, according to my unfortunate experience. [http://rental.trusite.com/rental.asp?store\_id=9835&cat\_id=9](http://rental.trusite.com/rental.asp?store_id=9835&cat_id=9) Then, we progress to what is called an electric eel—this thing has torque. It took a plumber and this to remove a greaseball the size of a tennis ball from our kitchen sink-drain. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-nair-be-a-safe-way-of-dissolving-a-hair-clog-in-the-sink/281025/20 "2004-12-22T20:10:04Z")
Anyway, as to my dilemma, I think I’ll look for one of those aforementioned U-bend snakes. This isn’t an immediate worry, since the sink still drains reasonably; it’s just a tad slow, and it’s sometimes a trick to dodge my razor from the accumulating pool while shaving. I think the clog is too insignificant for drain cleaners to adhere to it? So, thank you all for the informative and—I must say—entertaining replies.