Worried asked: How do I get plaster out of hair? So, our friend made a dumb mistake of putting plaster (taken from a baby casting kit) into another’s hair for a photo shoot. It looked neat, but now we can’t get it out! We’ve tried using a bit of vinegar (perhaps didn’t let it soak long enough), baby oil and everything else we could think of. But so far, only about 20% of the plaster has been removed, and pieces of her hair are being pulled out with the attempts. Please help!
Table of Contents:
If you’ve had the unfortunate experience of having plaster stuck in your hair, you may have learned the hard way that it doesn’t give up easily. Here’s a two pronged attack, involving elbow grease and a little water, to solve even the most stubborn situation.
You Will Need:
- Hammer (or another hard, solid object)
- Tweezers
- Warm water
- Shampoo
- Bathtub or shower
- Towel
Steps to Remove the Plaster:
- The first step is to remove as many large chunks as possible. If chunks are in longer pieces of hair, spread the hair across a table and have someone else gently break chunks of plaster off by hitting them with a hammer. (Do NOT use a hammer or similar object directly against or on anyone’s head.) With shorter hair, try to break pieces apart with the tweezers or simply pinch them between fingers.
- The key to removing the rest of the plaster is warm water. Because plaster is water-based, it will break up and dissolve when allowed to soak long enough. To start the process, thoroughly wet the affected hair.
- Wrap the hair in a towel, turban style, and allow it to remain wet for several minutes.
- Re-wet the hair and repeat the towel turban process. Continue to do so, re-wetting every 15 minutes, until the plaster feels soft and any remaining chunks can be pulled from the hair or broken apart with your fingers.
- Once the plaster seems pliable, shampoo as normal in a warm (or hot) bath or shower.
Additional Tips and Advice
- When working with plaster near hair, including eyebrows, eyelashes, facial hair, and hairlines, apply a generous coat of Vaseline to prevent plaster from sticking.
- If hair stays wet long enough, the plaster will come out. If it seems like it’s not coming out, make sure the hair stays very wet for an extended period of time. This method will only work if the plaster does not begin to dry between soakings.
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Thank you!
I really do find this information helpful. Thankfully we were able to finally get all the plaster out of her hair (it’s been about five days straight picking at it). Keeping the plaster wet constantly really did help break it down.