How To Get Kool-Aid Out of Your Hair Without Damaging It

Close up of a woman pulling a section of her long dark hair with deep red lengths across her face

People all over love to use Kool-Aid to color their hair because it is a fun, inexpensive, and temporary way to try fun new hues. Yet, despite its popularity on social media outlets, using Kool-Aid as hair dye does not always work, and when it does, it can be a real hassle to get out of your hair.

How To Get Kool-Aid Out of Your Hair: Detailed Guide Quickly Remove Kool-Aid from Dyed Hair

If you dyed your hair with Kool-Aid and are looking for ways to remove the color from your hair, you've come to the right place! In this article, we'll give you several Kool-aid removal methods you can try at home.

Wash Your Hair Normally

Kool-Aid should wash out of your hair with your normal shampoo within a few weeks, depending on how often you wash your hair. This is the safest way to remove Kool-Aid from your hair, as it will not damage your curls.

However, you should remember that naturally fading the Kool-Aid from your hair will take time, and it may not fade completely.

Use a Clarifying Shampoo

Clarifying shampoos deep-clean the hair, which makes them effective at fading Kool-Aid. So, before you get into mixing up DIY concoctions, consider switching to a clarifying shampoo to speed up the fading process.

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You can wash your hair like you normally would, or you can leave the clarifying shampoo in your hair for a couple of extra minutes to maximize the color fade. This process should work on all hair types and hair colors, from dark brown hair to blonde hair.

You can also try using dish soap (read this article) or anti-dandruff shampoo to remove kool-aid dye immediately.

If you decide to use anti-dandruff shampoo, you can mix dandruff shampoo with a little baking soda and immediately rinse your hair gently with the mixture. Just follow the steps outlined in the next section.

A woman looking up with a finger to her cheek, in a black and white knit top, hair past her shoulders

Shampoo and Baking Soda Method

Baking soda is a fantastic stain remover for clothing and bedding, but what you may not have known is that it can also remove stains from your hair.

That's why making a paste using shampoo, and baking soda is a promising way to remove Kool-Aid from your hair. Here are the steps to follow:

Gather your materials. You'll need a clarifying or deep-cleansing shampoo and baking soda.
Using one part shampoo and one part baking soda, make a paste. There's no need to use a measuring cup - eyeballing is fine. Plan to use enough shampoo to cover the area you wish to remove the Kool-Aid from. Mix the shampoo and baking soda with a spoon to form a paste. If the mixture is runny, you can add a bit more baking soda slowly until the mixture reaches the proper consistency and the baking soda dissolves.
Wet your hair thoroughly, apply the paste to your hair, and begin working it in. Since there is shampoo in the paste, it will start to lather. You can part your hair into several sections to make the process easier.
Allow the mixture to work for no longer than 3 minutes. Any longer, and you risk drying out your hair.
Hop in the shower and rinse your hair thoroughly. Turn it on as hot as you can without burning yourself. Don't stop rinsing until all the paste is gone.
Replenish the moisture. After rinsing out the paste, your curls will feel parched because baking soda strips the hair of its moisture. Give them a little love by deep-conditioning them or doing a hot oil treatment.
Take a look at your hair. If there's still some Kool-Aid, you can repeat the process a few times. Just be sure to check the state of your hair after each session so that you won't end up with brittle strands.

Toothpaste

Similar to baking soda and water, toothpaste may work to remove Kool-Aid from your hair. Here's what you'll do if you choose to try toothpaste:

Begin by rinsing your hair with hot or warm water. Don't wet your hair too much, or the method won't be effective.
Thoroughly work toothpaste into your hair. It is recommended to use whitening toothpaste or any toothpaste that has baking soda. But if you don't have either of these toothpaste types, you can use whatever toothpaste you have.
Rinse your hair out as thoroughly as possible. If you don't, you could end up with a sticky mess of curls. While toothpaste won't cause immediate damage to your hair, it can make it near impossible to comb or style your hair. So, take as much time as you need to rinse and scrub the toothpaste out.

Like the previously mentioned methods, you can repeat this method if it doesn't work the first time.

Just keep an eye on your hair to ensure that your curls are intact and don't feel super dry. If they show signs of drying out, stop trying to remove the Kool-Aid and give it a deep-conditioning treatment.

A woman laughing with her head tilted back and both hands lifted into her long dark and red hair

Water and Lemon Juice Method

Lemon juice is a natural stain remover that can be used to remove Kool-Aid from your hair. Here are some instructions for a water and lemon juice bath.

In a saucepan, add ⅓ cup water and bring it to a boil. You should add more water if you've dyed all of your hair, but a ⅓ cup should work if your hair was only dip dyed.
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice as soon as the water begins to boil.
Remove the mixture from the heat and stir to mix.
Apply the mixture onto your dyed hair. You can spray it on using a spray bottle or dip your hair into the saucepan.
After a couple of minutes, wash the lemon juice out with your usual shampoo. After rinsing the shampoo out, you'll notice that the Kool-Aid has either lightened up a bit or disappeared totally.

If one application does not entirely remove the Kool-Aid from your hair, you can redo the method once a day until it's gone.

Try Hot Water and Baking Soda

Baking soda and hot water (also called baking soda water) have helped many kiss their Kool-Aid hair color goodbye. Give it a try to see if it works for you:

Boil enough water to completely cover the dye when your hair is dipped in it. The amount of water you'll need will depend on how much of your hair has Kool-Aid in it. If you've only dyed the tips of your hair, you may need about 4 cups of water, while larger sections or a full head of dyed hair will need 6 or more cups of water.
Pour your boiling water into a large container different from the pot you boiled it in (this is to prevent burning yourself). Allow the water to cool to a reasonable temperature.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda and stir until it is dissolved.
Working in sections, soak your hair in the baking soda and water mixture for up to a minute at a time. We urge you not to leave your hair soaking for longer than that because every second that you soak your hair, the drier it will get.
Wash your hair in the shower to remove the baking soda from your hair. Use a moisturizing shampoo or co-wash to replenish the moisture lost in the previous steps.
Follow up with a deep-conditioning mask to further restore your hair's moisture. For the best results, follow the instructions on the deep-conditioner packaging. But, in most cases, you'll need to apply the deep conditioner to your hair, wait for at least 10 minutes, and then rinse it out.

You can repeat this process over the next few days as needed. If, after multiple sessions, you still have Kool-Aid in your hair, you may want to try a different method.

How to Get Kool-Aid Out of Hair: If All Else Fails

There's a chance that, even after you try all of the methods in this article, the Kool-Aid will remain.

If that's the case, you can consider bleach to remove the Kool-Aid from your hair immediately, though this should not be your first choice, as it can be highly damaging to your hair.

Before you reach for the bleach, we strongly recommend that you reach out to a professional colorist in your area for advice. We have high hopes that one of the remedies in this article will help you get Kool-Aid out of your hair fast.