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What is the Best Way to Remove Gum from Hair?

Nicole Madison
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Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 17,582
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While adults may only rarely have to deal with gum in their hair, gum seems to be a magnet for children's heads. If you are trying to remove gum from your child's hair or your own, your first thought may be to cut it out. Fortunately, there's usually no need for such drastic measures, as there are good ways to remove gum from hair without damaging it in the process. Oily foods, like peanut butter or olive oil, may help, or the gum can be frozen and broken into pieces.

It's hard to say what the best way to remove gum from hair is, but many people swear by the use of peanut butter. It's a substance that most people always have handy or can get to easily, and it seems to work most times. Coat the gum and a small amount of the hair surrounding it with regular, smooth peanut butter. Allow the peanut butter to sit on the hair for about 30 minutes, and then pull on the gum. Usually, this works to remove the gum with ease, allowing it to slide right out.

You might also try olive oil, which has a good track record for working. To do this, apply olive oil to the gum, massaging it in, making sure you get a generous amount on the hair surrounding the gum as well. Let the oil sit on the hair for about 20 minutes, then use a comb to remove tease the gum from the hair, being gentle, of course. If this doesn't work on the first try, repeat the steps an additional time.

If you don't have any olive oil or peanut butter on hand, you can try using ice cubes. To begin, place several ice cubes in a plastic bag, and apply the ice packet you've created to the gum. Hold the packet in place long enough to allow the gum to grow hard. Once it has hardened, attempt to break the gum, so that you can pull it from the hair. Be gentle, and if it doesn't work or looks like you'll have to pull out a bunch of hair with the chewing gum, try a different method.

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Nicole Madison
By Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison's love for learning inspires her work as a WiseGeek writer, where she focuses on topics like homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. Her passion for knowledge is evident in the well-researched and informative articles she authors. As a mother of four, Nicole balances work with quality family time activities such as reading, camping, and beach trips.

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Discussion Comments
By anon129127 — On Nov 22, 2010

we used vegetable oil and it worked great! you didn't even have to let it sit in the hair or anything!

By italy12 — On Aug 19, 2010

shoeshopper- I think that you would probably get better results if you used smooth peanut butter. Smooth peanut butter is creamier and will make it easier for you to slide the gum out. Good luck!

By shoeshopper — On Aug 19, 2010

anon55606- I agree with you that using oil is a good way to get gum out of hair. However, I don't want to use oil on my child's hair because I don't want it to get in her eyes.

I am thinking of using peanut butter instead. Does it matter if you use chunky or smooth peanut butter?

By anon55606 — On Dec 08, 2009

The oil is the way to go. I tried the ice for a while and had virtually no luck removing the gum. So I applied vegetable oil and within one minute, it already started to come out. Within five minutes, my hair was gum-free after running a fine tooth comb through the area.

Thanks for the article. Saved my day!

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison's love for learning inspires her work as a WiseGeek writer, where she focuses on topics like...
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