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Juniors

01st Aug 2021

The trick for getting chewing gum out of hair all parents need to know about

Trine Jensen-Burke

getting chewing gum out of hair

The first time it happened she was about five.

My little girl had gotten some bubblegum in her Halloween bucket when we out tricking or treating, and just like that, within seconds, it was in her hair. Her beautiful, long, blonde hair.

Which I then, having tried everything else, had to chop a lump out of to get the blasted chewing gum out.

It has also happened since – and no, I don’t want to talk about those emergency haircuts, they were traumatizing.

However, it turns out, there is a different method that might just work far better when it comes to chewing gum stuck in hair – and you might find that there are no scissors necessary.

Here is the genius tip PureWow shared:

What you’ll need: Any type of vegetable oil (olive oil works great) or peanut butter and regular shampoo.

Step 1: Coat the gum completely with the oil or peanut butter using your fingers or an old toothbrush. Rub it in gently. (Note: If you’re going with the peanut butter, make sure you opt for the smooth kind—you don’t want anything else getting stuck in there.) Whatever product you use, try to keep it contained to just the problem area as much as possible. Let the ingredients sit for a few minutes. As the natural oils work their magic, they’ll make the chewing gum less sticky and more stiff.

Step 2: Once the gum is sufficiently hard, gently remove it with your fingertips, being careful not to tug at the hair. The best way to do this is the same way you would remove a knot—hold the strands firmly in place above the gum and then work slowly to untangle the mess. Just don’t use a brush or comb since this might just spread the gum around and do further damage. If the gum is especially thick, you may have to repeat step one.

Step 3: Wash the hair as you normally would with a mild but effective shampoo. You may need to do this twice.