How to Remove Hair Dye With Dawn Dishwashing Liquid

Most people depend on Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean grimy and greasy dishes. But, can you also rely on its degreasing power to strip unwanted color? Here’s what you need to know about using Dawn dishwashing liquid to remove hair dye.

Is Dishwashing Liquid Good Or Bad For Hair?

Dawn is a popular brand name for a dishwashing liquid owned by Procter and Gamble. 

According to most advertisements, it’s the number one dishwashing liquid in America. This is probably because of its superior grease-cleaning formula and versatility of use.

Not only can you use Dawn dish soap to clean items in the sink, but it’s also effective at cleaning window glass, floors, tiles, and, yes, your hair. 

This excellent multipurpose cleaner can combat greasiness by stripping excess oil, bringing your limp tresses to life.

It can also clean your scalp and remove build-up, flakes, or dandruff. But is using Dawn dishwashing liquid on your hair really safe? 

When used in moderation, Dawn Dish soap can be helpful, as it’s like a clarifying shampoo. 

Regular shampoos are usually not powerful enough to remove product build-up and dirt that accumulates over time.

In this scenario, the benefits of Dawn dish soap can be immediate and welcome since it leaves hair clean, shiny, and soft. 

However, there’s a reason why you should only use clarifying shampoo once or twice a week. 

Like clarifying shampoo, Dawn dish soap contains harsh surfactants that strip away too much of your hair’s natural oils. 

Excessive use of Dawn can lead to the following hair problems:

Dry hair

As mentioned, Dawn removes beneficial moisture from your hair, causing brittleness, split ends, and breakage. 

There’s generally no need to use Dawn frequently unless you’re out of your regular shampoo. 

Regular shampoo that’s sulfate-free and doesn’t contain additives is gentler on hair and will not leave your locks dry. 

Hair damage

Eventually, the harshness of Dawn could damage your hair cuticle. This harshness comes from several ingredients found in Dawn. 

For instance, soap contains sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium hydroxide, and other additives that are potentially harmful to hair.

In addition, Dawn is formulated to break down dish oils, so it will do the same to your hair.

This is not a good thing because your hair’s natural oils are essential for growth as they strengthen hair and prevent breakage.

Generally, you shouldn’t worry too much if you use Dawn dish soap in moderation.

Although it’s technically safe for your hair, it’s still not recommended since more suitable hair products can remove dirt, grease, and grime without harsh side effects.

Read Next: Does Bentonite Clay Remove Hair Color?

Does Dawn Dishwashing Liquid Remove Hair Dye?

Dawn dishwashing liquid has a potent cleaning formula, and it also acts as a mild bleach, helping to remove hair dye. Dawn dishwashing liquid is an easy and cheap way to lighten darker colors. However, it strips natural oils and dries your hair, so it should not be used excessively. 

Dawn dish soap removes hair dye, but it only fades out hair color up to 2 shades after a few washes.

You can achieve the same results with clarifying shampoo since both ingredients contain strong surfactants that can open the cuticle to lift color from your tresses. 

So, while Dawn can fade your hair color, it won’t completely remove artificial pigment from your hair.

It’s usually more effective if the color is darker than intended, so you only want to lighten it. 

Otherwise, trying to use Dawn for more than subtle color removal can end up damaging your strands because of the soap’s intense cleaning properties, which dries out your hair. 

How Does Dawn Remove Hair Color?

Dawn contains powerful ingredients, which explains why it’s a popular at-home remedy for removing hair dye. 

This soap has the following ingredients that help strip unwanted dye from your locks:

• Sulfates. Dawn contains sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate, two of the strongest surfactants and cleaning agents on the market. They’re capable of washing off dye molecules. 
• Denatured alcohol. Denatured alcohol is another ingredient that helps remove dye molecules, though it can leave your hair super dry.
• Sodium chloride. This is table salt – there are many claims that salt helps strip your hair’s color.
• Sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is an alkaline substance, meaning it has a high pH that opens the cuticle, making dye removal convenient.
• Solvents. Dawn also contains other solvents like phenoxyethanol that can dissolve dye molecules from your hair.
• Chloroxylenol. You may have heard that Dawn acts as a mild bleach. This is probably due to this ingredient – an antibacterial agent that contains the element chlorine. Chlorine is well known for its bleaching properties.
• Other cleaning agents. Dawn also contains other cleaning agents that help strip color from hair.

How To Use Dawn Dishwashing Liquid To Remove Hair Dye

When using Dawn to remove hair dye, use it as you would shampoo. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Apply Dawn evenly and generously throughout your hair to ensure uniform results.
2. Massage the soap into your hair from roots to ends until it lathers.
3. Leave the soap for 15 minutes or more.
4. Rinse your hair thoroughly, ensuring the soap doesn’t get into your eyes.
5. Repeat the procedure if you want to wash off more hair dye. 
6. Apply conditioner and leave for a few minutes before rinsing.
7. Let your hair air dry and style as desired.
8. Wash your hair with Dawn dish soap once or twice a week to gradually remove hair dye.

Tips for Using Dawn Dishwashing Liquid to Remove Hair Dye

• Always condition your hair after applying the soap. Because of Dawn’s drying effects, applying conditioner replenishes the lost moisture, minimizing damage to your hair. 
• Don’t forget to deep condition your hair if you’re using Dawn to lighten your hair gradually. For instance, you can do a hot oil treatment using jojoba/coconut/olive oil to combat the harshness of the soap.
• Since Dawn doesn’t remove hair dye completely even after many washes, it’s a good idea to pair it with other hair dye removal products. For instance, mixing with baking soda helps scrub off some of the dye molecules. Similarly, combining Dawn with clarifying shampoo can help wash out more color from your hair.

Disclaimer: This site is not intended to provide professional or medical advice. All of the content on LovedByCurls.com is for informational purposes only. All advice should be followed at your own discretion. Ingredients may change at any time so always check the product label before using. Check our full disclaimer policy here.