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Can Acetone Remove Hair Extensions? (Read This First!)

Hair extension is a great accessory to enhance the outlook of your hair. While it gives you a fuller and longer hair look, you cannot keep it in your hair permanently.

It is only normal to take off the hair extensions after a certain period and give your hair follicles a break to breathe.

Many people share their experiences of removing hair extensions by pulling them slowly or picking up the glue with nails and taking them off.

But none of these seem promising and can cause severe damage to your hair. Let’s get to know if acetone can help remove or not.

Can acetone remove hair extensions?

Acetone can remove hair extensions. Acetone is a form of ketone but much stronger than alcohol. It sits and works through the powerful bonding agent and dissolves it. But acetone is not good for skin or scalp hence it should not be used regularly and needs to be handled with expertise.

It is not possible to visit hair salons every time you wear hair extensions especially if you use them frequently. You can consider using acetone in such cases.

Pre-bonded hair extensions:

Pre-bonded hair extensions can be chemically removed by using acetone. These extensions are an absolute favorite of hair experts and stylists as they are more durable and promising than other hair extensions.

Pre-bonded hair extensions are bonded with keratin. These are fixed in your hair by heating and melting the keratin. As the bonding agent is quite sturdy, chemical remover like acetone can help dissolve it and take the extensions off.

Tape hair extensions:

Acetone can remove tape-in hair extensions. Tape-in hair extensions are not as durable as pre-bonded hair extensions but are still quite useful as they are easier to attach and take off.

Tape-in extensions come with adhesive tape that can be attached to the hair.

You can use acetone-soaked cotton balls or spray acetone to the taped bonds to break them down. It will seep through the bonds and dissolve slowly. Then you can simply peel off the extension without damaging your hair at all.

How to remove hair extensions with acetone?

Divide the hair into parts:

Before you start working with acetone, you need to divide your hair into four parts. You can use hair clips or ties to secure the parts in place. Dividing your hair will let you work with one part at a time.

Apply acetone by doing sections:

Start working with one part. Take a bonded section of a part and apply acetone with the help of a cotton ball by soaking it in acetone or with the help of a sprayer.

You need to make sure that you are applying over the bond only and keeping the scalp free.

Separate the extension gently:

After applying the acetone, wait for a few minutes until you feel the bond getting softer and more bendable.

You can also use needle-nose pliers to make the bond flat. Keep doing this gently and you will find the bond coming off easily at one point.

Wash and condition hair:

Repeat the previous steps for all the bonded sections part by part. Once all the extensions are removed, comb your hair with a wide-tooth brush to get rid of all the glues.

It will be helpful if you wash your hair afterward to make sure that no acetone stays. Apply a good conditioner to give some health to your hair.

What solution do you use to remove hair extensions?

While hair extensions are best to be removed by professionals, sometimes it can get tough to reach out to hair experts.

Rather than going for random methods to get the extensions off your head, it is wise if you do some research and try out solutions that are worth the time and effort.

Natural oil:

Natural oils are the best for removing hair extensions if you don’t want to use chemical-induced removers.

You can use olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, or baby oil. You’ll need to leave it on the bonds for at least 15 minutes or longer to dissolve the bonding agent.

You don’t have to worry about the oil seeping through and making its way to your hair and scalp. It is an easy to apply and all-natural solution but it can take a lot of time.

Peanut butter:

Peanut butter works for removing the extensions as well. Much like natural oils, peanut butter reaches the depth of the bonds and makes them softer.

It is a good option when you don’t have natural oils nearby but you must remove the extensions.

Hair conditioner:

Hair conditioner helps to soften the bonds by working on the bonding agent. Since you use it in your hair anyway, you won’t have to worry about damage. The conditioner works best when applied to wet hair.

So get into the shower and rinse your hair gently caressing the area of the extensions.

After that take a generous amount of conditioner and put it over the bonds. You may have to wait quite a long time for the bonds to get soft and come off.

Rubbing alcohol:

You can also use rubbing alcohol to get rid of the extensions. You need to rub the alcohol over the bonds or you can spray it with a sprayer. If you wait for a few minutes, the alcohol will work on the bonds and make them come off easily.

Does acetone damage hair?

Acetone is a ketone that is stronger than alcohol. The use of rubbing alcohol in removing adhesives from hair extensions is quite common. But to remove the bonding agent chemically, acetone works way better and faster than anything else.

However, zero damage should be the priority when it comes to your hair and skin. Acetone is an drying agent hence it is not a good solution to remove hair extensions especially if you use them much too often.

Acetone dries out your hair by dissolving natural oils. It weakens your hair and makes them brittle. And if by accident it gets in your scalp and stays there for a long time, it can cause dryness, itchiness, and redness of the scalp.

So whenever you’re working with acetone, it is imperative that you make sure it doesn’t get to your scalp. And even if it does, wash your hair immediately after the procedure is done.

What happens if you get acetone in your hair?

While acetone can actually work in removing hair extensions quite successfully, it is not good for your hair. See what happens when you get acetone in your hair and scalp.

Dry hair:

Acetone is a drying agent. While dissolving the bonding agent of hair extensions, it also dissolves natural oil from your hair. This results in dry and brittle hair.

Brittle hair:

Acetones don’t break down proteins so they are not likely to break hair. But, too much acetone can weaken hair to the limit where they start to break down.

Acetone makes your hair brittle and weak. Also, pulling your hair too much while removing the extensions can cause hair breakage.

Damage scalp:

Acetone is very harmful to the skin and scalp. It is more potent than alcohol and if it gets in contact with the scalp, it dries out the natural scalp oil. A dry scalp is the mother of all damage regarding scalp and hair.

Will acetone remove hair dye from hair?

Acetone is a great element to get rid of hair dye stains from clothes, floors, and even skin. But given the fact that it is an drying agent, it is not at all good for the skin.

While it can still get rid of stubborn dye stains easily, it will work on removing hair dye from hair too.

But you should never use acetone on your hair. When your hair has dye in them, they are already in a vulnerable state. If you combine a drying element like acetone with it, it may cause severe damage to the shafts.

If you must use acetone to get rid of dye stains from your skin, you may take some acetone in a cotton ball, rub it gently on the skin to take the stains off, and rinse immediately with clean water. Still, it is not recommended as it can damage your skin.

Final Thoughts

Acetone can remove hair extensions. It acts as a bond remover to dissolve strong adhesives in hair extensions. You can use it to remove both pre-bonded and tape in hair extensions. But it is not wise to depend on acetone solely if you work with hair extensions regularly as it can weaken your hair.