How to remove hair dye from your hairdressing chairs

Applies to faux leather and vegan leather, not genuine leather

Most hairdressing chairs are upholstered in vegan leather, meaning faux leather, not genuine leather. This guide applies only to faux leather. If you have furniture made of genuine leather, you need to treat a stain quite differently, and bleach is not the solution.

What to do first

As soon as hair dye gets on the upholstery, wipe off as much as possible immediately, preferably with paper towel or a dry cloth. Avoid rubbing or spreading the mess further; gently dab it up instead. The faster you react, the lower the risk that the color will have time to penetrate the surface.

When the stain has already set

If you noticed the stain too late, or it has already dried and left a mark, all hope is not lost.

What to do

1. Pour a small amount of bleach onto a cotton pad.
2. Carefully place the cotton pad on top of the stain. Do not press it down or rub it; simply leave it there to work.
3. Leave it for approximately 6 hours. It is the fumes from the bleach that gradually lighten the hair dye, not the pressure or rubbing.
4. Lift off the cotton pad and wipe the area with a clean, slightly damp cloth.

Why the color of your upholstery really matters

There is a reason many experienced salon owners choose dark brown or black faux leather for their styling chairs and salon stools: it simply stays looking clean for longer. The lighter the upholstery you choose, the more visible even a small stain becomes, and the more susceptible the material is to permanently absorbing hair dye.

So if you are worried about stains in everyday use, dark colors are the safe choice—not because light colors look worse, but because they require more from you day to day.

Unfortunately, some stains win

Be honest with yourself: some of the strongest, most highly pigmented hair dyes on the market are virtually impossible to remove completely, no matter how quickly you react or how dark your upholstery is. In those cases, it is more about minimizing the damage than removing it entirely.

In short

Always wipe off the dye immediately. If the stain has set, use bleach on a cotton pad, leave it to work undisturbed for 6 hours, and wipe the area afterward. And choose dark upholstery from the start if stains are something that concerns you in everyday use. If you have a stain you cannot get rid of, write to me, and we will figure out whether the chair needs new upholstery or whether there are other tricks to try.