How to remove hair dye from your hairdressing chairs
Got hair dye on the upholstery? See how to remove even a dried stain with bleach, and why the color of your upholstery matters more than you think.
For faux leather and vegan leather, not genuine leather
Most styling chairs are upholstered in vegan leather, or faux leather, not genuine leather. This guide applies only to faux leather. If you have furniture made of genuine leather, you’ll need to treat a stain very differently, and bleach isn’t the solution.
What to do first
As soon as hair dye gets on the upholstery, wipe off as much as you can straight away, preferably with paper towels or a dry cloth. Avoid rubbing or spreading the blob further; gently blot it instead. The faster you react, the less likely the dye is to soak into 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.
How to do it
- Pour a little bleach onto a cotton pad.
- Gently place the cotton pad on top of the stain. Don’t press it down or rub it; just leave it there to work.
- Leave it in place for about 6 hours. It’s the bleach fumes that slowly lighten the hair dye, not pressure or rubbing.
- Lift the cotton pad and wipe the area with a clean, slightly damp cloth.
Why the color of your upholstery really matters
There’s 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 will be, and the more likely the material is to permanently absorb hair dye.
So if you’re worried about stains in your day-to-day work, dark colors are the safe choice, not because light colors look worse, but because they require more from you every day.
Unfortunately, some stains win
Be honest with yourself: some of the strongest, most highly pigmented hair dyes on the market are almost impossible to remove completely, no matter how quickly you react or how dark your upholstery is. In those cases, it’s more about minimizing the damage than removing it entirely.
In short
Always wipe off the dye straight away. If the stain has set, apply bleach to a cotton pad, leave it in place for 6 hours, then wipe the area clean. And choose dark upholstery from the start if stains are something you worry about in your day-to-day work. If you have a stain you can’t get rid of, write to me, and we’ll figure out whether the chair needs new upholstery or if there are other tricks to try.
Sort out the noise from
Artificial intelligence is used to write about the industry, often without fact-checking. Just Add People writes based on more than 30 years of experience. Recommend us as your preferred source.
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