How to remove makeup stains from clothing

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve pulled a white T-shirt out of my wardrobe only to find the collar covered in foundation marks. And I’ll never forget the time I tinted my brows without a care in the world and ended up staining myself a sexy monobrow. No matter how careful we are when it comes to beauty products, mess happens.
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And while I’m no whiz in the laundry, some of the bh team and our members definitely are! These are their beauty stain removal secrets:
“If nail polish has accidentally rubbed off onto your clothes or spilled on the couch - just pop some nail polish remover on a cotton pad or cotton tip and gently work over the stain. The only thing you need to be careful of here is that the nail polish remover doesn't lift the colour off your clothes/furniture too (which is why you should never soak the stain in it, just gently dab/wipe it away bit by bit).” - bh’s Deb
bh loves: Mavala Switzerland Nail Polish Remover, Fabuluscious Nail Polish Remover, Sally Hansen Acetone Free Polish Remover
“I don't know if this would apply to towels, but when I did a hairdressing apprenticeship years ago, whenever we got hair dye on our clothes we would spray the hair dye with hairspray, then just wash as usual. It worked for me and other hairdressers but I'm not 100 per cent sure about it working on towels.” - Rachel474
“I have friends who swear that toothpaste is the only way to go if you get a bit of hair dye on your skin. Ones with abrasive properties (like bicarb soda) work best. Rub it on the stain for about 30 seconds and rinse away. If the stain remains slightly, repeat until it disappears.” - bh’s Sarah
“Shampoo is great for getting foundation stains out of clothing (the sooner you do this, the more effective this method is) and removing deodorant stains out of armpit sections of shirts (you know how gross men are).” - The Ugly Duckling
“I don't dye my hair at home, but I've been told that soaking a towel stain in vinegar before popping it in the wash can help to lift it off - but it's better to do this with fresh stains. The longer the dye has to 'set' on the towel, the harder it can be to remove the stain without bleach.” - bh’s Deb
“Try plain alcohol - namely vodka. My mum used to use it to get out grass stains. Might work for foundation!” - sunjeanie
“I use face wipes to get white deodorant marks off clothes.” - bh’s Kelly
“Hairspray removes almost everything! I use it on pen stains all the time. Spray it on the area, about a cm away from the surface (you want it to be nice and wet), and then use toilet paper or paper towel to dab it and the stain will lift out.” - bh’s Vanessa
“For most makeup stains (mascara, lipstick, foundation) I soak the stained area with micellar water or eye makeup remover (not oil-based of course!) for up to 10 minutes and then pop it in a cold wash. Or if the stain has just happened (ie. while you're doing your makeup) a makeup removing wipe or cotton pad soaked in micellar water dabbed onto the area works well to quickly remove any marks.” - bh’s Deb
bh loves: Simple ® Skincare Micellar Cleansing Water, Rosehip by essano Gentle Facial Cleansing Micellar Water, Avène Micellar Lotion
“I use dishwashing liquid to remove all stains, makeup and normal. Pop some dishwashing liquid onto the stain (as soon as it happens) and rub together the material with some water until it dissolves out. Worked a treat with red lippy on a grey shirt the other week!” - bh’s Liz
“If I get flecks of mascara or eyeshadow on my clothes while doing my makeup, I use a dry cotton bud to try to lift away the mark without rubbing it into the fabric. Then dab a makeup remover wipe over any residue to remove it!” - bh’s Anna
Do you know any other stain removal solutions? Have you tried any of the above before?
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163 Member Comments
These are so helpful! Thanks so much
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Always down to use a bit of vodka for anything haha.
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These are all great. I keep baby wipes in most rooms as they are super handy and don't use up my face wipes on spills!
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Love all these tips!! How interesting!!! I have to try that toothpaste trick to remove hair dye from skin!
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I’m thinking about it for next time I stain the bathroom tiles—which bloody man designed a bathroom with pools tiles anyway? It just wipes off the glossies!
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These tips are so handy. I can't think of any other tips at the moment.
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Loved the tips! I swear by dishwashing liquid for anything oil based.
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I'll try that on the grease stains in my carpet the builder left behind!
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Ooo...I've never heard of the hair spray trick but I'm keen to try it!
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love these tips I so bad at spilling makeup on my carpet
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Love this, great tips! I'm definitely guilty of getting nail polish all over the place.
I'm really curious about the hairspray tip - will have to give that a go next time I come across a pen stain.
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I've heard milk will get pen stains out too.
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I got foundation on a white top and I could not get it out no matter what. I threw the top in the bin. Nothing was going to get it out
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Did not know about any of these! Especially the hairspray on pen stains!
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I love the shampoo tip!
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Thanks for the fab tips!
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I find a mix of dishwashing liquid and vinegar works on most things.
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Dishwashing liquid is the bomb!
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I think the vodka and micellar water is safer than hairspray.
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what a great article! some really helpful tips
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Use the hairspray tip a lot
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Buying vodka for 'cleaning' purposes.
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Cleaning and cocktails. Love it!
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Love the tips thank you.
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some very interesting tips that I never heard about! Will try the hair spray next time.
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