Have you ever got rubber bands stuck in your hair and weren’t sure how to get them out? This is definitely a problem that people with curly hair run into almost every time they use rubber bands. How to get rubber bands out of hair when they’re stuck?
We’ll show you a few methods you can use so that you’re not pulling your hair or cutting it out just to get rid of the rubber bands. You don’t have to say goodbye to using rubber bands if you know the best methods for removing rubber bands from your hair.
Roll the Rubber Bands Down
The simplest method to remove rubber bands from your hair is to pull them all the way down to the bottom of your hair till they fall out in your hand. This is how most people will remove rubber bands, though it doesn’t always work. Depending on how tightly the rubber bands are wrapped, what kind of hair you have, and the condition of your hair, rubber bands may not roll down very easily.
How to get rubber bands out of your hair using this method? Just grasp the rubber bands on two sides with fingers of the same hand. You’ll use your thumb on one side of your hair of the rubber bands and then your next two fingers on the opposite side. Squeeze tightly, and then pull the rubber bands downward while keeping your fingers clenched.
Once you get to the bottom of your hair, the rubber bands should fall out easily. There may still be a hair or two stuck in the bands, and you should be able to loosen those hairs by opening up the rubber bands at that point.
Where most people mess up with this method is they try to jerk the rubber bands off in a single motion. Unless your hair is really short, that won’t work very well. You’ll probably end up pulling on your hair so much it hurts or even pulling hairs out of your head. Instead, gradually pull the rubber bands down in one, long smooth motion or short, gentle motions.
Cut the Bands out of Your Hair
Sometimes, the pulling method doesn’t work, especially if there are tiny rubber bands that are wrapped tightly around your hair. As you pull and pull on them, they may not get any looser, and you may start to regret that you used such tiny rubber bands in the first place. How to get tiny rubber bands out of your hair?
One of the most effective and fastest methods is to use scissors and cut them out. This is tricky, because you don’t want to cut your hair, but if you are doing it right, there won’t be much risk of that.
The bands should be wrapped in the opposite direction of the hair, so you’ll want to place the scissors under the edge of the bands in the same direction as your hair. This minimizes the risk of cutting. Try to fit the blades under the rubber bands as far as you can.
Maybe you can only wedge them under one strand the rubber bands. If so, then that’s a good start. Before you try to close the scissors and cut the bands, make sure there’s no hair in between the blades. You can move some of the hair out of the way if you need to. It also helps to try lifting the rubber bands up a little bit before you cut them, pulling up with the scissors to separate the bands from the hair. That way, you can make sure there’s no hair caught in the part of the rubber bands where you’re going to cut.
Make a small cut at first, making sure that you’re only cutting rubber bands and not hair. You can snip through strand by strand of the rubber bands or just cut one strand and then pull the bands loose from there. Cutting a single band of the rubber bands is the safest method. You should have enough leverage at that point to be able to wriggle the rubber bands free from the hair.
How to Get Rubber Bands out of Hair with Oil
If the rubber bands are stuck and pulling them is not an option and you’d prefer not to cut them, you can always try using a little oil. I understand not wanting to cut the rubber bands because you don’t want to waste them.
Any kind of conditioning agent or hair grease should work well at loosening the bands. How to loosen rubber bands in hair? Squirt a little bit onto the end of your finger and rub that under the rubber bands as much as possible.
A thin oil will slide under the bands easier than a thick oil would, so you may want to choose your oils carefully.
Just about any kind of oil will work, though. You could use cooking oil, butter, and even mayonnaise. This can always be washed out of your hair later. It may not be very pleasant to put oil in your hair that doesn’t belong there, but it’s certainly better than leaving the bands in there until your hair gets grungy or cutting your hair to try to get the bands out.
These are our best tips for how to take rubber bands out of hair, and hopefully we have given you an option or two you didn’t think of. If you’re not confident about one of these methods, just use another one, and maybe consider not putting rubber bands in your hair in the first place.
It may even help to get someone to assist you. You might not be able to loosen the bands by yourself or get them out without someone else giving you a hand. Don’t be ashamed to ask for assistance with this problem, as another pair of hands may be able to work better, since the other person would have a better view and better angle to work with when trying to remove rubber bands.
I’m Jennifer a beauty and wellness expert. I believe in promoting a sustainable and healthy lifestyle from within. Helping people feel good is my passion; whether it’s teaching yoga or offering skincare advice.