Hair dye, particularly permanent dye, can cause permanent stains when it drips. If you wear plastic eyewear frames, it is common to end up with stains on the rims or on the ear pieces. Quick action is needed to remove the hair dye from plastic eyewear frames, but if you have an old stain, you may still be able to successfully remove it. Your rate of success will depend largely on the type of hair dye that was used, as well as the age of the stain.
Wipe the area on the frames with a damp cloth. If the hair dye is still fresh, you can immediately remove it from the frames. Waiting even a few minutes may lessen the likelihood of successful removal. If you notice that a stain remains on the frames, or if you are dealing with an older stain, stronger methods will be required.
Soak the eyeglass frames in warm water for several minutes. The heat from the water will help keep the plastic frames porous and assist you in getting rid of the stain. This technique works best for hair dye stains that are only a few minutes to a few hours old. Add dish soap to the water to help break down the stain.
Lightly spray the eyeglass frames with hair spray and wipe the spray off with a damp cloth. Hair spray can remove many stains, including hair dye and permanent ink. If the hair dye is not too dark, you should see an immediate lessening of the stain. It may take several tries with the hair spray before the stain is completely removed.
Apply lemon juice to the stain. Lemon juice is an effective acid that can help lighten a tough stain that you cannot remove. Although this method may not get rid of the hair dye stain on your plastic eyeglass frames entirely, it will make it appear less noticeable. This may require several treatments until you see measurable results.