Permanent marker stains can be risky and incredibly difficult to remove. You may find these markers annoying because they are quick-drying and fade-resistant. If your marks do not go away on their own in 4 to 5 days after regular bathing, useful tips and guidelines to remove these marks. Here, you’ll find how to get a permanent marker off your skin when it ends up on unintended strains on your skin.
Best Ways to get permanent marker off skin
It totally makes sense to address the safety of having a sharpie marker on the skin. Its safety for use on your skin depends on the marker’s composition. Some constituents can be strong irritants like diacetone alcohol while others can be toxic for your skin, especially near your eyes and lips. Therefore, you must avoid sharpies on your skin altogether. It has become easy for you now since there are many easy and simple ways to get permanent marker off your skin.
Usually, it can take three to four days for permanent markers to fade from the skin on their own. But if you want to remove it a bit quicker, try incorporating the methods below into your washing routine. You’ll likely want to repeat these methods several times. There are also harsh constituents you must avoid applying to your sensitive skin. These include bleach, baking soda, and other harmful chemicals. Also, don’t use any item to which you may have an allergic reaction.
1. Rubbing Alcohol
It is one of the most common products you can find anywhere these days. Rubbing alcohol is used to clean areas where you can’t use bleach. For this purpose, it works effectively when it comes to getting rid of the permanent markers off skin no matter how long it has been on the skin. Avoid getting it into the eyes of you or your child when you are cleaning your skin with it.
Spray rubbing alcohol on all the sharpie stains that you can find on your skin and wipe them off with a wet cloth or a piece of paper towel. Prefer doing this in the bathtub or the shower as the rubbing alcohol may run off the body and onto the floor. You can just wash it out when you are in the shower, without worrying about cleaning up afterward.
2. Makeup remover
This is the best option to remove sharpie marks from your skin, particularly if you have delicate and sensitive skin. Makeup removers permanently remove marker strain from your skin within no time. You will feel it is a less harsh option as compared to other household and chemical-based removers. You can apply it with a cotton wool ball or simply use makeup remover wipes for this purpose.
Massage the remover into your marked skin in a circular motion for several seconds. Rinse thoroughly with slightly warm water.
3. Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer contains chemicals that help avoid bacteria and other fungi. It can also be used to get sharpie marks off your skin. Apply it to the sharpie mark area and it starts to fade out.
Find the permanent marker marks on your skin and spray a little hand sanitizer. Do not add excessively to different areas where your child can start to play with it. Clean as you go. Now massage in the proper circular motions and wipe it off with a wet paper towel or wipes. Repeat the cleaning process if the stained marker hasn’t been removed completely.
READ: 6 Things Never to Apply on Your Oily Skin
How to get permanent marker off skin without alcohol?
If you are a bit conscious about using alcohol on your skin, you can follow the ways to remove sharpie stains that do not include alcohol.
1. Olive oil or coconut oil
Ever got a marker leak on your hands? It’s frustrating, but you can remove it with olive oil or coconut oil for removing a permanent marker from your skin. These are the common ingredients easily available in the home and don’t cause any skin reaction or irritation. These oils can help bind to your epidermis not taking longer to work best on your skin.
Just apply a small amount of oil to the skin with your fingers and hands. Rub the oil over the stain in circular motions. For this purpose, you can use your fingers, washcloth, and paper towel. Do this gently before cleaning away. Now, wash the area with soap water. These oils are also helpful for removing turmeric stains, dirt, and pimples from your skin.
READ: 8 Effective Turmeric Face packs for Different skin types
2. Baby oil
Wondering how to get permanent marker off skin fast? Try using baby oil. Mineral oil or baby oil can attach to excess oils on your skin removing all the excess substances. Most importantly, this could also help with the permanent marker stains. Baby oils have the additional benefit of being exclusively tested and applied to the skin of babies. So, it can also be your first option to remove permanent marker stains from your baby’s body.
Take a small amount of oil in your hand and apply it to the affected area gently. Massage with slight circular motions and then wash. Rinse as normal with a mild cleanser. Repeat the same process two to three times a day. You should be extra careful if you have acne-prone skin because applying extra oils can lead to more breakouts on your skin.
READ: 5 Baby Skin Problems That Look Worse Than They Really Are
3. Whitening toothpaste and mouthwash
Whitening toothpaste not only helps lighten the stains on your teeth but also removes permanent sharpie spots on your skin. Mouthwash also has the potential to lighten the permanent sharpie stains on your skin.
Apply enough toothpaste to the marker-stained area. Rub it gently with your fingers or washcloth and then massage in a circular motion. It will moisturize the upper skin layer resulting in a clean area. Now, you can add mouthwash to a damp washcloth and rub it gently on the skin. Apply mouthwash if you want to remove the marked stain fast otherwise, you can skip this part. Use the same procedure two to three times per day.
4. Sunscreen
Sunblock is the easiest way you’ll find here, but there are a couple of tricks to it. The sunscreens that spray on as a clear liquid seem to be the best type of sunscreen to use for removing permanent markers or sharpies from the skin. Probably, it is because of the clear spray, but it will work like magic for you. The spray-on sunscreens work effectively because they include alcohol. You must avoid cream-based sunscreens as they don’t provide good results.
You also want to make sure not to get the sunscreen anywhere near your eyes, mouths, or any type of rash, cut, or sore. Avoid these areas of your face altogether while applying sunscreen. Spray the sunscreen directly to cover the marker-stained area and let it stay for a few minutes. Simply wipe with a paper towel or washcloth. Then wipe the affected area for the removal of a marker stain from your skin. Repeat it daily to erase the stain completely.
5. Butter
You may think that using butter to remove permanent marker stains off the skin is a myth. It may sound strange to you, but applying butter to the skin removes marks. The butter’s oil helps weaken and break up the ink. Thus, it allows you to permanently remove the marker stain from your skin easily.
First, take a washcloth and wet it. Use it to remove the ink by covering the wet area with butter. Rub it gently in the circular motions for about 4-6 minutes. Now, wash off the butter with hot soapy water and you’ll get all of the ink residues off.
READ: Top 8 Home Made Remedies for Skin Allergy and Itching
What is the Safest Ink for skin?
At this point, when you know how to get a permanent marker off your skin, you may want to know what markers you can use on your skin without leaving harmful effects on your health. Few skin-safe marker options are washable, non-toxic, and, most importantly, specifically designed to use on the skin. The choice of a good skin-friendly marker typically depends on the purpose of your project. You can consider an accidental mark from permanent ink. It is unlikely to cause any adverse signs on your skin and overall health.
Kids’ face and body markers are also the safest markers for your skin. Tattoo markers are temporary and non-toxic tattoos and are ideal for parties, festivals, sports events, and many other occasions.
Surgical markers are another skin-safe and sterile option. You can use these markers as make-up and design your body with tattoo trace lines anywhere on the body.
READ: Best Ever Treatment & Solutions for Skin Pigmentation
