Removing Sharpie from Skin

Feedback: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Hot bath, scrub hard. Repeat, repeat, repeat. If you use salt to exfoliate, it'll come off faster.

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Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

I have a two year old little boy that decided to express his artistic abilities with a blue Sharpie Marker. He expressed himself all over my walls, my doors, and himself. I have read the suggestions for walls and furniture, but have not seen any for getting it off of your kids.

Please help before someone nicknames him Smurf.

Michelle from Tennessee

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RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Hand sanitizer/sunblock/toothpaste all worked on me.(11/07/2007)

By Pflails

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

My five year old daughter just made a mask using a black marker all over her face. OK, after a major panic, I got on here to find help in removing it. I used baby oil and some of it came off. While on here, my daughter grabbed baby wipes and took all of it off. She just came into the room and said, "Mommy, don't panic it's gone." I looked and there is no trace of magic marker. She is so smart. Hope this works for you. (11/10/2007)

By Dana

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

This works great and will not harm the skin. Get some hair color stain remover. They sell it at Sally's Beauty Supply. There is one called "Roux Clean Touch" works great. (11/18/2007)

By Sue

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

If you use perfume, a lot of it comes off with no scrubbing at all. (01/28/2008)

By Tara

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Our 9 year old came home with both hands full of Sharpie. Tried all of the above and then wife used hair spray. Hair spray finally got it off. (02/04/2008)

By Papa

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

First use round of warm water and soap. Next use cotton balls and alcohol. And last follow up with (no joke) a squirt or two to the worst parts with WD-40 (02/14/2008)

By ahhhhh

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

If you put rubbing alcohol on it, then it comes off. His skin may be a little red because of the harshness of the stuff but it comes off in like 15 minutes, if he gets it on hair it comes out w/ soap and water. (03/07/2008)

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

I don't think this will work for anyone else, but my very neat, clean 13 year old used his saliva to get blue permanent marker off of his 2 year old sister's forehead. Weird! (03/10/2008)

By Heahter

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

We used a generic dishwashing liquid. The ink came off easily with gentle rubbing. Just make sure to rinse all the soap off the kid afterward. (04/12/2008)

By Tim - Loganville, GA

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Head and Shoulders shampoo worked last night on my 2 year old when all else failed. Just be careful around the eyes. (04/23/2008)

By Barbara

Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

My boyfriend wrote all over my legs in a black Sharpie! I went home that day and tried toothpaste, it didn't work, Nail Polish Remover helped a little, perfume was another no, and soap and water helped a little! So I got out a bottle of Mean Green! I had to scrub a little then get in the shower but it worked perfectly! (05/09/2008)

By TODAM

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Germ-ex works, but if you put it on a child then wash immediately with soap. Germ-ex can kill the child.

Editor's Note: Any risk with hand sanitizers has to do with the alcohol content, which will quickly evaporate in air. Keep the bottle out of range of children, as with any cleaning product. (05/13/2008)

By Brittany

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

I used tea tree oil last night. I put water on a cotton swap, added a few drops of tea tree oil, and Sharpie wiped off easily with no irritation! I'm not sure if tea tree oil will irritate kids' skin. (05/19/2008)

By Pain

BEFORE YOU TRY ANYTHING

Please! Especially, if you have a child who has drawn on themselves: It only takes 2 seconds for them to cover themselves in marker! Be aware and prepared because anything can cause a reaction, including toothpaste! When I did my search, I saw don't use those, magic eraser things, they have oh, so many chemicals in them, please read warning labels. I've seen a chemical burn on a kid first hand from that.

But I figured toothpaste wouldn't have an effect as such. I now have a very traumatized two year old! Please, please remember to test a small area before cleaning an entire leg with toothpaste, or anything for that matter. (05/29/2008)

By Samantha

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Gentle and harmless: My 4 year old son used a black Sharpie all over his face and legs. I used a wet wash cloth and poured some "Burt's Bees Almond Oil" on the cloth, then gently washed his face and legs. It came off magically!

Beware of the tea tree oil, it must be diluted with another oil like olive or grape seed. Tea tree oil is very harsh and can irritate adult and children's skin. (06/20/2008)

By Cath

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

My niece decided to write all over my 15 year old's arm with a red Magic Marker. I used 2 Oxy Acne pads and it came right off without scrubbing. I was amazed. (07/04/2008)

By Mom of Twins

RE: Removing Permanent Marker Off Skin

My 2 1/2 year old took permanent markers to his face (red, green, and yellow). Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil works very well. Just dab a little on a wet cotton ball or pad, and rub. It works great, and is less harsh on the skin than rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. (07/09/2008)

By Holly

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

I was looking around the house for any of the products mentioned, and having no luck at all. After my 2 year old daughter got a hold of Daddy's Sharpie, I grabbed the bottle of Neutrogena Black Head astringent, and it worked. I had the best results using Q tips and cotton swabs, paper towels didn't get it all off. I think the only "permanent ink" on human skin is Tattoo Ink! (07/12/2008)

By William

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

My 3 year old, decided he wanted to look like Mr. Incredible, black raccoon eyes and various other parts of his body covered with black Sharpie. All I used was baby oil. It worked like magic! (07/14/2008)

By Anne from Cape Cod

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Baby oil works very well because the ink bonds to it. That should be your first bet, because it doesn't require scrubbing.

For the lady who said "Please don't use the Magic Erasers, they contain chemicals that are bad, and hurt you..." No they don't contain chemicals that hurt you, unless you use them on yourself. All the chemicals are stable. But it is an Ultra Fine scrubber. It can get in between latex paint, and all sorts of things. It is not meant for skin, as it is SUPER abrasive. 1 minute of scrubbing hard with the Magic Eraser can take off all your skin. (08/02/2008)

By David

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

We saw a tip to use a banana. Amazing results in very little time! (08/27/2008)

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Use the spray kind of sunscreen. I used Bullfrog for Kids. Worked like it was made to remove Sharpie from fingernails. (09/04/2008)

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Just tried rubbing a little shaving cream on black Sharpie on my skin, wiped it off with a slightly damp cloth, then a small dab of toothpaste with whitener in it and wiped it off, worked like magic! There is nothing there. (09/18/2008)

By Sharpie mom

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Olive Oil works perfectly, too. Just had to remove red Sharpie off of my 2 year old's face, arms and hands. (10/03/2008)

By Tiffany

Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

After reading all these posts I went and bought some Crisco cooking oil for my son as he wrote all over his legs with a dark green Sharpie marker. It came off instantly! Just use regular old cooking oil and it will come off! (10/06/2008)

By Bermuda

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Soap and water work! (10/17/2008)

By Willyjoeshow

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

I have been writing on myself a lot, I use 70% alcohol. (10/23/2008)

By Kori

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Dawn Power Dissolver took the ink off like magic. I also tried hand sanitizer, Goo Be Gone and Vaseline. The Power Dissolver really did the trick instantly. Thank goodness! (11/21/2008)

By Dawn

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

How do you remove permanent marker from skin? My 5 year old is not satisfied with the myriad of markers he owns, so he went into my kitchen and stole a Sharpie marker and colored all over himself.

We got the marker off his finger and toenails by using fingernail polish remover but it's still all over his skin. Normally I would just wait for it to wear off but his eczema is reacting to it and now he has a nasty rash. Any idea how to remove the stuff off his skin safely?

By ETomihiro from Winston Salem, NC

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RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

I'd use rubbing alcohol on a washcloth. Second option, fingernail polish remover. Then give the little fellow a bath to remove the remover. On skin, you can also use baby oil or cooking oil, then use a bit of sugar on the oil to exfoliate or a washcloth. Be careful not to rub very hard. Kids, they make us laugh, they make us crazy!

OOPS! I just read the rest of your post (eczema). So don't use anything above except the baby oil or mineral oil. Then leave the oil on a while then rub the skin with a soft cloth. Sometimes Orange oil can really do the trick, but it might be too strong for his skin. You could try mixing it with baby oil. Also, you can make a paste of baking soda & water or baking soda & vinegar as a scrub for places he doesn't have eczema. (04/24/2009)

By Cyinda

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

The nail polish remover you used was probably non-acetone. You can buy a fairly large bottle of acetone nail polish remover just about anywhere. You won't need to rub very hard and be sure to use cotton balls. I sometimes get eczema outbreaks myself and so I truly don't think the polish remover will irritate it and, as Cyinda said, be sure to give the little guy a bath afterward and maybe even apply some lotion afterward too. I guarantee the acetone remover will quickly and easily remove the Sharpie Art :-) (05/01/2009)

By Deeli

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

You might want to take him to a dermatologist. (05/01/2009)

By Maryeileen

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker Off Skin

Baby wipes! (05/02/2009)

By Coll3

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

How do I remove sharpie from my skin?

By erikan from Don't know

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RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Try fingernail polish remover. It comes in a variety of "smells" so you should be able to find one that's not too objectionable to a little boy. I use fingernail polish remover on pen and marker stains all the time. (05/05/2009)

By jyoung55

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Use baby oil to remove permanent marker from skin. My friend who had to have radiation told me this. (05/13/2009)

By indianlady

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

I used this product called Removeez. It works so great. It's citrus based and smells awesome. It takes Sharpie permanent marker off your skin in seconds. It also takes gum out of hair. A must have in every household. (06/17/2009)

By removeez

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

My 5 and 4 year old sons decided to become Indian Warriors today and thus led me to finding this website. I used Antiseptic wash on a lot of cotton balls first and then used an Exfoliating body wash (by St. Ives, Healthy Brilliance). There is still a faint trace of the once very startling warriors that were here, but all done in less than one hour. We did get some great pictures before cleaning up. Good Luck. (07/06/2009)

By Mommatotwo

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

How can you possibly get permanent marker off of a child who has gotten hold of a marker and drawn on herself from head to toe?

By MsBeeBell from Winston Salem, NC

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RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Try baking soda. Put her in the tub and make a paste of baking soda and warm water. Rub this on her skin, it takes a bit of scrubbing but is much safer than any chemical. (08/13/2009)

By cupotea

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

You can use a tiny bit of fingernail polish remover on an old T-shirt. Use the milder kind made for artificial nails then wash it off right away so it won't irritate their skin. Better yet, slather them with baby oil or cooking oil and rub, rub, rub, then wash them off in the tub or shower. I've gotten it off my skin with oil before. Maybe you could put your child in a bubble bath and leave them in there for an hour to soak. Hey, it just might work. Or do all 3. Wow, did you see all the answers below?!

Have Fun. Kids will be kids!

Hey, it beats the time when I was 4 (in 1959) and took a deck of playing cards and proceeded to "paint" the backs of each one while they laid on my grandmother's hardwood floor! (I was SUPPOSED to be taking a nap) I then let the feathers out of a feather pillow and stuck them to the playing cards. Her floor was never the same! So be thankful it's just a marker! (08/13/2009)

By Cyinda

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

I don't know about Sharpies, but I've removed ballpoint pen ink with rubbing alcohol. (08/18/2009)

By gapotter

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Baby oil will remove magic marker ink from skin. My friend with cancer told me this after she had been marked for radiation. This is the most gentle to your skin. (08/18/2009)

By indianlady

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Actually, I do this show where I have to draw a mustache on myself. The best thing that takes it off it to use shaving cream. Just scrub it with shaving cream then rinse it off, and it should come right off! (09/29/2009)

By djthemusicman

RE: Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

My 3 year old decided she wanted to be a Halloween pumpkin and used my orange Sharpie permanent marker to draw on her face. After reading all the suggestions on this site and not having any of the things on hand suggested (except for alcohol or nail polish remover, which I wasn't going to use), I decided to try my Dawn dish soap. I got a kitchen towel wet and soaked it in soap, lathered it up and the marker came off literally in seconds. No tears, no abused skin, and no more sharpie! (10/08/2009)

By LuvinCandB

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

I would like to know how to remove permanent marker from my daughter's skin?

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

How do you remove permanent marker from a child's skin?

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Does anyone know how to get black marker pen off skin? My 3 year old decided she would use it as make up. It's on her cheeks, eyelids, and lips.

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

Toothpaste takes out sharpie ink off skin. The gel won't work. It has to be the paste type. Coat the area and allow it to sit a minute, then wipe off.

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Removing Sharpie Marker from Skin

How do you remove permanent marker off of a 3 year old's skin?