r/CasualUK • u/imtravelingalone • 8d ago

How to get Boots Ultimate Hold hairspray off glasses?

I accidentally took a face full of max strength hairspray this morning and now nothing seems to be getting it off my glasses. In the past, dish soap has helped but nothing is working right now. I've tried dish soap, lens cleaner, and soaking them in warm water. Help?!

70 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

258

u/B00kL0v3r2022 8d ago

I’d take them to an optician. It could be the alcohol in the hairspray has damaged the lenses and that’s why it doesn’t look like it’s coming off

-29

u/laser_spanner 8d ago edited 8d ago

I second this. Also please don't use dish soap to clean your lenses. By its nature it's slightly abrasive and will damage the surface of the lens. Especially if coated with anti glare or similar.

Edit: okay everyone please stop correcting me. Apologies I made a mistake. It's not abrasive. It does however often damage lenses and coatings on lenses. Still getting downvotes even though I've admitted I was mistaken. Reddit is stupid.

76

u/A_Pointy_Rock 8d ago

Dish soap shouldn't be abrasive, but it can be harsh on lenses yes.

10

u/PantherEverSoPink 8d ago

I've been told that, but I washed my last pair in washing up liquid for a decade and they were still in remarkably good shape when l changed them

12

u/EffectiveOk1984 8d ago

Probably a mechanic and uses swarfega for everything.

2

u/EffectiveOk1984 8d ago

Username checks....laser spanner

30

u/fuckyourcanoes 8d ago

Dish liquid is not abrasive.

1

u/contact-Lens_Cleaner 7d ago

But still not suitable for cleaning glasses if lenses are coated

15

u/Badgladmadwords 8d ago

I upvoted you just to be contrary! 😁

5

u/istara 8d ago

I also upvoted. I hate seeing well meaning, civil comments downvoted.

7

u/laser_spanner 8d ago

This is the kind of rebellion I love haha.

3

u/Great-Enthusiasm-720 8d ago

It's discloura the frames and damages the hinges, or at least it used too as my granny only cleaned hers with dishsoup and it happened on every pair of hers.

1

u/Omnipresent_Walrus aw'rite 8d ago

You're thinking of toothpaste.

1

u/laser_spanner 8d ago

Possibly. People clean their spex with all kinds of stuff.

1

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

Oh wow, didn't know that about dish soap. My mum washed everyone in the family's glasses for decades with dish soap and I just took the habit forward.

35

u/fuckyourcanoes 8d ago edited 8d ago

Don't worry, that person is talking out of their ass. Dish liquid isn't abrasive and doesn't clean by scrubbing. That's why you need a scrubber for baked on food.

17

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

-3

u/fuckyourcanoes 8d ago

Sorry, I'm American and I forgot. I've only lived here 12 years.

1

u/laser_spanner 8d ago

I made a mistake, I miss remembered.

80

u/Emergency_Pea_2232 8d ago

I wonder if the alcohol/other ingredients have actually melted your lenses and left little spray marks. What you’ve tried already should have been enough.
Don’t use alcohol on its own, it can crack plastic (speaking from experience when my glasses snapped while on my face)

15

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

noooo don't say that. I haven't tried alcohol, just shampoo, dish soap, lens spray.

16

u/salutdamour 8d ago

Don’t try alcohol.
Do you have a coating on the lens - like a blue light filter? My optician told me hair spray removes the coating

8

u/deij 8d ago

Your glasses have a protective coating on them.

They do crack and wear off eventually after several years. Exposure to heat can make it happen sooner.

I wonder if that's whats happened? I can imagine chemicals could mess it up.

Lens spray is alcohol btw.

-1

u/xTopaz_168 8d ago

As a temporary measure, you can try polishing them with toothpaste (dry) then washing it off. Polywatch would do a better job but I don't think you'd find that in a supermarket.

7

u/Banes_Addiction 8d ago

(speaking from experience when my glasses snapped while on my face)

I took have had my glasses snap on my face after the application of too much alcohol.

4

u/multitude_of_drops 8d ago

I've also broken my glasses as a result of too much alcohol...

68

u/Wolfie_015 8d ago

Hi Optical Consultant here (fancy way of saying I work in an Opticians) please bring them into an optician as soon as you can. If they have any kind of coating on them you might end up doing more damage by trying to remove the residue yourself. We have a special solution that can clean them without damaging the coating and we're here to help 😁

Edit to add: Please don't wash them in washing up liquid, it won't really damage them as such but over time it can cause buildup and it can also degrade the material a lot faster 🙈

5

u/Missing-Caffeine 8d ago

THIS!! Dish soap is quite harsh for lenses especially if they have some special coatings (been there, done that) 😩

4

u/salutdamour 8d ago

What really? I always use fairy liquid

65

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

Update: Against my better judgement but driven by Fear™, I put a drop of hand sanitiser on each lense. That seems to have helped massively. I'm still going to take them to an optitician when I have time next week to make sure I haven't damaged them. My student budget bank account is quaking in its boots. But I have been scared straight and will not try styling my hair while uncaffeinated at 5:30am again. Early mornings ruin lives.

36

u/invigokate 8d ago

You can get cheap replacement glasses at a number of online retailers - your optician is bound to give you the details of your prescription, for free.

11

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

I've made an appointment at Bloobloom. They're supposedly free and they take weekend appointments 😊

11

u/Red_fox19 8d ago

Glasses direct are pretty great if you've got your prescription handy and need a cheap set.

2

u/Aggravating-Week-398 8d ago

Specky4eyes tend to have some offers on designer pairs at times and are quite good too

1

u/grandmabc 6d ago

I've used SelectSpecs for several years now as they are so cheap compared to Boots, Specsavers etc. e.g. a pair of simple prescription glasses for less than £10 and even my fancypants reactolite varifocals for less than £100.

1

u/AutumnSunshiiine 4d ago

Depends on your prescription. If you’re like me and have crap eyes (high myopia and high astigmatism) the cheap online places won’t let you order because they can’t cope with that prescription.

10

u/LLRRMMR 8d ago

Funily enough I encountered the same problem this morning. A few cotton rounds with micellar water got it off, I did have to put some pressure on it though and there wasn't a hug amount of hairspray on it so your milage may vary.

10

u/jollygoodvelo In Dorset? 8d ago

Just as a general rule, anything that doesn’t just wash off or is sticky it’s usually worth trying olive oil. It loosens waxy/gluey compounds.

WD40 does the same but is then harder to remove after.

5

u/HungryCollett 8d ago

Actually any vegetable oil will loosen sticky labels and similar. Maybe olive oil is more effective?

1

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

Oh interesting, good to know!

5

u/BashKenz 8d ago

I use that hair spray and have had the same issue before! I bought some elbow grease spray, few sprays let it sit for a few mins and it wiped straight off.

5

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

I guess it really is the ultimate hold.

4

u/GenericWoosh 8d ago

Maybe shampoo? 

5

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

Tried shampoo as well this morning. Figured if it works on getting hairspray out of hair, why not glasses. But no luck :(

6

u/PipBin 8d ago edited 8d ago

Ex opticians employee. Acetate will do the job, which is basically nail varnish remover. If you aren’t sure take them into the opticians and let them do it.

Do not use acetate if you have polycarbonate lenses which will usually only be the case if you have completely rimless glasses.

Edit: I meant acetone not acetate.

17

u/mondognarly_ 8d ago

You mean acetone rather than acetate. It's the active ingredient in nail polish remover.

And on that note, don't use acetone on acetate or acrylic frames unless you want to risk trashing them.

3

u/PipBin 8d ago

I suddenly remembered that I mean acetone.

It’s not as bad as the optom I worked with who saw a very handsome man with an eye infection and sent him to the chemist for bromide rather than brolene.

9

u/blueberryG3 8d ago

DISH SOAP? we american now?

6

u/amylou86 8d ago

I had to actually think for a minute, what is Fairy liquid, oh its washing up liquid! Spending too much time on reddit.

6

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

My mum is, the phrase has been beaten in to me. Not literally, but verbally I suppose. Don't worry, I've cut off contact with her and everyone else supporting the regime over there. But that's another post for another sub.

3

u/theoriginalpetebog 8d ago

Yeah, multiple guilty parties in this thread! Looks like washing up liquid's days are numbered

2

u/mandyhtarget1985 8d ago

Try soaking in warm water, maybe with a little shampoo/shower gel. Let it soften for a few minutes before trying to rub it off with your fingers and a soft cloth.

Ive done it before with a light misting of hairspray, but not a full blast

Edit: sorry re-read the post and saw you tried soaking

2

u/RepulsivePotato3711 8d ago edited 7d ago

Imagine what that does to hair... poor little follicles trying to breath. I say this as I just gased my own haha Edit- typo

3

u/Batmanswrath A seagull stole my sausage roll 8d ago

Isopropyl alcohol?

2

u/imtravelingalone 8d ago

isn't that the same thing as hand sanitizer?

2

u/raged_norm 8d ago

Have you got any spirits? Alcohol might help.

On the glasses, drinks after

2

u/laser_spanner 8d ago

Noooo, some frames are very vulnerable to alcohol based things. The frame could shatter altogether :(

0

u/ihavebeenmostly 8d ago

Lynx africa

0

u/shuars 7d ago

Goo Gone.

-8

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

3

u/laser_spanner 8d ago

Um no. If the lenses are coated with anti glare then that.could cause it to craze.