Finally, the sweet girl has given her her phone number and written it on the back of your hand. Even though you feel incredibly happy about it, you don't think you want to go back home and be questioned by your little brother who always wants to know other things about the number written on your skin. Or, you might take notes from school all day long and the ink from your pen hits and smears along the sides of your hand (left-handed people have trouble with this every day). Or maybe in a much worse scenario, you are asked to look after a small child and when he holds a pen, he decides to smear his whole face with lots of scribbles. Whatever the reason, you want to erase the smudge from the pen's ink until it's gone and unmarked. Keep reading to learn about some of the different ways you can remove pen marks or smudges from your skin.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Removing Pen Ink by Using Cleaning Liquid
Step 1. Wet a washcloth or cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol (pure alcohol for antiseptic or sterilization purposes) then rub it on the pen stain on the skin
Often this type of alcohol is a good choice for removing oil-based stains, which are common with most pens. The antiseptic alcohol dissolves the oil, so you can wipe the pen stain off your skin. Alcohol is widely used as the main ingredient in many other cleaning products, so using pure alcohol directly to clean pen smudges will give you the best results.
- As much as possible, do not use this alcohol in a small and closed room. The smell is very strong.
- Isopropyl alcohol and the gases it produces are flammable; so keep it away from fire or heat sources.
- In addition to pen stains, alcohol can also remove natural oils on the body's skin. Therefore, you must moisturize the skin that was previously rubbed with alcohol.
Step 2. Spray the pen stain with hairspray, then wipe with a clean towel
If alcohol isn't available, look for an alcohol-based hair spray instead. This alcohol content can make pen stains fade. You may have to spray several times to remove pen stains from your skin, depending on how much alcohol is in the hairspray.
- After use, hair spray will leave a sticky residue. Wash the leather with soap and water after the pen stain has been removed.
- Hair spray is a flammable object. Be careful when you try to spray it on your skin and never wear it near a fire.
Step 3. Use a cotton swab soaked in nail polish remover that contains acetone, then rub it on the pen stain
Acetone solution can cause pen stains to smudge and fade, as can isopropyl alcohol. Also, like alcohol, nail polish containing acetone is flammable, and the vapors produced in large quantities can be toxic. Use this material in a well-ventilated room.
Acetone is very harsh on the skin, so don't use too much. Once the pen stain is gone, make sure you wash your hands with soap and water, then apply moisturizer
Step 4. Pour the hand sanitizer just above the pen stain, then rub it in small circular motions
The alcohol in hand sanitizer can cause pen stains to smudge and fade. Wipe the stained area with a clean rag, and you'll find the stain will go away with the hand sanitizer.
The alcohol content in hand sanitizers varies. Look for hand sanitizer products that contain 60-90% alcohol
Step 5. Spray or wet the stain with white vinegar, then wipe it off with a paper towel
In vinegar, there is acetic acid, which is a liquid that effectively removes oil and other compounds.
Using rough paper towels can help exfoliate the skin and remove layers of dead skin cells from pen-stained skin
Method 2 of 2: Removing Pen Ink with Items at Home
Step 1. Wash the pen stain with soap and water
Using water and soap is probably the easiest solution, especially since the ingredients are also easy to get. However, water and soap will have a hard time removing oil-based pen ink, such as many pens on the market. Water and soap can instantly remove pen smudges where the ink is water-soluble.
- Water-based inks tend to soak into the paper and take a long time to dry, making them easy to get your hands dirty.
- Usually, rollerball pens as well as pens with gel ink are easily soluble in water.
Step 2. Rub white butter or regular butter on the stain
This process is a bit dirty and may be messy, but the oil content in these two ingredients can help remove the oil that is on the ink stain. Dissolving the ink stain will cause the ink to come off as a liquid, then when you wipe off white butter or regular butter with a dry paper towel, the stain will disappear.
The same principle applies to several types of oil, such as baby oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. All of these oils can also cause the ink to smudge. Pour some oil on paper towels and use the paper towels to rub off the ink stains
Step 3. Apply a non-gel toothpaste to the ink stain on your skin, then rub it in
Toothpaste contains baking soda, which can remove ink from the skin. Using toothpaste on the skin may cause the skin to feel a little itchy. If so, use a damp cloth or water to wash off the toothpaste.
Use a type of toothpaste that is not transparent (or gel) or has a gloss. Toothpaste used should be a type of paste that is opaque and often white in color
Step 4. Rub a used, cooled tea bag on the pen stain
Once you've made the tea, set the tea bag aside and let it cool to room temperature. Then, rub the tea bag over the ink stain, which should go away easily.
- The oil content in the tea as well as the cloth on the tea bag with a rough surface will work together to clean and lift pen stains from the skin.
- Do not rub the tea bag against the skin too vigorously. You can tear the tea bag and make the contents of the tea leaves spill all over the place.
