My partner left a tube of red lipstick in her jeans pocket. Through the wash. Through the dryer. Every single item in that load came out with pink streaks. I was ready to declare the entire load a loss.

But lipstick is mostly oil and wax with pigment — and oil breaks down with the right solvent. Here is what got those jeans back.

Do Not Put It in the Dryer

If you catch a lipstick stain before the dryer, your odds are good. Heat sets oil-based stains. The dryer makes the stain bond with the fabric fibers at a molecular level. After that, removal is much harder.

If the item already went through the dryer like mine did, you can still try the method below. It just takes more rounds.

The Dish Soap Method

Lipstick is oil-based, so you need something that cuts grease. Regular laundry detergent is not designed for heavy oils. Dish soap is.

1. Scrape off any solid lipstick with a dull knife or credit card — do not rub it in
2. Apply a few drops of clear dish soap directly to the stain
3. Gently work it in with your fingers or a soft toothbrush for 1-2 minutes
4. Let it sit for 15 minutes
5. Rinse with cold water and check before drying

For stubborn stains, mix dish soap with a little rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). The alcohol dissolves the wax and the soap lifts the pigment.

What Not to Use

Skip the hairspray trick. Hairspray sometimes works on ink because of the alcohol content, but on lipstick it just adds more sticky residue to an already oily stain.

Also skip hot water at first — it melts the wax deeper into the fibers. Start with cold water and only switch to warm after the stain is mostly gone.

When to Call It

If you have tried three rounds of dish soap plus alcohol and the stain is still visible, take it to a dry cleaner and tell them it is an oil-based lipstick stain. They have commercial solvents that are stronger than anything in your cabinet. It is worth the $5-10 for an item you actually care about.

My jeans came back after two rounds of dish soap and one round of alcohol. The white t-shirt in the same load did not make it. You win some, you lose some.