How To Get Clean FAST After The Color Run

The Color Run 5K... it's all about fun and happy... but at some point you've got to get clean! My friends and I were completely covered in color  - even under our clothes! 

Somehow, a TON of blue landed on me.

It looked like someone had swung and hit me with a Smurf. Even my feet were covered in blue. I have no idea how it got in my shoes and through my socks!  

The question is... how do you get clean afterwards?

The Color Run does provide some suggestions on how to get clean post race, but we didn't find it very helpful, so I thought I'd share what worked for me and what didn't.  

Before beginning the race, here are some things you might want to do: 

- Bring an old towel to cover the seats in your car. The powder WILL get all over them. 

- Put your phone in a sandwich bag to keep the color from staining your case or getting into the fine cracks. 

- If you have light colored hair, put some coconut oil in your hair to keep the color from absorbing...unless you want multi-colored hair! My friend Megan has blonde hair and still ended up with a light pink tinge to her hair for a few days afterwards.

We brought baby wipes along so we could clean up right away. While that helped to remove the loose powder, it didn't remove the staining. My friends and I were a little concerned at that point. Someone mentioned baby oil would help remove the color. I decided to take the idea of the oil and combine it with some brown sugar and honey for a scrub, but the idea didn't pan out at all. The coconut oil just made my bath tub greasy. The bar of natural soap wasn't doing it. 

Not going to lie, I was starting feel a bit panicked. If an exfoliant wouldn't get this out...what would?? 

But then I wondered... would conventional shampoo work? 

It contains sodium laureth sulfate, a chemical that is used as a degreaser in garages and strips color (according to my hair stylist). It's very strong stuff and the reason I don't use conventional shampoo anymore. This bottle happened to belong to a family member, so I stole some from them - shhhhh! 

I squirted some Suave on a washcloth, rubbed it where the color was, and the minute the shampoo hit the color, the color dissolved! Amazing... and scary at the same time. 

Imagine what this does to your hair - especially if your hair is color treated!

Within 60 minutes, I was 100% clean. Even my nails and hands, which were virtually black from all the colors muddling together and looked like they would be permanently stained, look normal. My nails aren't stained at all. I do recommend having a nail brush or some kind of brush on hand just so you can get it off of your feet. Shampoo with sodium laureth sulfate is very drying, so a little bit of coconut oil as a "lotion" afterwards helped restore the moisture.

That's it - shockingly simple. I've heard horror stories of people who lived with stained arms, legs, and faces for days. Make sure you have a bottle of shampoo with sodium laureth sulfate on hand, and you should be good to go!

The Color Run Is FUN!

This morning, my friends Tiffanie, Megan, and I went to National Harbor in Washington, D.C., for The Color Run 5K. Oh my goodness...if you've been thinking about doing The Color Run... do it! The Color Run says it's the "Happiest 5K," and it really is. All the volunteers were happy, positive, and fun. Everyone there to race was in a great mood and ready to have a fun time. The Color Run is definitely a race for all ages - kids to young at heart - and we saw all ages represented.

We knew it was about to be a ridiculously awesome experience when a unicorn emerged from the crowd. I could have died with excitement. I heart unicorns.

Be prepared for a ridiculous mass of people. The earlier you get there, the better. We managed to get in the second wave and they started things a little early since there were so many people. There was an emcee at the front of the line, music was pumping, volunteers were randomly raining The Color Run bracelets and magnets into the crowd, so it really made the wait at the start line seem minimal.

Along the race route are "color zones." When you run through a color zone, volunteers squirt you with colored food-grade cornstarch. I wore a pair of sunglasses to protect my eyes from the powder and found myself pulling my shirt up over my nose because it made it easier to breathe through some of the zones. Staying in the middle of the color zone meant that we didn't get as much color on us as we wanted, so we made sure to get close to the edge where volunteers were "colorizing" participants.

This isn't a timed race - it's all about fun! Lots of people were taking pictures of themselves after each color zone, rolling around in the color at each zone - think FUN. Make sure to put your phone in a plastic baggy to protect it. Also, if you love your phone's case, consider swapping it out for a cheap one or going without the case. The color will seep into the case. I went cover free on my phone and it got a bit dusty, but it's completely fine. I also brought a plastic baggy for it just in case and didn't use it at all. 

Isn't this sweet?? These two ladies (mom and daughter, maybe?) made these signs to encourage the runners/walker.

Lots of people piled near the finish line to high five and cheer everyone on in the final stretch.

We were handed bottles of water, free Slurpees, and bars from KIND. But The Color Run kept the party going by having a "color toss" party. Everyone was given a packet of color in their race packet (included in the race packet was also a shirt, bib number and safety pins, The Color Run tattoo, and entry wristband), and we tossed our color in the air at the same time...and got covered in even more color. SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!

 

My friends and I had a GREAT experience at the The Color Run and would totally do it again! Big kudos to the workers and volunteer crews who made it such a fun experience. It really is the "happiest 5K!"

Trying to figure out how in the world to wash all the color off after The Color Run and not be stained for days? Click here and I'll tell you what I used and how I got 100% clean in less than an hour in the shower using one bath item to make it happen.