When it comes to the heat of summer (and fall, because ugh, global warming), a tried-and-true way for hijab-wearing women to manage the heat often comes down to two things:

1. The choice of hijab fabric.

2. The choice of color.

Our lightweight Bamboo Wovens, with its antimicrobial properties, as well as our HH Sport Tech Wrap (which can cool you 1-2 degrees) and our classic Everyday Chiffons are all great options for the heat, especially if you choose light colors to wear.

And while wearing light colors in the right fabrics really makes a difference in managing the heat, an inevitable problem that comes with it is sweat and makeup stains. Who hates the sweaty makeup stains that come on our hijabs after wearing them out and about? We’re all raising our hands here at HH!

But all is not lost. There are ways to care for and clean your hijabs based on the fabric, which we detail for you in this handy dandy blog post that details fabric content for our hijab and hijab accessories categories as well as how to care for your hijabs (and dry them). However, sometimes in the heat of summer, sweat and makeup stains can prove stubborn to remove.

So, here are some cleaning hacks you can try! These hacks should help with stain removal on most hijab fabrics, but you will want to take extra care when it comes to our Perfect Satin hijabs or our older silk hijabs. In general, be gentle when it comes to stain removal, like with our Bamboo Wovens, which needs a lighter touch.

1. Baking soda: Sometimes it feels like there is no problem that baking soda can’t solve (well, within reason haha). One thing to try when it comes to sweat or makeup stains is to make a paste of baking soda and water, cover the stain on your hijab for a minimum 15 minutes (gently work it into the stain) and then wash the hijab as per our regular instructions

2. Baking soda + laundry detergent: Another recommended approach is to make a paste of baking soda and laundry detergent with water and apply that to the stain for 15 minutes or so before washing the hijab.

3. Pretreatment Stain: We love a product like Oxyclean pretreatment stain remover, which you can spray on or rub into a sweat or makeup stain and let sit before you wash your hijab.

4. Talcum powder: Talcum powder is a tried and true method to combating oil stains in fabrics. And, often when it comes to makeup, different oils can be part of the ingredients within various types of makeup. So, if your makeup stain is oil-based, try dousing the stain with talcum powder to absorb the oil before washing the hijab as you would normally do.

5. Dish Soap for Satin: Satin can be a tricky fabric with which you want to take some extra care. When it comes to stains, try placing a few drops of mild dish soap onto the fabric and use a soft cloth to rub the soap into the stain with a small amount of water, until you see suds forming. Then use another soft cloth to dab the area and remove the stain. You may need to repeat this step a few times, then wash as directed. A stain stick or pretreatment stain is also a good option to try.

The best advice we can give is to treat stains on your hijab as soon as possible. Don’t take your hijab off and decide to treat the stain at some later date (if at all possible).

Makeup, sweat (and other types) of stains will happen because our hijabs are in constant contact with our face and hair. That’s why we pride ourselves on creating the quality hijabs that will (Insha’Allah) look polished and fresh, wear after wear, wash after wash!