No matter how hard you try to avoid it, hair is inevitably going to end up down your shower drain.

Long hair, don’t care… until you’re standing in a pool of water that just won’t drain. Or even worse, your shower drain begins backing up – talk about an icky mess.

When this happens, it can be tempting to call a plumber right away, but first, here are a few tricks to try so you can avoid the expense of employing a professional.

Table of Contents

What Dissolves Hair Hair in a Shower Drain?

Let’s first talk about how to dissolve the hair clogging your drain. Is that the best way to go?

Honestly, there are some good natural remedies for dissolving hair. In fact, one of them (baking soda and vinegar) is recommended below. But most of the time, the best methods are to use a tool of some kind. This ensures that all the hair has been removed without damaging your shower drain.

Unfortunately, chemical drain cleaners are harsh on your pipes (and body) and we don’t recommend them. They can actually cause more damage that can lead to corrosion, leaks, and costly water damage.

How to Clean Hair Out of Your Shower Drain

These are the 5 methods that we most often recommend. One of them is bound to remove or dissolve the hair in your drain.

1. The Hair Snake Method

Hair snakes are good! They do not remove all of the hair, but sometimes removing one clump is good enough. It only takes a minute, so what do you have to lose? Just insert it into the drain, twist, and remove.

Vastar Hair Snakes are on the left and Zip-It Hair Snakes are on the right. For your convenience, we’ve added an Amazon affiliate link to a recommended product near the bottom of this article.

2. The Baking Soda Method

Before you grab for those harsh chemicals, try a natural alternative of baking soda, white vinegar, and boiling hot water. Products like Drano and Liquid Plumr are caustic and can slowly eat away at your plumbing pipes.

Baking soda, on the other hand, has many benefits. Not only does it help dissolve the hair down your drain, but it also has disinfectant properties that can fight odor, bacteria, and fungi. We call that a win-win.

Instructions for Cleaning Your Shower Drain with Baking Soda

Pour one cup of baking soda down the clogged tub drain. Follow immediately with one cup of vinegar.
The combination of the vinegar and baking soda will start to fizz. Let the fizzing work its magic. Around five minutes after the fizzing stops, pour two quarts of boiling water down the drain.
After you’ve flushed the drain, turn on the faucet and check if the water is draining properly.
If the drain is still clogged, repeat steps 1 through 3 again. For extra stubborn clogs, pour a mixture of one cup baking soda and one half cup salt down the drain and let it sit overnight. Flush out the next day with hot water.

Watch Kameron show you how to unclog your kitchen sink with vinegar and baking soda in just 1 minute!

3. The Manual Method (Remove the Clog By Hand Or Tweezer)

If you have easy access to your drain and/or it has a removable cover, this method is your best chance for success. Rubber gloves or tweezers are recommended to avoid touching any yucky-ness with your hands.

Remove the drain cover by lifting or prying open with a screwdriver.
Locate the clog or clump of hair with a flashlight.
If the clog is within reach, simply pull it out from the drain using your hands and dispose.
For harder to reach clogs, try using tweezers or the end of a clothing hanger to hook onto the hair.
Repeat until the shower drain is clear.

If the tub drain is still not clear nor draining properly, you might have a mineral buildup instead of a hair clog. In this case, you can revert back to the baking soda method or call a professional plumber to take a closer look.

clean out hair in shower drain by hand — Cleaning hair out of a shower or tub drain by hand can be gross for some people (wear gloves!). It’s certainly more tedious. But you can easily catch the most obvious hair clogs this way. Open the drain, reach in, and pull out the clog. Use tweezers or needle-nose pliers to reach deeper.

4. The Auger Method (a.k.a “Plumbing Snake”)

An auger is another simple solution for trickier clogs. Whether you have one at home or borrow one from a friend, this trick may be the most successful at clearing your stubborn shower drain.

Push the snake down the drain until you reach the hair clog.
Turn the handle to pull the snake and clog up.
Test the drain by running water to make sure the drain is cleared.
Repeat if necessary.

5. The Plunger & Hand Method

If you have tried to remove the clog yourself by hand, but it still won’t budge, try using a plunger to loosen up the hair.

Run the faucet and place plunger over top of the tub drain (remove drain cover if possible).
Make sure you get a good seal around the drain and that the plunger is submerged. Plunge the drain vigorously. The pressure from the plunger should loosen up the clog making it easier to grab or flush down the drain.
Turn off the water and look for the clog. Remove with gloved hand or tweezers if necessary.
Verify that drain is clear by running water again.

how to use a plunger - sink/cup plunger — Unlike a toilet plunger, make sure you use a “cup” or sink plunger to clean out hair from a clogged shower drain. This will create a watertight seal on the flat drain surface and allow more air to be forced into the drain.

An Ounce Of Prevention

The number one way to avoid a massive clog of hair in your shower drain is to be more aware of the amount of hair you shed. Shedding your luscious locks is natural and unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean all of it has to go down your drain.

Here are some simple ways to keep your drain clear of hair:

Consider purchasing a shower drain hair catcher (or drain screen). This is by far the easiest way to make sure your shower never clogs. Most hair catchers are ugly, but the TubShroom makes some that look like a normal drain stop. We highly recommend this option. Watch our Tubshroom product demonstration and review below!
Run the tap when shaving to flush hair down as you go. The more water you run the better.
Keep your drain screen clear if you have one.
Brush your hair before you shower.

The Tubshroom works great on tub/shower drains.

Check out this product demonstration and review of the Tubshroom. A great way to prevent hair from clogging your shower or tub drain. It’s inexpensive, super easy to install, and it works great.

Final Thoughts

I hope these tips have been helpful. I know I’m not the only one who deals with the annoying battle between long hair and the shower drain.

We have a lot more tips on how to unclog all sorts of drains, from showers to bathtubs to sink drains and more. You can find these in the resources below.

Call 1-Tom-Plumber

Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you’re still having trouble clearing your drain after trying all these methods.

1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem. We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays (we’re open 24/7/365).

5 Ways To Clean Hair Out Of Your Shower Drain

What Dissolves Hair Hair in a Shower Drain?