Like a previous poster that suggested vegetable oil, here's another suggestion.
Peanut butter (I prefer creamy
)...
our moms used it to get bubble gum out of our hair as kids, and it works like a champ for what you want.
Certainly non-toxic, easy to clean up, no unpleasant odors (unless you're a PB hater), and the best part is that is you don't have to worry about liquid running anywhere - it is totally controllable. A tiny (seriously!) dab of PB will take the residue right off, no issues - at least all those I've run into.
I now see that Steve (Ladder7) suggested the same thing.