with Natalie Hazelden Hairdressing
Green hair after a dip into your pool can be an irritating setback during the summer season, so I will explain the mystery and solve the problem!
At some point in time, you’ve probably heard that blonde hair turns green after a swim session because of the chlorine in pool water. You most likely believed chlorine to be the culprit from that point on. You’re not completely wrong, but the truth is, copper is actually the main factor at fault. Copper is a metal found in water. Even tap water with a high copper content can give your hair a green tint! However, the green colour is more likely to show up after swimming in the pool because pool water contains chlorine. Chlorine and copper bond together to form a film that sticks to the proteins in each strand of hair, causing the hair to turn green.
How To Prevent And/Or Fix Green Hair
Whilst this is annoying, it isn’t permanent. Whether you’re hoping to prevent green hair before it appears or trying to wash the green out of your hair after a swim, here are a few solutions to test:
- Prevention: Leave-in
conditioner. If you apply a
leave-in conditioner
before swimming, the
pool water won’t stick to
your hair as easily. - Wet hair. Don’t get in the
pool with dry hair. If you
start with wet hair,
chlorine and copper won’t
hang onto your hair as
tightly. - Hairdressers these days
have detox treatments
which are designed to rid
the hair of metals, such
as copper and chlorine.
Ask your hairdresser
for your special detox
treatment which can give
you your blonde back. - Always wash your hair
as soon as you are done
swimming for the day. - V8/Tomato Juice. Coat
your hair with tomato
juice or V8 and let it
sit for 5-10 minutes after
your swim if you see any
green. Wash and
condition as normal when
you are finished. - Or Tomato sauce. Coat
your hair in tomato sauce.
Either wrap it up in tinfoil
or put on a swim cap and
let it sit for about 10 to 20
minutes before
shampooing and
conditioning.
Try these tricks on yourself or your kids. You’ll finally be able to enjoy a pool day without having to worry about losing those gorgeous golden locks! Good luck!