How to Prevent Green Hair From Swimming

If you frequently use a swimming pool, you might have noticed your hair color changing to an unsightly shade of green. Your hair turns green from the hard metals in the pool water, which include iron, manganese and copper. The hard metals are oxidized by chlorine in the pool water and bond to your hair, changing its color. Fortunately, you don't have to give up swimming; instead take steps to prevent and eliminate unattractive green shades in your hair.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Bathing cap Moisturizing hair conditioner with silicone Swimmer's shampoo Tomato juice or ketchup Baking soda Aspirin
Bathing cap
Moisturizing hair conditioner with silicone
Swimmer's shampoo
Tomato juice or ketchup
Baking soda
Aspirin

Step 1

Massage a moisturizing conditioner that contains silicone into your hair before swimming, and then apply a tight-fitting bathing cap. The bathing cap and silicone will protect your hair from the heavy metals and chlorine in the pool water, and help prevent it from turning green.

Step 2

Mix baking soda and shampoo until it forms a paste. Apply to your green hair and leave on for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse out.

Step 3

Dissolve four aspirin tablets into a glass of water. Pour the solution into your hair and allow it to remain for 5 minutes. Aspirin helps to remove minerals from the hair which are turning it green. Shampoo as usual.

Step 4

Add a small amount of ketchup or tomato juice to your shampoo, and massage the mixture into your hair. Wrap a warm towel around your head and allow the mixture to penetrate your hair for 10 minutes. Rinse out, and apply a leave-in moisturizing conditioner.

Step 5

Use a shampoo that's specially formulated for swimmers that contains metal-removing agents, such as ethylenediamene tetracetic acid (EDTA), erythorbic acid, and vitamin A and vitamin B. Rinse out with 10 oz. of white or apple cider vinegar. Apply a leave-in moisturizing conditioner.

Tips & Warnings

Try lemon juice to eliminate the green color from your hair. Leave the lemon juice on your hair for 15 minutes, and then rinse out. Don't apply lemon juice to your hair more than once each month.

If you have blonde or light hair, your hair has a greater chance of turning green from frequent swimming.

Resources

WomansDay.com: How to Repair Chlorine-Damaged Hair

Article Written By Liza Blau

Liza Blau is a writer and award-winning screenwriter living in New York City. Blau received a B.A. in English from Columbia University. Her writing has been featured in many magazines and fiction anthologies published by Penguin Press, W.W. Norton, NYU Press, Crossing Press and others.

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