Ah, summer. Golden days, indigo nights, peachy suntans, sparkling blue water and ... green hair. As with all pleasures, frolicking in the pool comes with a price. Opinions differ as to whether that greenish tint is the result of chlorine reacting with products in your hair, natural pigments, or a reaction to metals such as copper routinely found in pool water, bonding them to your hair. Whatever the cause, you still have green hair. Not to worry--you can remove chorine green tints with very little fuss or expense, and repairing green hair is a small price to pay for those hours of summer fun.
Step 1
Invest in a swimmer’s shampoo that contains a chelating, or metal-removing, agent. According to the experts at Columbia University, it is the reaction of chlorine with metals in the water such as copper that turn your hair green, so a shampoo that removes those metals should fix the problem.
Step 2
Dissolve a handful of aspirin in a cup or so of white vinegar and use it to rinse your hair. Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is also a chelating agent and will remove metals from you hair, while the white vinegar strips oils and product residues and restores shine.
Step 3
Make a paste of your regular shampoo and baking soda. Apply it to your hair and let it sit for five minutes or so. Use cool water to rinse it out.
Step 4
Apply tomato paste to your hair, and the acid in the tomato paste will neutralize the reaction that turned your hair green. Cover your head with a shower cap and leave the paste in your hair for at least 10 minutes. Shampoo as usual.
Tips and Warnings
- Rinse your hair thoroughly in the shower as soon as you are done swimming to help prevent it from turning green.
- Avoid getting tomato paste in your eyes--tomatoes are acidic and can burn.
Things You'll Need
- Shampoo with chelating agents
- Aspirin
- White vinegar
- Shampoo
- Baking soda
- Tomato paste
- Shower cap
Member Comments