How to Swim With Highlighted Hair

Swim caps help protect light hair from turning green in pools.

There's nothing like a refreshing dip in a cool swimming pool on a hot summer day. On the other hand, emerging from the pool only to find your highlighted hair has turned an unsightly shade of green can ruin your fun. Keep your hair color vibrant and green-free by protecting and treating your hair before and after your swim.

Things You'll Need

• Hair conditioner
• Swim cap
• Clarifying shampoo
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 can club soda
• Processing cap
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 1 tbsp. dish soap
• 1/2 cup tomato soup, paste or ketchup

Instructions

Before Swimming

1. Take a shower prior to swimming, and apply a hair conditioner all over your hair from root to tip.

2. Massage the conditioner into your hair to help seal the hair cuticles.

3. Put on a fitted swimmer's cap before entering the pool. Though the cap won't provide total protection from the pool water, it will act as a barrier and help keep long hair from spending more time than necessary in full immersion.

After Swimming

1. Rinse hair after swimming with plain water, and allow it to air-dry. Inspect your hair for green hues.

2. Use a clarifying shampoo to wash your hair. Clarifying shampoos remove residue, dirt and other buildup from the hair and may significantly reduce or remove the green in your hair. Rinse the shampoo from your hair with cool water.

3. Mix together lemon juice with one can of club soda, and apply it to your hair. Allow the mixture to soak under a processing cap for 12 minutes before rinsing it with cool water.

4. Combine baking powder and baking soda with dish soap, and apply it to your hair. Leave the mixture on your hair for 20 minutes before rinsing with cool water.

5. Apply tomato soup, tomato paste or ketchup to hair if the green hue persists. Rinse the tomato soup, paste or ketchup from your hair with cool water.

Tips & Warnings

• Condition the hair once all green has been removed from hair.

• Use a shampoo and conditioner free of sulfates before and after swimming to avoid fading or stripping your highlights. If after swimming you find the need for a clarifying shampoo, make sure it is safe for color-treated hair or else your highlight color may fade along with the green.

• Do not use conditioner or apply heat to your hair until you have successfully removed the green. Doing so could set the color and make it much more difficult for you to remove without cutting it off or dyeing over it.

• All pools are capable of turning highlighted hair green -- even nonchlorinated saltwater pools. It is the copper in algaecides rather than the chlorine that causes light hair to turn green in swimming pools.

References

• Simple-Remedies.com: How to Fix or Prevent Green Hair from Chlorine Contact
• iSport.com: Choosing a Swim Cap
• Zenedy; "The Best Clarifying Shampoo for Color Treated Hair"; Leslie