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How to Get Rid of Chlorine-Green Hair

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By eHow Contributing Writer
(52 Ratings)
Get Rid of Chlorine-Green Hair
Get Rid of Chlorine-Green Hair

The green hair that develops from exposure to chlorine is related to the hard metals found in the water. It's not really the chlorine that changes the color of your hair, but the metals that are present in the pool. Unless you're fond of your new hair color you can follow these steps to get rid of the chlorine-green hair.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Purchase a shampoo and/or conditioner specially formulated to remedy "green hair" or "swimmer's hair."

  2. Step 2

    Try using lemon juice or vinegar to rinse the hair after swimming, if you cannot find a commercial product.

  3. Step 3

    To prevent green hair from ever becoming a problem you have to deal with, wet your hair before going into a pool and put a conditioner in it and leave it like that. It will shield your hair from the metals in the water. Also put on a snug swimmers cap to keep the hair from getting wet.

Tips & Warnings
  • To prevent damage of your hair, deep condition your hair before swimming in chlorinated water.

Comments  

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cleken said

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on 7/27/2009 MY DAUGHTER HAS SUPER BLONDE HAIR(TOE HEAD AS SOME PEOPLE CALL IT) AND IT HAD TURNED GREEN FROM THE POOL SO WE TOOK KETCHUP AND PUT IT ON HER HAIR FOR ABOUT 15-30 MIN AND EVERY BIT OF IT CAME OUT" IT CHEAP AND IT WORKS TRUST ME" WE HAD TRIED EVERYTHING FROM GOING TO THE SALON TO BUYING STUFF AT THE LOCAL PHARMACY BUT THIS "HONESTLY WORKED" NO MORE GREEN

shannon89 said

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on 7/21/2009 Avoid dying har with "ash" tones. Try using dyes with a "warm" or "golden" tone.

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on 1/28/2009 I smooshed up a ripe tomato removed all the peel and added enough bicarb to make a paste and slathered this onto my daughters brightly coloured green blonde streaks covered with a showercap for half an hour...rinsed off with cool water..the green could be seen quite easily running off on the bottom of the white bath tub...she then wased as normal with shampoo and no green to be seen...cheap easy and only a little messy...she is happy to go to school tomorrow !!!

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on 7/18/2008 I am a hairdresser.Tomato products are probably "masking" the green, as are pigmented shampoos like Shimmering Lights. I say this because of the comment that the green returned after a week, Unless the person continued swimming) They don't actually remove the chlorine. Baking soda, Alka seltzer, Coca-cola, vinegar, probably will work. Using these in conjunction with alternating shampooing with a clarifying and a pigmented shampoo will help. A salon "color gloss" or "clear coat" service will help to fill and close the cuticle (outermost layer of hair) to keep chlorine from leaching in. I would not recommend lemon juice as the acidity will cause hair to "bleach out" (remember how we used to get "summer highlights as kids?) and will exacerbate the problem. Also, if you are thinking of perming, please have your stylist do a "test curl" to see if your hair can handle a perm. Exposure to chlor

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on 7/18/2008 I am a hairdresser. I would think the ketchup or tomato paste idea would be "masking" the green color. Possibly, the acidity in the tomato would remove some of the chlorine, but judging by the comment from the person that said the green came back in a week (unless she continued to swim) the red color of the tomato would cover up the chlorine green. Also, Shimmering Lights or similar pigmented shampoos have the same effect of covering up the green. They don't actually remove it. A "swimmer's" or clarifying shampoo with added heat can do the job. Don't forget to condition after, as these shampoos can be a bit harsh on the hair. For extreme cases, clarifying and then having a "color gloss" or "clear coat" color service at a salon to keep the cuticle (outer most layer of the hair) closed will help to keep chlorine out. I would not recommend lemon juice! While it may remove chlorine, it's aci

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