How to Protect Color-Treated Hair From Chlorine in Pool Water

Getting your hair professionally done can cost quite a bit of money. So it's always a huge bummer when you take a dip in a pool and your hair fades, or worse, turns green. Chlorine and other pool chemicals tend to turn light, color-treated hair to green. Instead of risking your locks from turning colors, try preventing it from happening.

Things You'll Need

• Clean, unchlorinated water
• Spray-on conditioner
• Can of tomato juice
• Lemon juice from a whole lemon
• Bowl

Instructions

Before Swimming

1. Saturate your hair with clean, unchlorinated water before going into the pool. Once your hair has absorbed the unchlorinated water, it will be difficult for the chlorine to penetrate the hair follicles as well.

2. Spray your hair with a stay-in conditioner before swimming. This will help protect your hair color while swimming by giving it a coating of conditioner.

3. Put on a swimming cap. Wearing a swimming cap is the best way to completely protect your hair...especially if you're in the pool a lot.

Tomato Method

1. Immediately rinse your hair with regular water to wash out as much chlorine as your can. You can simply stick your head under a garden hose and give it a good rinsing.

2. Take a can of tomato juice with you in the shower and wash your hair with it.

3. Pour the tomato juice over your entire head and massage your scalp. The tomato juice will wash away the chlorine and take the green pigment out of your hair. This is safe to do every time you get out of the pool.

Lemon Juice Method

1. Cut a lemon in half, and squeeze the juice from a whole lemon into a small bowl.

2. Bring the bowl of lemon juice into the shower with you. Wash your hair with shampoo first.

3. Pour the lemon juice over your head while still in the shower. The lemon juice will strip the green pigment away and leave your highlights blond.

Tips & Warnings

• The lemon juice can strip the highlight pigment from your hair. Do not do this everyday. Use it once a month at the most and only if no other method has worked.

References

• KristenLock.com: How to Prevent Your Hair From Turning Green
• FreeBeautyTips.org: Chlorine Damaged Hair