Comments on: How to Get Rid of Chlorine-Green Hair

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 !!!

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

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

on 6/15/2008 There are two ways to deal with "green" hair from swimming:

1) Prevention. My daughter, who has fine, white-blonde hair down to her butt swims competitively year round. ALWAYS! Before she gets into that pool, she thoroughly wets her hair with tap water (soaking wet) and then liberally applies a cheap conditioner (we use Dove from Costco). This goes under her cap. This is every single time.

2) If, for some reason she DOES get some green in her hair OR just to keep her hair in good condition, we do an aspirin wash. I saw some people advise aspirin w. lemon juice, but the lemon juice is not necessary.

You do an aspirin wash like this:

Buy the cheapest aspirin you can find...uncoated works best and costs the least. Put about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of aspirin tablets in a large container of water. It will dissolve immediately. Put the dissolved aspirin in the hair and work it in

on 6/3/2008 TOMATO PASTE or TOMATO SAUCE or KETCHUP WORKS (together or separate, whatever you have)!!! Get in the shower, put it on your hair, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, shampoo it out, condition it, AND NO MORE GREEN!!! JUST AMAZING!!!

I've been dealing with greenish hair for 2 years now (ever since I moved to this area) and have spent probably over $2000 (or more) on trying to get it fixed by my hairdresser. She NEVER gave me any tips on how to get rid of it, and so, desperate, I read some reviews here, mixed ketchup and tomato sauce, put it on my hair AND NO MORE GREEN!!! 8 minutes, in the shower, nasty smell, but who cares: the results are here!!! The only thing though is that my water here has so many minerals that the green comes back every two weeks... But at least now I know how to get rid of it!!! Thank you everyone for the tip!!!

on 5/13/2008 This brings back memories in high school when I didn't know how to get the green out of my hair and had to go to school like that. My mom tried all these weird things she had heard worked like washing my hair with Ketchup...GAG! All you need is a swimmer's shampoo/conditioner made for removing the green tone.

on 9/6/2007 Get rid of green hair FAST. Purchase either Hard Water hair treatment or Swimmers hair treatment, apply to hair as directed and cover with a plastic cap and if possible use a hair drier to heat it for about 10 - 15 min. One treatment and my daughters blonde hair was perfect!! Go to www.malibuwellness.com one packet costs about $3, you can't beat it.

on 7/28/2007 Putting conditioner in your hair before swimming may help your hair, but it increases the need for chlorine in the pool. Having a private pool for years, we learned that products we put on ourselves, "uses up" the chlorine in the pool and then you need more chlorine to keep organisms (bacteria, algae) from growing. The "used up" chlorine stays in the water and that is what makes the water smell like chlorine. More personal products=more chlorine smell. So, we usually use chloine removing shampoo after swimming (eg Ultra Swim) but now I am having a hard time finding it in stores.

on 6/18/2007 you can elimenate green hair by using shanpoo before you wash and after it really works i love it

on 8/22/2006 Before you get in the pool, get in the shower and wet your hair like you are going to shampoo it. Put in some conditioner and don't rinse it out. The conditioner is like a shield to your hair.

on 8/19/2006 I used the baking soda approach and it totally worked! I mixed baking soda with my shampoo and made a paste, and applied to my hair and let it absorb for 20 minutes, then rinsed and repeat. It worked perfectly!

on 8/8/2006 Rinse your hair in tap water before going swimming.

on 8/8/2006 After your swim you go and take a shower. Then you keep washing your hair until it is so so soft. Then you put on conditioner. And then your hair is soft again!

on 9/10/2007 I have super light blonde hair, which recently turned green in my pool. I used baking soda before, but that doesn't work very quickly nor the first time. Plus it leaves hair nappy.I read online about aspirin, alka seltzer, lemon juice and the weirdest ...Coca Cola. I looked around the house and all I had was Coke. I poured one cup of Coke over my wet long blonde hair and rubbed it in through the ends really good.Washed it out after just 1 minute and the green was gone! Then I conditioned my hair and it feels wonderful!

on 8/5/2006 My son is a true "tow head"...white platinum blonde hair. His hair turned green this week and the woman at our pool supply store suggested ketchup. We put about a cup on his hair and let it sit for 5 minutes. He shampooed as usual and it took the green right out!