Why Hair Turns Green After the Pool and How to Fix It!

Has your hair ever turned green after swimming throughout the summer? Unfortunately this is a very common occurrence and happens mostly for anyone with light hair: blonde, silver, or grey hair when swimming in salt or chlorine water.  The good news is that there is a way to fix it! 

How does it happen?

You know how old pennies start to turn green after years and years? Well, the root cause of why light colored hair turns green after swimming is due to copper. Yes, the metal is found in the water of most chlorine pools and doesn't take years to turn our hair green but as little as one fun day at the pool. While swimming, it saturates into our naturally porous hair and when copper gets oxidized from the air, it turns green therefore, there are traces of copper and likely other hard water metals.

Not only is copper found in the water source used for swimming pools, but it's also commonly used in algae killers like Algaecide. If you're keeping your pool properly clean and sanitized, you shouldn't have to worry about using an algaecide but if you do use it, the potential for green hair is higher. 

Prevention

Wear a swim cap:  The best way to protect against discoloration is to block the water's access to your porous hair. To do so, try wearing a swim cap. They're inexpensive, effective, and have other added benefits like minimizing dryness and exposure to the sun which can also turn light colored hair, brassy. If you swim frequently, a swim cap is a must have. 

Use a leave in conditioner: Before swimming, apply a leave in conditioner. By doing so it coats your hair shaft and makes it more difficult for the copper to penetrate. We recommend Unite's 7 Seconds Detangler/ Leave in Conditioner. 

Wash your hair immediately: Once you're done swimming, at the very least rinse your hair with clean water. Ideally, use a swimmer's shampoo like Malibu's Swimmers Wellness which will help remove as much hard water, minerals, and metals as possible to prevent dryness and discoloration.

How to Fix

Using a swimmer's shampoo or a clarifying shampoo will help detox as much of the unwanted minerals and metals out of the hair which is already a great start. But in addition to that, once or twice a week use Malibu's Remedy Packet. Like the shampoo, it helps remove and prevent green hair but also improves hair texture, shine, and vibrancy. It's so effective, that hairstylists have even resorted to offering it as a service for their clients not only for removing green copper tones but ALSO for deeply cleansing dull looking hair to reveal your true color! 

Other sources have recommended to use ketchup, lemon, baking soda, and or apple cider vinegar. While these DIY home ingredients may work, it doesn't improve texture, and may even leave your hair dry due to how acidic the ingredients are. Opt for these professional yet still affordable options. Malibu's Remedy packet is literally $4 for a one time treatment!

Combine all these tips together, and your summers from now on can be focused more on having fun, then repairing your hair! Coloring our hair before summer is an investment whether you have naturally light colored hair or processed hair, we have to protect one of the most important parts of our beauty routine. Take these precautions and you'll end up saving more money and time avoiding green hair!