People believe that it’s the chlorine in a pool that turns hair green. That’s not true. Fair hair turns green in a pool for the same reason the Statue of Liberty turns green: copper.

Long summer months in the pool often have an unpleasant side effect on fair-haired people. Notice we say people and not just children. If you have fair hair, then you too are at risk of ending up with greenish hair! After a certain number of long dips in the pool, they acquire a green tinge to their hair. Most often this is attributed to the chlorine in the pool water, but that’s not the case. Chlorine doesn’t turn hair green.  Chlorine dries your hair and makes it harder to manage, this happens whether you have blonde hair or dark hair!

It’s not the hair that turns green in the pool, it’s metal. Specifically, it’s copper. Over time, and with exposure to oxygen, copper oxidizes, transforming from a shiny yellow-brown to a dull green. Copper is already suspended in water, especially hose and well water. One or two parts per million of oxidized copper can give hair a green tint. Once copper is oxidized, it tends to bind to certain proteins. Some of those proteins are found in hair. (Other exposed body tissues are sloughed off too consistently to make the green tint a problem.) Summer months make the green tint more noticeable, since the sun bleaches hair. To be fair, chlorine does speed the oxidation process, but a more common culprit is the algaecides that people add to their pool to keep it clear. These contain copper and make the greening process more intense.

There are special shampoos that strip the oxidized copper off of hair, and people can prevent the copper from latching on at all by covering their hair in conditioner.  At Pigtails and Crewcuts we have both, our Summertime Scrub, which is our  private label,  tear free shampoo with the ingredients that child friendly and will leave your hair green free! We also carry a leave in spray conditioner by Circle Friends Pre-Swim.

Our Pre-Swim Conditioner has an exclusive blend of polymers, emollients and Vitamin B5 helps protect hair from turning green, breaking and overall drying caused by pool chemicals or salt water. It coats and seals the hair follicle, shields hair shaft, and hydrates hair with non-greasy “oil-free” conditioning.

Get your summertime do at Pigtails & Crewcuts Roswell and receive $2.00 OFF a haircut with the purchase of our Summertime Scrubb or Pre-Swim Conditioner!

Categorized: Hair Care, Hair Products
May 16th, 2011