Love The Pool But Get The Chemical Green Gunk Out Of Hair

Green pool hair. Not pretty. And frustrating, because it's hard to remove, and makes blonde heads, especially, look bad.

We have 2 solutions that work. And no, we don't want you to give up swimming.

First, let's look at why that nasty green tint develops from swimmingin a chlorinated pool:

According to Anne Marie Helmenstine, a chemistry expert, the culprit is actually the copper, not the chlorine.
"It isn't the chlorine that turns blonde hair green. Oxidized metals in the water bind to the protein in the hair shaft and deposit their color. The metal that produces the green tint is copper, which is most commonly found in algicides, though it naturally occurs in some water. The bleach that is added to a pool may be responsible for oxidizing the metal, but it's not the cause of the color.
If your hair turns green, you can remove the discoloration by using a shampoo that chelates the metal. To some extent, you can prevent copper from binding to the hair by sealing the hair cuticle with a conditioner before swimming. Rinsing your hair immediately after leaving the pool will help protect it, too."

There is a shampoo that does just that. TriSwim Chlorine Out Shampoo ($13.20, at sbrsports. And it's safe for color-treated and permed hair.

TriSwim: Completely eliminates chlorine and chlorine odor by containing the chemical, washing it out of the hair and down the drain• Contains Aloe Vera, Vitamins E & A, and Pro-Vitamin B5 - Helps to remove copper deposits that can cause some hair to take on a greenish tint - Increases volume potential - Nourishes hair follicles - Hydrates the scalp.

You can also try hair solution #2, a natural way to get the chemical green gunk out of your hair.

Try ketchup. We're not kidding. This little beauty gem comes from master colorist Kim Vo. And he's a celebrity stylist, one of the best hair pros in the biz.

So if your bottle-blonde hair turns a nasty green, don't fret. Kim has a simple solution. Just apply ketchup to your locks, massage in, and let it sit there for a few minutes. Then jump in the shower and rinse thoroughly. Shampoo, and rinse again. It really works. The green is gone!