Hair Turned Green From Pool [ Solutions + Remedies ]
If your blonde hair turned green from the pool, do not worry! This is something completely normal, and it happens more often than you might think.
The reason why this happens (especially on blonde hair) is because the chorides from the pool often have a light blue color undertone, and when the blue pigment gets mixed with your blonde yellow pigment, the hair turns green.
The best way to fix when blonde hair turned green from the pool is to make a deep cleansing to reduce the pigmentation for the hair. In some cases, you will need to use a color remover or to tone your hair with blonde toner with red/violet undertones to get your hair back to normal.
However, the best thing you can do to avoid greenish hair in summer is to prevent yourself by applying a good water & sun protector for your hair, and making sure you wash your hair immediately after you get out of the pool.
In this article I will tell you everything you need to know to prevent and solve when your hair turns green from the pool.
My hair turned green from the pool
If your hair turned green from the pool, you’re probably worried about how to get it back to normal. But don’t worry, there are several solutions with which you can remove the green from your hair.
It is a reality that our hair always suffers in summer when we go on vacation. High temperatures and excess sun make our hair brassy and dry.
But when we go swimming in the water things can get much worse! Sea water won’t turn your hair green, but pool water might.
The main cause is due to the chlorine they add to the water. Although the chlorine seems transparent, the truth is that it has a slight blue background that, when reacting with our blonde hair, will make our hair turn green.
And this is not a very nice thing! This greenish color can last for days or even weeks. The lighter your hair, the more vulnerable your hair will be to the chlorine in the pool.
what can i do if my hair turned green from the pool?
If your hair has been turned green by the pool, there are three things you can do. All of them can be very helpful depending on how pigmented your hair is. The best solutions are:
- To remove the pigment by doing a deep cleanse
- Apply a color remover
- Tone your hair
I recommend that before trying these techniques, you first try washing your hair if you haven’t done so even after getting out of the pool.
Sometimes the greenish reflection is only on the surface, and with a simple hair wash it will be more than enough for you to eliminate it.
But if after washing your hair you still have greenish hair, I recommend that you try these solutions so that you can recover the balanced color of your hair:
Solution #1: Do a deep cleanse
Getting a deep clean is the first solution I recommend you try if your hair turned green from the pool. It’s easy to do and won’t take much time.
This type of cleansing is extremely effective if the green color hasn’t penetrated your hair much yet. That is, if it has been recent (less than 48 hours).
There are several ways to deep clean your hair that will remove excess pigment from the surface. The ones I recommend the most are:
With a high sulfate shampoo
In this case, the objective is that you manually remove the unwanted color from your hair by means of cleaning agents. Just as washing our hair with a non-ideal shampoo can remove the beautiful toner from our hair, it also works for this purpose.
For this, the ideal is that you get a very cheap or very cleansing shampoo.
Cheap shampoos are usually practically soap! And they tend to be quite aggressive with color (which in this case suits us). The best option is to go to the supermarket and buy the cheapest shampoo you see.
The second option (if you want to take better care of your hair) is to buy a specialized deep-cleansing shampoo like Kerastase’s Bain Divalent. This shampoo has the necessary sulfates to do a good deep cleaning that removes color residue. And it will take care of your hair in the process.
To remove the color with this method, it is important that you wash your hair several times (3 to 5) with hot water and massage well all the lengths of your hair.
Massage the greenish areas very well to remove the color as much as possible, and at the end let the shampoo act for about 15 minutes. In this way the sulfates will be able to act a little more on your hair.
with a special scrub
Using a special scrub is the second best way to get rid of greenish hair after swimming. Scubs have the power to remove excess unwanted pigment from hair in a deeper way than just shampoo.
But not just any scrub will do! You need a special product that contains active ingredients to remove build up from the scalp. The concentration of cleaning agents in your scrub is the most efficient way to eliminate the greenish tone of the pool.
The best scrub that I recommend for this purpose is Kerastase’s Fusio Energizing Scrub. This wonderful scrub has effective ingredients to remove residue (and color) from hair such as salicylic acid and sodium laureth sulfate.
This scrub is designed to purify the scalp, however in this particular case we will wet our hair and use it all over the hair massaging it in all the green areas (the product will lather like a shampoo).
I recommend that you repeat this process a couple of times and at the end let the scrub act on your hair for about 30 minutes. This will help you remove any remaining color residue.
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU: What happens if you leave blue shampoo in hair for an hour?
Solution #2: Use a Color remover
If step 1 didn’t work for you, you will most likely need to use a color remover to remove the green from the pool.
Color removers are products that remove toner from the hair leaving a neutral surface similar to the color that the discoloration leaves on the hair. That is to say, it will probably eliminate the green color but your hair will be yellowish brassy style.
You can do this remedy to get rid of the green in your hair and wait until later to go to your trusted hairdresser so that they can apply the toner for your usual blonde. Or if you feel quite skillful you can learn to color your hair in the next step.
It is important that you choose a good quality color remover, otherwise you will be able to dry out your hair a lot (almost like with hair bleach).
My favorite color remover is the Schwarzkopf Bond Enforcing Color Remover. This product has repair active ingredients similar to Olaplex that will leave your hair in good quality while removing pigment from the hair.
How to use a color remover step by step
To do a color remover cleansing on your hair, you should apply the product all over your hair, saturating it especially in the greenest areas.
Depending on the brand, its preparation method will change, but in the case of the Schwarzkopf color remover that I recommended in the previous section, it is super easy to use.
You only have to mix the contents of envelopes 1 and 2 in a bowl of dye, and add 60ml of 10 or 20 volume developer. I recommend that you use a soft developer (10vol) if the greenish color is light, and use the stronger developer (20v) if the greenish color is quite intense.
Once you have mixed the products, it is time to apply the formula throughout your hair with the help of a brush (or your hands). Don’t forget to put on gloves!
Saturate well all the areas of your hair that you would like to cleanse, and don’t worry too much about your roots. The color removers only work on the dyed areas. This product should not alter your natural color.
Let it act for about 20 minutes and wash your hair normally.
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU: How long to leave toner in hair?
Solution #3: tone your hair
If your hair turned green from the pool, and none of the above has worked for you, toning your hair is one of the most effective solutions.
I recommend that before trying to color your hair you have tried the previous remedies since this step is a little more complex than the previous ones.
And you should also know that if you tried to remove the green color from your hair with the previous steps, do not go to color your hair the same day!
Ideally, wait at least a day since the previous remedies usually remove all the grease from the hair, and it is better that you have even a little to avoid porosity problems (which makes the color not distribute evenly).
The last important point is that you try to use a professional ammonia-free toner! Don’t try to color your hair with a box dye because the results can be unstable. I recommend that you buy your toner from a professional supply store like Sally Beauty or any other hairdresser supply store.
How to prepare the perfect toner formula
Surely you are wondering what toner to use. My best recommendation is that you buy Dialight toner from L’Oréal Professional. It is the easiest to use at home.
Its formula does not have ammonia, which makes it safe for the hair, and the level of nuance it has is quite powerful. You will need to purchase a tube of this toner with its special 9vol developer (although any 10v peroxide will do as well).
Our toner needs to have violet pigments to remove the green color from the hair. Professionally, green is corrected with red pigments, however it is risky to do it at home like this because you can end up with pink or orange hair.
Instead, choose a violet-pigmented toner as it has red in its formula but is safer to use on your own.
Now, to buy the right shade you need to identify what shade of blonde you have in your hair. There are 3 types of blonde levels:
Light blonde
If you have very light hair, you should buy a height 10 toner shade with violet pigments. In the case of Dialight dyes, I recommend that you buy a 10.02 or a 10.22 (depending on how green your pool hair is). The color number starting with 10 means the color is light blonde, and the number 2 after the dot in the formula means that the shade of the toner is purple (not in every brand is like that).
Keep in mind that with these toners your hair can turn silver or ash. In case you don’t like these pigments too much, don’t worry, after a couple of washes this reflection will soften (but at least your hair won’t be green anymore).
medium or dark blonde
If you have medium blonde hair (the most common color for blonde hair), you should use a toner that is color height 9. This type of toner will work just as well on dark blondes.
The ideal color that you should use in the case of Dialight is a 9.02. Always remember to mix it in equal parts with its corresponding 9vol developer. In case you use another brand, make sure it is a height 9 dye with violet pigments.
How to use your toner
To remove your hair turned green from pool, you should apply the toner to slightly damp hair. You can wash your hair and wring it out well, or you can spray a spray of water on your hair and brush it.
Mix your tube of toner with the corresponding developer, and apply it all over your hair with the help of a brush. The application should be something quick and easy, so I recommend that you do not pay too much attention to dividing your hair into sections.
Once you have applied the product, massage your hair well and wait 10 to 20 minutes. Go reviewing the color at all times to see that it is grabbing a beautiful hue.
Do not be too scared if you see that it turns a little purple, it is normal as long as it is seen in a very light way. When the processing time has passed, wash your hair with a color care shampoo, and that’s it!
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU: Hair too ashy after toner, what can I do?
bottom line
I hope this article has been helpful to you in knowing what to do if your hair turned green in the pool.
If none of these solutions work, this means that the green color has sealed deep into your hair. In this case, I recommend that you go to your hairdresser so that he can do a color correction and return to your normal blonde.
Remember that prevention is the key to success! Apply a hair protector before entering the pool and wash your hair immediately as soon as you get out of the water! In this way you will avoid the greenish tone to the maximum.
Until next time!
