Traditionally, the colour green has always been avoided in the decor of hair salons - in the unlikely event of a hair treatment going wrong, the resulting shade is often a rather unpleasant khaki colour. Times have changed, however, and one of the recent releases in Goldwell’s colour chart was a mint green.
Although colour treatments may go wrong, one of the most common causes of green hair that I see is as a result of swimming pool usage. Years ago I queried this with Goldwell and was informed that, contrary to urban myth, the green colouration is not due to chlorine but rather oxidised copper. Copper is found in algaecides and is a major component in “ionic“ pools. If the copper levels in the pool are too high and your hair is allowed to dry out then the copper oxidises and goes green.
In case you are not a fan of the new green trend, the following is a recipe that Goldwell’s Research & Development Department gave me. It hasn’t failed yet, so there’s no need to reach for the tomato sauce or bleach.
To correct "swimmer's hair":
Shampoo hair, rinse and towel dry.
Reapply shampoo, but don’t lather. Wrap hair in a towel or cling film (don’t cover face – very important! 😜).
Leave for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse.
Apply conditioner and leave for another 10 minutes.
Shampoo once more, reapply conditioner, then rinse again.
Alternatively, wear a swim cap or rinse your hair with fresh water as soon as you get out of the pool to prevent swimmer's hair.