Green hair from pool? Learn how to protect your hair from chlorine

Between sorting tickets, packing your suitcase, and tying things up at work before signing off, protecting your hair from chlorine may be the last thing on your mind when you venture off on vacation. 

But the truth is, hair and chlorine don’t mix too well. The effect of chlorine water on hair ranges from dehydration to discoloration. (Not quite the sun-kissed, beach-blonde look you were hoping for post vacay, right?)

If you want to protect your hair from pool water it’s important to take steps to prep your locks pre-swim, and apply products like Color Wow Dream Filter post-swim.

Ready to upgrade your vacation hair care routine? Read on to find out more about how to protect your hair from chlorinated pool water.

How does chlorine affect hair?

Chlorine is commonly found in swimming pools - it’s added to kill bacteria that builds up, but when it reacts with copper found in the water, it forms a green mineral compound that sticks to your hair and is stubborn to remove. This oxidation of metals is what leads to green hair!

Chlorine can affect hair in a number of ways:

1. It strips away your hair’s natural moisture, leaving it brittle and dry. 
2. It causes split ends by weakening your hair strands.
3. It causes hair color to fade or change. 
4. For blonde or lighter colored hair this can mean picking up a green hue.
5. It can irritate your scalp, leading to dryness and itchiness.

If you’ve dyed your hair, chlorine oxidizes the artificial color, breaking down the color molecules in hair while also opening the cuticle which draws them out even faster - which is why artificial colored locks are more at risk from chlorine damage.  

Can you swim after dyeing hair?

Although chlorine can speed up color fade in dyed hair, it doesn’t mean you have to avoid the pool forever. 

If you’ve recently dyed your tresses, we recommend waiting at least a week in between coloring your hair and going swimming. The longer you wait, the more time the cuticles have to close and lock the color inside your strands. So hold off if you can, or protect your hair with a waterproof swim cap!

How to protect your hair from chlorine

So, how can you arm your locks with all they need ahead of hitting the pool? Check out our 6 tips below on how to protect hair from pool water before and after going in.

3 pre-swim hair protection tips

1. Hit the poolside showers and rinse your hair with fresh water before getting in. This will mean your hair absorbs the chlorinated water less quickly.

2. Consider applying conditioner to your hair before going in, as the product will act as an additional barrier against chlorine.

3. Wear a swim cap. Although these don’t keep your hair bone-dry during your swim, they’ll act as a protective barrier and help avoid the dreaded ‘green hair from pool’ look.

3 after pool hair care hacks

Hair care after swimming is just as important as your pre-swim prep! Follow these steps to try and get chlorine out of hair as efficiently as possible. 

1. Head to the showers immediately after your swim to remove as much of the chlorine as possible. Opt for Color Wow Color Security Shampoo - an advanced, sulfate-free formula that has been clinically proven to be as gentle as water. Unlike virtually all other shampoos, Color Wow has eliminated silicones, conditioners, thickeners and pearlizing agents… ingredients that should never be found in a shampoo because they not only make your color look dark and dull, but actually clog follicles and impede growth.
   
   
   
2. Add a surge of moisture with Color Wow Color Security Conditioner - free from any ingredients that might oxidize in the sun and make your color brassy. Your color stays pure and vibrant thanks to translucent moisturizers.
   
   
   
3. Apply a leave-in conditioning treatment to help restore some of the moisture that may have been drawn out by the chlorine.
   
   

Hair turned green from pool already? Here are some tips to help

There are a few ways to fix chlorine damaged hair.

1. Spritz Color Wow Dream Filter, a pre-shampoo mineral remover, onto dry locks ahead of shampooing. Dream Filter detoxes your hair of minerals in just 3 minutes by acting like a magnet to attract minerals to the surface of your hair before encapsulating them for ease of rinsing away. Add this into your hair washing routine once a week.
   
   
   
2. Continue using a gentle shampoo and conditioner to keep your hair free of residues, and invest in products specifically designed for damaged hair - like our Dream Cocktail Kale-Infused Leave-In Treatment which helps strengthen dry and brittle locks.
   
   
   
3. With split ends being one of the effects of chlorine on hair, having regular haircuts and trims is important for keeping the ends of your hair looking healthy.

Unfortunately, chlorine isn’t going anywhere. Whether you’re by the pool on vacation or heading to your local sports center to do some laps back home, there’s no getting rid of it! But as we’ve seen above, there are a number of ways to protect hair from chlorine and combat that dreaded green tinge. 

If you’re a regular swimmer, investing in hair care products with moisturizing and strengthening properties will be key to tackling any damage and color fade caused by chlorine.

For more inspo on keeping your hair in good condition throughout the summer months, check out our guide to sun damaged hair and learn how to repair damaged blonde hair after summer.