Is Chlorine Turning My Highlights Green?!
It’s the middle of summer in Tampa. The Gulf is basically bathwater, so you’re spending your weekends in the pool. Whether it’s a pool party in South Tampa or laps at the YMCA, you’re living your best aquatic life.
But then you look in the mirror. Your beautiful, expensive blonde highlights have taken on a weird, swampy tint. It’s not quite "Billie Eilish green"—it’s more "algae bloom green."
And the texture? It feels like Barbie hair. Stiff, sticky, and impossible to comb.
The Science of "Swamp Hair"
First, let’s bust a myth: Chlorine isn’t actually green. Chlorine is a bleach; it’s colorless. It dries your hair out, absolutely, but it’s not what turns you green.
The culprit is copper.
Most pools use copper‑based algaecides to keep the water clear. When copper oxidizes in the water, it binds to the proteins in your hair shaft. If your hair is porous (which blonde and highlighted hair usually is), it sucks up those minerals like a sponge. That oxidized copper is what gives you the green tint.
As for the texture? That is the chlorine. It strips away your natural sebum (oil), leaving the cuticle wide open and jagged. This makes your hair snag, tangle, and feel like straw.
The Fix: The Pre‑Soak Strategy
The best way to stop your hair from turning green is to fill it up with something else first.
Think of your hair like a dry sponge. If you throw a dry sponge into a bucket of green water, it soaks it all up immediately. But if you soak that sponge in clean, fresh water first until it’s dripping wet, and then throw it in the green water, it can’t absorb much more.
Before you jump in the pool, wet your hair thoroughly with shower water. Better yet, coat it in a leave‑in conditioner or deep conditioning treatment. This creates a barrier.
Product Spotlight: Solu Shampoo
If the damage is already done and you’re looking a little greenish, don’t panic. You need a clarifying shampoo that can break down mineral buildup.
We recommend Solu Shampoo by Davines. It’s formulated with buckwheat extract from Valtellina, Italy. It is designed to deeply cleanse the hair and remove residue—including chlorine, salt, and styling product buildup.
Use it once a week during swim season. But be careful: because it is a deep cleanser, it can be drying if you use it every day. Always follow it up with a rich, moisturizing mask (like The Renaissance Circle) to replace the hydration you just stripped out.
Local Pro‑Tip:
If you have kids who are on a swim team (hello, Blue Wave or pipeline swimming), Solu is a must‑have for their gym bag. It will save their hair from becoming a brittle mess by August.