Why Your Hair Turns Green in the Pool (And How to Stop It)

Early last July, Ramona walked into Salon Blue looking miserable. She was a 38-year-old teacher who'd been spending every afternoon at her neighborhood pool in Salt Water Landing with her two kids.

"Look at this," she said, pulling sections of her shoulder-length blonde hair forward. In the salon lighting, I could see a distinct greenish tint throughout, especially concentrated around her face-framing highlights.

"It's disgusting," she said. "I tried purple shampoo. Made it worse. Now it's sort of gray-green. My sister told me to try ketchup. I'm not desperate enough for that yet."

I'm Misty Rackley, and every summer I see this. People blame chlorine for turning hair green, but that's only half the story.

"How often are you swimming?" I asked.

"Every day since school let out three weeks ago," Ramona said. "The kids are in the pool from 2pm to dinnertime. I'm in and out constantly."

I examined her hair more closely. Beyond the green tint, it felt dry, almost straw-like. The ends were breaking off.

"This isn't chlorine alone," I explained. "The green is from copper, probably from algaecide in your pool. The chlorine stripped your hair's protective oils, made it porous, and then oxidized copper bonded to the protein in your hair shaft."

She stared at me. "Copper? From the pool?"

The Solution

I showed Ramona photos of other clients with the same green tint, all blonde, all swimmers in neighborhood pools.

"Your pool probably has copper levels higher than 1 part per million," I said. "That's the threshold where we start seeing green hair. The chlorine oxidizes the copper, and your porous blonde hair is like a magnet for it."

"But my kids don't have green hair," she protested.

"Because their hair isn't lightened," I explained. "Natural, darker hair doesn't show it as much. And their hair probably isn't as porous as yours."

I held up a bottle of chelating shampoo. "This is formulated to bind to minerals like copper and remove them. We're going to start with this."

The clarifying treatment took about 15 minutes. I could see the green tint lifting with each rinse. After a deep conditioning mask to restore moisture, Ramona's hair looked significantly better. Still a bit brassy, but the swampy green was gone.

"Now, here's how you prevent it from coming back," I said, pulling out products. "Before swimming, saturate your hair completely with clean water at home or with the pool shower. Your hair is like a sponge. If it's full of clean water, it can't absorb as much pool water."

I gave her a silicone-based leave-in conditioner. "Apply this before swimming. The silicones create a waterproof barrier. Chlorine can't penetrate as easily."

"And after swimming?" she asked.

"Rinse immediately with fresh water. Then use this chelating shampoo twice a week, and deep condition every time you wash."

Ramona left with the products and specific instructions.

Three Weeks Later

Ramona came back three weeks later for a trim. I barely recognized her hair. No green tint at all, and it looked healthier, shinier.

"It worked," she said, grinning. "I've been swimming every single day, and look. No green."

"Walk me through your routine," I said.

"Every day before we leave for the pool, I wet my hair completely in the shower and put in the leave-in conditioner. The kids think I'm crazy, but whatever. We swim for hours. When we get home, I rinse my hair for like two full minutes in the shower, then shampoo with the chelating shampoo every few days and deep condition."

I examined her hair. The texture was dramatically better. Soft, hydrated, no breakage.

"It's annoying to add steps," Ramona admitted. "But it takes maybe five extra minutes total. And I'm not terrified of my hair turning green again."

She pulled out her phone to show me a photo from the previous week at the pool. Bright sun, wet hair, no hint of green.

"My neighbor asked me last week what I did to fix it," she said. "Her daughter's blonde hair is starting to look green. I told her to come see you."

End of Summer

When Ramona came in for her back-to-school cut in late August, I asked how the rest of summer went.

"We swam almost every day through mid-August," she said. "My hair never turned green again. Not even a hint."

She showed me dozens of pool photos from July and August. Her hair looked consistently healthy and blonde throughout.

"The routine became automatic after the first week," she said. "Wet hair, leave-in conditioner, swim all day, rinse thoroughly, chelating shampoo a few times a week. Done."

"What about when school starts?" I asked. "Will you keep swimming?"

"The pool closes after Labor Day," she said. "But next summer? I'm starting with the prevention routine from day one. I'm not going through green hair hell again."

She paused. "I told like six people about this. Half my neighborhood was dealing with green hair by June."

What This Summer Taught Me

Ramona's transformation shows the pool hair damage cycle and solution. Three weeks of daily swimming without protection gave her green hair from copper oxidation in her Salt Water Landing pool. Chlorine made her blonde hair porous, oxidized copper bonded to it, creating that swampy tint.

Her solution: pre-swim saturation with clean water (hair can't absorb pool water if it's already full), silicone barrier leave-in (waterproof shield), post-swim immediate fresh water rinse (removes chemicals before they damage), chelating shampoo 2 to 3 times weekly (binds to copper and removes it), deep conditioning (restores moisture).

Result: 6 plus weeks of daily swimming from mid-July through August with zero green tint and healthy hair.

Understanding Pool Hair Damage

Why chlorine damages hair: Chlorine is designed to sanitize by breaking things down. It strips away natural oils (sebum) that protect hair, then attacks keratin protein structure. This makes hair porous and rough. The lifted cuticle feels brittle, tangles easily. Think of your hair's outer layer, the cuticle, as a smooth, sealed surface. When healthy, it lies flat, reflecting light and locking in moisture. Chlorine completely disrupts this.

Why copper causes green: Copper (from algaecides or pipes) oxidizes when chlorine is added. Oxidized copper bonds to hair protein. Shows most on blonde, highlighted, or gray hair. Pools ideally have less than 1 ppm copper, but many have more.

Pool types: Traditional chlorine pools have direct, strong chemical exposure. Saltwater pools use generators that convert salt to chlorine through electrolysis, still chlorine. Salt itself is dehydrating. Hot tubs are concentrated chlorine plus heat that opens cuticle wide.

Living here in Hampstead, with pools in nearly every neighborhood from Salt Water Landing to Pecan Grove, this is a problem I see constantly. Our North Carolina sun compounds the damage. A porous, chlorine-exposed hair strand is way more vulnerable to UV rays. The two work together to fade color and cause breakage much faster than either would alone.

Here at Salon Blue, we're huge believers in protecting hair integrity. It's why we include a bond-building treatment with all our lightening services. It helps rebuild the hair's internal structure, making it more resilient against stressors like sun and swimming pools.

Your Next Step

If you're in Ramona's early-July position (green, dry pool hair ruining your summer), let's fix it and prevent it.

For mild green tint, a good clarifying shampoo might be enough. For more stubborn green, please don't reach for ketchup or other home remedies you see online. Come see a professional. We have treatments that can safely remove mineral buildup without causing more damage.

For hair that feels impossibly dry and brittle, a professional deep conditioning treatment or a haircut to remove split ends can work wonders. Sometimes a fresh start is the best way to get your hair back on track.

You can book an appointment with me or one of our talented stylists online. We're located at 1775 Hwy 210 E in Hampstead, NC 28443, right near the Harris Teeter. Give us a call at (910) 329-1900 or you may also book an appointment online.

Stop dreading the pool. Start protecting your hair.