Green Hair From Pool Chlorine: How to Fix It With Ketchup

Having nothing to lose, though, and having a Costco-size squeezy bottle of Heinz quite handy, I figured who better to take one for the team and experiment with a little condiment conditioner? I only gave the trick about a 20 percent chance of actually working. After reading this scientific explanation of the real cause of green hair in the pool (it's not the chlorine, as you may think!), I felt like nothing short of a professional salon intervention would save me. But can you believe it: IT WORKED! I generously smeared and combed the ketchup into my ends, wound my hair into a bun, gave my girls their bath for 20 minutes or so, then shampooed/conditioned, and just like that, the green slime was gone. My blond streaks were back and intact. I still have hair that looks dull and sad, but at least I will no longer feel like a monster until I can spend more time attending to its needs.

Other potions that supposedly work magic on green pool hair: vinegar, lemon juice, tomato juice or sauce. I just found ketchup so much more convenient thanks to its conditioner-like consistency!

Have you ladies ever gotten green hair from a swimming pool? How did you get rid of it? Blonds, how do you keep this from happening? (I'll certainly be more careful in the future!)

P.S. You know you're a seasoned parent when you yell to your husband, "Can you give them their milk? I have to just rinse the ketchup out of my hair in the shower real quick," and this elicits no follow-up question, just a simple "OK."