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Thread: How to get rid of my green hair, and if filter is contributing instead of helping?

  1. #1
    Member pele's Avatar
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    Unhappy How to get rid of my green hair, and if filter is contributing instead of helping?

    Hello!

    Great to see this forum up and running again!

    My hair has such a green tinge lately. It seems (ironically) that since I have put my shower filter on, my hair has gone even greener than without it! Is this even possible?

    I have not colored my hair since....end of September 2007 (and that's when I started with the filter), and when I had it colored it was highlights of platinum blonde (on my naturally dirty blonde).

    1) What can I do to get rid of the green? (baking soda? ACV?)

    2) Should I just take OFF the shower filter? Could it be doing the opposite of what I want it to be doing?

    Thanks!
    ~Pele~
    1a, F, i/ii - stopped dye April 2013 and going back to natural color

  2. #2
    Random Thought Provoker nicolezoie's Avatar
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    It sounds like you may have chlorinated hair? Usually when blond hair is exposed to chlorine it takes on a greenish hue. The longer the exposure, the greener the hair.

    When I was a swimmer, we used to combat this by using Ultra Swim shapoo and conditioners, OR doing an aspirin shampoo. Seeing as I'm not blond I never tried the aspirin thing, but I can vouch for the Ultra Swim.

    It *could* be related to your filter, or it could be related to your house's water.
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    Member Ursula's Avatar
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    My guess is that the problem is either chlorine or copper in your water. Chlorine probably only if you swim - tap water intended for drinking has a lower concentration.

    An "after swim" shampoo would take care of green from chlorine, and a chelating shampoo or treatment would help remove copper.
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    Rebel Reverend Kirin's Avatar
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    its copper in the water, (even in swimming) chlorine bleaches, copper turns things green, copper is in swimming pool water from the filtration.

    Lemon juice gets rid of it, but it can be VERY drying. I used to sport bleach blonde kermit the frog green hair (we're talking like mint green), and lemon was teh only thing that worked. I never tried citric acid rinses though, that might work.
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  5. #5
    Humanist/Procrastinatrix chloeishere's Avatar
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    Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) removed chlorine from water. Citric acid acts as a chelator and removes metal ions, such as copper.

    You could try washing your hair with miracle water (this is not my idea or recipe, but I can't remember the poster's name, off the top of my head). I'm not sure if it's been reposted yet, but I believe it's 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, and 1/8th (maybe less) teaspoon ascorbic acid, in 1 gallon of water. The original poster of the idea used just this mix to wash her hair (with shampoo bars) and had great success with it.
    I've never had the energy to try miracle water (though I'm sure it's nice) so I do a more concentrated citric acid rinse. I'm not nearly as blonde as you, but basically, it's about 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per two cups of water (I tend to use a lot more than 2 cups, though). I also add the tiniest dab of ascorbic acid (as small as I can get it, it's a fine powder), and use that to rinse. It makes my hair very slippery feeling, and it does help prevent mineral buildup in hair, in my opinion.

    You can get both of these at health food stores I think-- look for their bulk powders. I got mine online-- I have 8 ounces of citric acid and 2 ounces of ascorbic acid, and expect these quantities to last at least 10 years, at a minimum. You don't use much.

    I'm not sure if or why your filter would make your hair greener-- what kind of filter is it (like, how does it filter)?


  6. #6
    Friend of the Semicolon florenonite's Avatar
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    Apparently ketchup works. There's something in the tomatoes that ionises the copper or something like that (I haven't taken chem in about two years, so my knowledge is a bit dodgy, but my point is that it's not the red colour, but the actual tomatoes).
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  7. #7
    Jumi of Moonstone GlassEyes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chloeishere View Post
    Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) removed chlorine from water. Citric acid acts as a chelator and removes metal ions, such as copper.

    You could try washing your hair with miracle water (this is not my idea or recipe, but I can't remember the poster's name, off the top of my head). I'm not sure if it's been reposted yet, but I believe it's 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, and 1/8th (maybe less) teaspoon ascorbic acid, in 1 gallon of water. The original poster of the idea used just this mix to wash her hair (with shampoo bars) and had great success with it.
    I've never had the energy to try miracle water (though I'm sure it's nice) so I do a more concentrated citric acid rinse. I'm not nearly as blonde as you, but basically, it's about 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per two cups of water (I tend to use a lot more than 2 cups, though). I also add the tiniest dab of ascorbic acid (as small as I can get it, it's a fine powder), and use that to rinse. It makes my hair very slippery feeling, and it does help prevent mineral buildup in hair, in my opinion.

    You can get both of these at health food stores I think-- look for their bulk powders. I got mine online-- I have 8 ounces of citric acid and 2 ounces of ascorbic acid, and expect these quantities to last at least 10 years, at a minimum. You don't use much.

    I'm not sure if or why your filter would make your hair greener-- what kind of filter is it (like, how does it filter)?
    I was just about to recommend this. It's how justgreen keeps her hair from turning green, among others.
    (Lord Caswallawn of the Crushing Blow in the Order of Longhaired Knights)

  8. #8
    Karma Guru sibylla's Avatar
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    I second the ketchup!!!!!
    Good luck!
    (if you are using cassia-it can give blond hair a greenish tone)
    Lady Geshtai of the Blessed Waters in the Order of the Long Haired Knights

  9. #9
    Nutty neurology nurse!!! jojo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by florenonite View Post
    Apparently ketchup works. There's something in the tomatoes that ionises the copper or something like that (I haven't taken chem in about two years, so my knowledge is a bit dodgy, but my point is that it's not the red colour, but the actual tomatoes).
    this works great, a hairdresser told me this years ago, when my daughters hair turned green. sounds crazy and I dont know the chemistry behind it but yep a winner!!
    Buzz October 2015 to get rid of bendigo and lots of other damage, now Al natural and loving it....where will my journey end? I will tell you when I get there. Lifelong Co washer and LOC method currentl approaching curly hip

  10. #10
    Princess Pegasus Marsters's Avatar
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    Ketchup is the advice I always here. And if you get hungry you can dunk your fries in it
    Pegs

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