An unexpected green tint in your hair is obviously not what you're aiming for. In this blog we'll explain in detail why a green tint occurs, how you can get rid of it and, more importantly, how to prevent it.
A green tint in your hair can happen for several reasons. Many people with blonde hair get a greenish tint in their hair after swimming in a pool with copper in the water. You can also get a green tint in your hair after using a shower with copper pipes. But it's not only copper in the water that can give you a green hairdo. Sometimes dyeing your hair the wrong shade is the culprit.
In some cases that the hair will get a grey tint after dyeing, which looks a bit greenish. Often, this happens when the hair lacks warm pigments. Hair contains two types of pigments: eumelanin and pheomelanin. The pigment eumelanin is responsible for the hair's natural shade. It determines how dark or light your hair is and contains the colours red, yellow and blue. Feomelanin is responsible for the hair's undertone and contains the colours red and yellow. If you don't have that many red and yellow pigments, you have a cool colour profile. When you dye a naturally cool shade with an ash shade, it can start to look green. An ash shade contains a little blue pigment that counteracts the heat in the hair. If you have little or no heat in your hair, an ash shade can make it look green. An ash shade contains a little blue pigment that counteracts the heat in the hair. If you have little or no warm pigments in your hair, the ash colour can give your hair a green tint. The same can happen when your hair is bleached or de-coloured. Here too, the problem is that there is little or no warmth left in the hair and thus no red pigment that can neutralise the green/blue pigment in the dye. The result, in some cases, that green tint. When you've bleached your hair, the green tint doesn't just happen when dyeing it to an ash colour. If you start dyeing your hair much darker than its current colour, it can happen too. In our blog 'warm hair colours' you can learn more about which colours are warm colours.
Many people think that chlorine in swimming pool water is the culprit of the green shade. But this is not the case: the copper particles in the water are actually the cause. The copper particles stick to the hair, causing your hair to look that weird green.
It's also possible that a shower with copper pipes is causing the green tint. Just like in pool water, the copper particles attach to the hair and leave it looking greenish. Take, for example, a fake silver ring: these rings often give off green stains on your fingers because they contain copper. So copper particles from the tap, just like in the pool, can cause a green 'stain' on your hair.
The question is not only why a green tint occurs and how to get rid of it, but also how to prevent it. Because preventing it entirely is better than fixing it! And if it's already happened, you'll know what not to do next time.
Is your hair bleached and do you want to dye it? To prevent the green tint, don't dye it too dark right away and avoid ash tones. Also, before dyeing bleached hair, it's wise to pre-pigment your hair with a rinse that contains red pigments. The green colour in the dye will be neutralised by the red pigments in the rinse. The blog 'Dyeing bleached hair, what do I pay attention to?' explains the best way to dye your bleached locks.
Do you have a green shade in your hair because you've been swimming in a pool? Immediately after swimming, rinse your hair with clean water and wash it if you want. This way you'll already rinse most of the copper particles out of your hair. You can also wet your hair before swimming, squeeze out most of the moisture, apply conditioner to your hair and put it in a bun. The conditioner forms a protective layer on your hair which will make it less likely for the copper particles to stick to it. If you put on a swimming cap while swimming, the hair won't come into contact with the water, thus also preventing the chances of a green tint in your hair.
So in conclusion, always pay attention to whether the dye you want to dye your hair with is suitable for your hair and neutralise a green tint with the colour red. A green tint your hair is never fun, but fortunately it can be solved quickly!