THE PROBLEM
Occasionally blonde swimmers have a problem with hair
discoloration after extended swimming. The hair takes on
a greenish tint, which is blamed on everything from rusty
pipes to hair color preparations to chlorine. The cause
is actually copper
oxide.
Copper can be introduced to the water in many ways. The
primary sources are:
- Trace copper in
the water supply
- Copper bleed from
brass pumps or piping, copper fittings or piping,
or gas heater coils (which are solid copper)
- Residues from
copper-based algaecides
As these tiny amounts
of copper react to chlorine in the pool water, copper
oxide is formed. Copper oxide has a blue-green
appearance: it's the stuff that builds up on bronze
statues and metal roofs.
Actually. this problem is not unique to blondes. If
copper is present in the water, copper oxide adheres to
hair of any color. It is usually only seen on blonde or
light red hair because other hair is too dark for the
deposit to be visible.
THE SOLUTION
As far as the immediate hair problem is concerned, a rinse or shampoo
with a slightly acidic pH will strip the copper deposit from the hair.
Many drug stores carry commercial shampoo or creme rinse preparations
for this purpose. If they are not available, an effectrive home remedy
is to use lemon juice or vinegar to rinse the hair. "Green Hair Syndrome"
can be prevented by regularly applying a chelating compund to the water.
"Metal Out," "Metal Magnet," and "YR-17"
are all examples of chelating compounds. Contact
Pelican Pool Service for more information about chelation chemistry to
remove the copper from your pool water. |
