How to stop grey hair turning green
Grey hair may have a yellow or green tinge as a result of a variety of external factors. Medication, food, and larger health conditions can affect the hair from inside the shaft, and products used on the hair, such as shampoo, conditioners, hair spray, mousse, and gels can leave a yellow/green residue.
The first step is identifying why your hair is changing colour. Ask yourself these questions.
- Are you taking medication that is known to do so?
- Do you have liver disease or another condition known to make skin and eyes yellowish?
- Do you eat an abundance of carrots or other foods that are high in carotene, an orange compound that can make skin and hair yellowish?
- Are you a smoker whose hair has been yellowed by nicotine?
- Does the water you use to wash your hair have high iron content?
- Do you swim in a heavily chlorinated pool?
How to fix it
If possible, you'll want to eliminate the cause of the yellowing. If this is not possible, some of the remedies below may be helpful in eliminating the yellowish tinge in your hair.
1. Purple shampoo
Many pharmacies and hairdressers will stock this, and it will neutralise any brassy or yellow/ green tones in your hair almost instantly. Leave the conditioner on for a few minutes to maximise results.
2. Vinegar
Make a rinse from a small amount of vinegar and water (1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon of water) to remove yellow from your hair. Make sure you rinse thoroughly to remove all of the vinegar. After the vinegar rinse, you may condition your hair as usual with a conditioner that does not yellow your hair.
3. Infusion of Betony
Make a "tea" (infusion) of purple Betony flowers with hot water. Let the flowers steep in the water until the desired colour is obtained. The more concentrated the infusion, the stronger the purple colour.
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