chlorine removal from hair

I haven`t heard of the bleach recipe before, however; I have heard of tomato juice/ketchup being used effectively. Karen Shelton did an article for this site that discussed it and she recommends:

"Apply real ketchup to the hair. Work it in carefully with your fingers or a very wide toothed comb. Leave the ketchup on your hair for 20-30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse with cold water."

It isn`t the chlorine that is causing the color problem but the hard metals (copper, iron, manganese, in particular). You have to find a way to remove the metals from the hair. Look for a shampoo that contains either chelating (metal removing) agents, such as ethylenediamene tetracetic acid (EDTA), erythorbic acid, and possibly acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). My personal experience is with a shampoo called Ultra Swim that works well. Here is a description of the product:

http://www.nytro.com/product329.html

I know that a rinse with aspirin dissolved in warm water works. I have also been told that rinsing with lemon juice (the natural kind in the large bottle) works and so does white vinegar.

To prevent it from happening again, suggest rinsing the hair with cool filtered water before swimming and wearing a bathing cap. I personally know two women that coat their hair with conditioner or jojoba oil before putting on their cap and their hair is in great condition.

Hope this helps. ;)

Bicarbonate of Soda aka... Baking Soda works great!!!
I have white hair and I swim alot.