Why this mum swears by putting tomato sauce in her daughter's hair.

A Melbourne mum has shared a rather odd back-to-school ritual – she squeezes tomato sauce into her daughter’s hair.

Why? Because it’s perfect, apparently, for removing that nasty green tinge from blonde hair that chlorine from pools leaves behind.

Jess Roberts, who blogs at Modern Day Mumma, swears by the technique that she says gets rid of all the green from her daughter’s hair.

“This is how every blonde finishes their summer holidays when growing up!” she captioned the image of squeezing sauce into her daughter’s hair.

“Nothing like good old trusty tomato sauce to strip the green out!”

 

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Day before school • This is how every blonde finishes their summer holidays when growing up!!! Blonde hair + chlorine = Green . . Nothing like Good old trusty tomato sauce to strip the green out!! . . Hands up if your mum use to put tomato sauce in your hair ????????‍♀️

A post shared by Modern Day Mumma- Jessi & Lisa (@moderndaymumma) on Jan 29, 2019 at 1:43am PST

Jess, who’s a blonde herself, then asked followers if their mum used to do the same thing for them.

Most had, in fact, had never heard of the tomato sauce trick, but some did recall being doused in vinegar as a youngster.

That’s the method Sydney hairstylist Keiren Street told Mamamia worked for him as a child.

“My mum used to rinse our hair with white vinegar to remove the chlorine first, then wash and condition,” the editorial and Valonz Haircutters hairstylist said.

“I remember kneeling over the bath with the bottle of vinegar poured straight from the bottle.”

But it seems the tomato sauce trick – which is based on the red of the sauce neutralising the green – stacks up. Other mums, YouTubers and bloggers, including the team behind hair blog Hair Romance, have reported success with the hack.

Media personality Mel Greig also said the hack worked for her in an Instagram post earlier this month.

 

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ATTENTION BLONDES: This weeks @yahoolifestyleau article is for you. Whilst in Bali my blonde locks turned into green pool hair, it was suggested I tried the myth of tomato sauce and IT WORKED. Link in BIO on what the process was and how long to leave it in for #mindblown #saucehead #dipachiponme #greenpoolhair #hairtreatment #adventuresofmel #yahoo7lifestyle

A post shared by Mel Greig (@melgreig_) on Jan 5, 2019 at 1:47pm PST

The key seems to be letting the tomato soak in for 10 to 20 minutes, as you would a hair mask.

But if you don’t want to take your chances with an at-home DIY option, celebrity hairdresser Marie Uva, who owns Uva Salon in Melbourne, said a red-hued toner applied at a salon will do the trick.

“Red tones counteract greens, hence the reason why using the tomato sauce. But I wouldn’t do that, as it may stain the hair,” the hairstylist told Mamamia. 

“I’d use a deep cleanse on the hair to remove any residue. Then if there’s still green in the hair, we’d use a toner with a red reflex to counteract the green.”

Marie also has a top tip for any blondes out there who want to prevent ending up looking like lime after a trip to the pool.

She told Mamamia the best thing someone can do is put conditioner in their hair and tie it up in a bun before they swim, or if you’re really dedicated, wear a swimming cap.