Poolside Hair Rinse Tea
A rinse for after the last lap: brewed green tea carries the pool smell away, aloe vera gel adds slip as it goes, and glycerine leaves the lengths less straw-like.
You will need
- 2 cups brewed green teano green tea? use chamomile tea
- 1 tbsp aloe vera gel
- 1 tsp vegetable glycerineno vegetable glycerine? use honey
The ritual
- Brew two cups of green tea, then leave it to cool completely.
- Whisk in the aloe vera gel and glycerine until no lumps remain.
- Shampoo as usual at the pool and squeeze the water out.
- Pour the rinse slowly over the lengths, catching it in a jug to repeat.
- Leave three minutes, then rinse with cool water and condition as normal.
The mistake most people make
The mistake most people make is whisking the aloe and glycerine into tea that is still warm. Heat thins the aloe gel so it never blends properly, the glycerine sinks to the bottom, and you end up pouring a streaky rinse that clings unevenly and leaves the lengths feeling tacky. Brew the tea first thing, walk away until the jug feels genuinely cool to the touch, then whisk. A cool, fully blended rinse pours smoothly, coats every strand and rinses away clean.
Why these ingredients
- 2 cups brewed green tea
- Mildly astringent and faintly tannic, it rinses away the film the pool leaves behind and takes the smell with it.
- 1 tbsp aloe vera gel
- Adds slip so a comb moves through wet hair without dragging, and stops the rinse feeling purely watery.
- 1 tsp vegetable glycerine
- Holds a little water in the lengths as they dry, which is what keeps them from feeling like straw.
Smart swaps
- 2 cups brewed green tea → brewed black tea for dark hair, or chamomile tea for fair hair.
- 1 tbsp aloe vera gel → a tablespoon of your usual conditioner, stirred in well.
- 1 tsp vegetable glycerine → a teaspoon of honey, dissolved in the tea while it is still warm.
Keep it clean
Mix with freshly washed hands and clean, dry bowls and spoons. If a recipe is stored, use a jar or bottle washed in hot soapy water and dried completely, and never dip wet fingers into the batch.
Who should skip it
Skip this rinse if aloe vera has ever irritated your skin, or if your scalp is sunburnt, broken or freshly colour-treated, since even a mild tea rinse can sting raw skin and shift very fresh dye. Anyone with a known sensitivity to green tea on skin should also pass. Before your first full rinse, do a 24-hour patch test on your inner arm.
Storage & when to let go
Three days covered in the fridge. It is tea and water with no preservative, so make it in small amounts.
What to expect — honestly
Hair rinses out cleaner, combs more easily and stops smelling of the pool. The effect lasts until you next wash. It will not mend split ends or reverse the way regular swimming dries hair out over months.
Where it fits in your week
Once or twice a week is plenty, ideally on the days you actually swim, straight after your usual shampoo. It pairs nicely with a lightweight conditioner on the ends. Do not stack it with a clarifying or anti-chlorine shampoo on the same wash, and skip it on scalp-scrub days; two stripping or active treatments back to back leaves hair squeaky, dry and harder to detangle.
Common questions
Will it get the chlorine smell out?
Largely, especially alongside a proper shampoo. The smell clings to the hair surface, and a generous rinse with something mildly astringent shifts most of it.
Can I reuse tea bags I have already brewed once?
Better to use fresh ones. A second brew is weak and mostly water, and what the tea brings is the entire point of the rinse.
How long does a batch keep?
Not long, because brewed tea is mostly water with no preservative. Keep it covered in the fridge and use it within two to three days at most; if it smells sour or looks cloudy, tip it out. Honestly, the nicest results come from brewing a fresh batch the morning of your swim, so it is cool by the time you need it.
Will it tint blonde or grey hair?
Green tea is one of the gentler teas for colour, and at this strength, left on for three minutes, a noticeable tint is unlikely. Very light blonde, grey or heavily bleached hair is more porous though, so if you are cautious, do the first rinse before a wash day and check the result in daylight before making it a habit.
Can I double the recipe for long or thick hair?
Yes, and long-haired swimmers often should. Double everything in the same ratio, four cups of tea to two tablespoons of aloe and two teaspoons of glycerine, and whisk a little longer so the aloe fully disperses. Do not be tempted to double only the glycerine; too much humectant can leave lengths sticky in humid changing rooms.
This recipe is shared for general cosmetic enjoyment, not medical advice — see how we research and write in our editorial policy and the full safety guide.
