An imbalance in the water supply in parts of north Cork is turning residents’ hair green. 

A local salon said it has been inundated with people trying to get rid of the green-tinged hair.

Kai Runovski, owner of the Red Door Beauty Salons, told the Irish Times that she opened her salon in Dromahane almost a year ago.

“It wasn’t long until we noticed lots of people coming in that had this green hue in their hair. We were surprised there was so many,” she said.

“Women just wanted to get rid of the color. It is a big problem.”

She said the color was a “mucky, green shade” for those with blonde and grey hair and a “forest” green shade in brunettes.

At first, she thought the problem might be connected to the salon’s coloring products, so she hired a color technician.

“She told me the water had very high iron levels and was very acidic, and that was causing it. It’s not just here, you can find places like that in west Cork and in Kerry,” she said.

“It was a shock in the beginning. We’ve learned to buy big gallons of alkaline shampoo all stored in the basement. It’s up to us to find a color to hide the green.”

Mayor of Co Cork John Paul O’Shea became aware of the issue after receiving a number of complaints.

He claims the pH levels of the water were too high, a problem which is also causing corrosion in household appliances and showers.

O’Shea told the Irish Times that he has brought the issue to the attention of council engineers and agreed to a €40,000 upgrade of the local water treatment plant that should fix the problem.