Lara Worthington has sparked concern among fans after sharing a photo of herself floating in a salt water lagoon.
The Australian model shared two picturesque snaps that show her fully submerged in the tranquil hot springs of the what appears to be Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon.
But while the mum-of-three in undoubtedly relaxed in the warm water, fans are pointing out Worthington has made a major mistake getting her hair drenched in the mineral-rich water.
“How is your hair Lara? If that is Iceland I am worried right now for you,” one Instagram user stressed.
“NOOO UR NOT SUPPOSED TO GET UR HAIR WET IN THE LAGOON,” another concerned fan agreed.
And one pressed: “Is your hair ok?”
Water in the Blue Lagoon contains high levels of silica, the active ingredient in the geothermal seawater that gives it its pretty Insta-famous colour.
It’s often hailed in the beauty industry for making skin-softening mud masks – but not everyone realises this hero ingredient has hazardous effects on hair.
Although it’s not damaging to hair, submerging your hair in such a high concentration results in it being left dry, tangled, and difficult to manage, and often takes weeks to return to normal.
In really bad cases, the stress on hair can cause matting and breakage.
The Blue Lagoon’s official website notes that the geothermal seawater “can leave the hair matted and unmanageable” and staff at the attraction reportedly advise visitors to tie up their hair.
Swimming caps are also recommended.
But many still don’t realise the negative effects it has on their tresses, with TikTok recently blowing up with videos of women sharing their hair nightmares.
Amelia Carta-McCarthy visited the thermal pool in January and recently went viral after sharing her “mistake” at the Blue Lagoon.
Amelia Carta-McCarthy has been warning others not to put their hair in the water. Picture: TikTok/Amelia Carta-McCarthy
Her video, which showed her frolicking in the water with her hair hanging loosely down her back, clearly struck a chord.
The clip clocked up almost 10 million views from people who had “no idea” the water would leave hair feeling “crunchy”.
“There were no signs on how the water would negatively impact your hair, but there were signs saying to put your hair up,” the 20-year-old from Manchester, England, told Insider.
“I assumed this was because they didn’t want people’s hair clogging drains, not that it would damage your hair.
“I guess the mistake I made was leaving my hair down 90% of the time I was in the lagoon.”
Another woman shared a video warning others visiting the popular pool not to get their hair wet.
“It’s true. My hair has taken 4 washes and still hasn’t gone back to normal,” Reanne Brown said.
Hair experts advise slathering hair in with leave-in conditioner before you get into the water to help protect it as hair that is already wet will absorb less.
It’s not clear if Lara followed this advice before she entered the spring.
However one woman warned the trick doesn’t always work, stating the water “ruined” her hair despite applying conditioner.
“The water ruins your hair, but I had no idea,” Kat Wellington said in a video.
“I did listen to the people that worked there, and I followed the instructions putting a bunch of conditioner in my hair before getting in.
“But my hair is absolutely ruined.”
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