How To Protect Your Hair From The Chlorine

If you ask any hairdresser, a swimmer’s mane is their worst nightmare. It’s no secret that chlorine is extremely damaging to your hair, especially when you’re in the water twice a day, everyday.

Luckily, there are a handful of precautions you can take when you’re frequenting the pool to help protect your hair from the chlorine, help maintain it’s strength and preserve it’s color. Here’s a quick check-list of things you can do:

First, you should always rinse your hair with fresh water both before and after getting in to the water. Most pools have showers on deck or in the locker rooms for this reason. By rinsing before you get in the pool, your hair is soaking up clean water, which means less of the chlorine water will be absorbed in your swim cap. Similarly, rinsing after you get out of the water helps to get rid of the majority of the chlorine until you can take a proper shower. And, as always, don’t forget to rinse your swim cap after as well.

If you want to take extraordinary measures, you can always saturate your hair with coconut oil or leave in conditioner after rinsing and prior to getting in the pool. This will keep it moisturized and creates a protective layer while you’re swimming.

Once in the pool, you may want to consider doubling up on swim caps to keep as much pool water out as possible. If that is too uncomfortable for the duration of your workout, another option is to wear a thick, stretchy headband around your hairline and under your cap. As silly as it sounds, this helps to absorb more of the chlorine water, keeping your hair dryer and more chemical free.

If you’re swimming multiple times a week, you need to get yourself a good shampoo and conditioner. With shampoos and conditioners designed to eliminate chlorine, bromine, salt water and chemical odor from your hair, you’re further protecting your hair from any unnecessary damage.

In addition to breaking down the chemicals, most of these swim-specific hair products are designed to be extremely moisturizing, and aim to remove the straw-like, green, itchy hair that often comes from swimming in a pool. Luckily for swimmers, there is a broad selection to choose from when it comes to different hair and skincare brands offering varying scents and consistencies for diverse hair-types, so you’re bound to find something that works for you.

Buy some of the smaller sizes and see which one your hair responds to best. If you swim a lot, you’ll be needing it, so don’t worry about getting too many bottles. Plus, it’s nice to have smaller sizes to stow in your swim bag for on-the-go meets.

After your hair is clean, and chlorine free, we recommend letting your hair air dry to avoid adding any unnecessary, damaging heat.