Had to cut my almost waist lenght hair to shoulder :,(

[earthnut]

With fine hair, I'd try protein treatments too. Protein is what hair is made of and helps strengthen the hair. Fine hair just has less of it than coarse hair, and so you may benefit from supplementing your hair with protein treatments.

GVP hair reconstructor is what I use, you can find it at Sally's Beauty Supply. Many conditioners also have protein, look for "hydrolyzed" in the ingredient list. You can use a high-protein conditioner as a protein treatment. Gelatin and liquid aminos are the most effective natural protein treatments, both found in the grocery store. Soy sauce, beer, coconut milk, milk, egg, and soy milk can all be used as protein treatments too. Coconut oil and other penetrating oils, though they don't contain protein themselves, help retain protein in the hair and you might want to use one between protein treatments.

For swimming in chlorine, I would apply coconut oil to my *dry* hair, do a quick rinse, go swimming, then use a 10% vinegar solution to rinse afterwards, finally rinsing well with water. Coconut oil helps to protect the hair from damage (you could use another penetrating oil too, or even conditioner) and acids like vinegar bind to and neutralize the chlorine. I don't think soaking the hair in water before swimming does anything. Oil is much more effective at protecting the hair.