Chlorine?

[Amraann]

Hubby recently signed us up for a gym.

My fav class is the water exercise class. Even though I keep my hair up it still gets wet.
Any suggestions about how to protect my hair?

My only reference was what I did when I lived in the Keys on a beach so I put EVOO on it when I got home.

[Jezzie]

I'm a swim teacher and my hair gets drenched for hours at a time in chlorine.
My suggestions would include a good rinse/wash after being in the pool - if you're trying to cut back on shampoo stick to WO or CO.
Oil of your choice applied lightly afterwards or (my fav) a drenching of oil the night before. This always means a wash afterwards for me but I find my hair copes with chlorine a lot better if it's soaked in coconut oil and braided the night before.

Otherwise if you want to wear a cap a light layer of vaseline between your head and the cap edge can help seal it. I find water still gets in when I swim laps so again I add oil to my hair before I swim.

Also from the POV of water aerobics you could try doing your exercises slightly shallower if possible as this gets your shoulders/hair away from the water - this of course means an easier workout so that might not appeal.

Good Luck

[Medievalmaniac]

I second her advice about oiling, braiding, and capping, followed by a good rinsing out. I find that rinsing in warm water and then following with a cold splash to seal the cuticle works well.

One thing I would absolutely recommend also is to shower or at least wet your hair down BEFORE getting into the pool, because it's already wet so then it can only absorb so much water after that. I rinse it out, then apply oil and braid it up, then cap it - it sounds like a lot, but this whole process only takes me about six or eight minutes.

Also, if you are in the water several times a week, there's a special swimmer's clarifying shampoo that helps to get the chlorine buildup out. I alternate between CO and this when I swim frequently. You can get this shampoo at the Sally's beauty supply places.

[ktani]

I second the coconut oil used the night before. It can chelate copper and iron.

Club soda can be used for an after swim rinse to remove chlorine from hair and to saturate the hair first before swimming. There is a report on it in the Article, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=115.

[FrannyG]

Agreeing with all the advice given, and I do want to stress again what Medievalmaniac said about saturating your hair with water before getting into the pool. That way your hair will not be able to absorb the chlorine water.

[Gypsygirl]

One thing I would absolutely recommend also is to shower or at least wet your hair down BEFORE getting into the pool, because it's already wet so then it can only absorb so much water after that.

In second that! I try to avoid chlorinated water as much as I can because it tends to turn my highlights a weird shade of green! A couple of years ago I had to dive into chlorinated water because of a video shoot we were doing, and my hairdresser had the hardest time getting rid of the green. She told me exactly what Medievalmaniac said...

[Amraann]

Thank you Girlies!!
I really appreciate your advice.

Funny that I never thought to wet it before getting in the pool!