Swimming and hair

[hayesa]

Hello,

I was just wondering what everyone does with their hair when swimming or in a pool. I'm going diving tomorrow (getting my friend certified) and I'm going to be in a chlorinated pool for about three or four hours, and frankly, I'm terrified what's going to happen to my hair. :o

I've got a choice between getting the latex swimming cap out (I'm sat here writing this with it on my head. I can tell you, it's very fetching :p) and putting it on with wet hair and conditioner, or on dry hair. Or I can let my hair be exposed to pool water and deal with the damage later.

Any suggestions? :) Thanks.

[Carrie Ingalls]

It sounds like you already have some good ideas. If you are comfortable using the latex cap then I would say use it, gently. But do not use it on wet hair, because it will not keep your hair dry. You will want to make sure that your hair is at the very least well saturated with clean water before putting the swim cap on. As far as conditioner, I don't see a problem with using it under the swim cap as long as it doesn't cause the cap to slide off.

Personally I have never been able to use the latex/silicone caps, I have never found one big enough for me...so I use a Lycra/spandex (swimsuit material). I just started pool swimming again yesterday and wore two of the Lycra caps (one old pretty streched out one and a brand new one). Talk about fetching, you should see me with my braid stuffed under a cap, it is very lumpy looking. :) I oil my hair well in advance, wet it thoughouly just before puting my cap(s) on, and then wash quickly/brifely right after with Paul Mitchell Shampoo 3 (supossed to help get the chlorine out), and slather it full of a nice thick conditioner. I sometimes put on a thin shower cap (the kind that is like a plastic food bag) over the hair with the conditioner and rinse it out when I get home. That kind of shower cap is easily hidden from view by a buff or scarf of some kind.

There are also a couple of other threads with other folks swimming stratigies.

[hayesa]

Thank you for your reply :) I did try using the search, but couldn't find anything. I'll have another go.
I do find the latex ones a bit of a tight fit, but not terrible, although I'll agree about the knobbly-looking lumps with hair braids! Lovely :p

[jil]

I used to go to a college pool (4x a week) and swim caps were required. I used a silicone cap by speedo (recommended by a friend). Mine did not look amazing on but I never had a problem with it and it seemed pretty stretchy (my hair was almost waist length). Best of luck!

[spidermom]

My hair has been surviving the sun and the sea with the routine of wetting, generously applying sweet almond oil, generously apply CHI coney serum on top of that, then braiding snugly. My hands are really soft, too.

[charalito]

I dislike latex caps because they pull my hair, but love love love the speedo silicone caps. I wear a regular one, but the do have a long hair version.

You could try a light coconut oiling before putting the cap on to both protect the hair and moisturize. I swim 3x a week for about 40 minutes and somehow my hair comes out dry :) There have been a few times when some areas get damp, but the coconut has helped me avoid chlorine damage.

Good luck with the certification. I'm a landlocked PADI DM :)

[Carrie Ingalls]

I didn't have time earlier, but I have a few minutes now. So I thought I would go back and compile a list of as many swimming threads as possible (though it is probably not exhaustive). Also, I didn't read through most of them right now (I know that I have read some of them in the past)...I have been wanting to compile a list like this for a while now.

So here we go (the titles of the threads are links and the parentheses indicate the number of pages in the thread):

HELP - swim questions! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65431) (1 page)
Swimmer trying to capture long hair of youth! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65438) (1 page)
protecting hair while swimming (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65308) (1 page)
Swimming and hair protection (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=59459) (1 page)
Swimming pools and Chlorine... (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65042) (1 page)
Limiting Chlorine Damage (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=55719) (1 page)
Dealing with chlorine and salt (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53662) (1 page)
how do I get chlorine out of my hair? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=54684) (1 page)
Chlorine? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=49834) (1 page)
Swimming and protecting my hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=47974) (1 page)
So.. we are opening our pool soon need tips (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=46710) (1 page)
Swimming & Cone-free? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=45029) (1 page)
XL silicone swim cap recommendations (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=55298) (1 page)
Is there a swim cap giant enough? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53929) (1 page)
Swim caps (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=57759) (1 page)
Functional swim cap? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=44786) (1 page)
Swim Caps? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=47780) (2 pages)
Will Hair Stay Dry in a Swim Cap? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53382) (2 pages)
Chlorine! Get it out! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=52586) (2 pages)
Getting chlorine smell off after swimming (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=62434) (2 pages)
Miserable swimming hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=60509) (2 pages)
Hair Care for Swimmers? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51925) (3 pages)
For swimmers---protecting hair and water saturation (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=31283) (3 pages)



So, this stuff is just other random swiming related stuff I found during my hunt:
Video Tutorial --The Stay-in Swimming, Working Out, Etc. Bun (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=49627) (1 page)
Swimming Pools Cause Scalp Problems (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=58416) (1 page)
This Summer I know better. . . (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=49141) (1 page)
Swimming: Adult Learners? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=63550) (3 pages)
Swimming Question: is it NOT good for weight loss? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=41696) (4 pages)
swimming for exercise support (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=28414) (4 pages)
Swimsuits! :D (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51415) (7 pages)

So, as I looked much of the information and threads that I found repeated themselves, but I wanted to share the following quote because of the great links to articles:


useful links:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=115
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=42
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=26621
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=276153&postcount=2258
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8562
http://www.pickyguide.com/sports_and_recreation/swim_caps_guide.html
http://www.pickyguide.com/sports_and_recreation/swim_caps_recommended.html
http://www.swimcapsbyfran.com/
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/3620.htm

hayesa, I realize that not all of this information applies directly to your situation, but I thought that it might still be helpful to others.

[elaiesusandavie]

I love mine loose in the pool though its not as long as many of you all lol

[Sunsailing]

I dislike latex caps because they pull my hair, but love love love the speedo silicone caps. I wear a regular one, but they do have a long hair version.

Where have you seen a long hair version?

[hermosamendoza]

don't use conditioner or wet your hair if you are going to use a silicone cap. I bought one and got my hair wet/conditioned. it completely popped right off!

[charalito]

Where have you seen a long hair version?

It's on the speedo website (http://www.speedousa.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3106885&cp=3124326.3128423.3132045.4240862&cid=1062161) and other online merchants.