Daily Chlorine Removal

[thankyousir74]

Hi there guys,

I have a bit of a situation. Swim season is rapidly approaching (my swim team meets Aug 11) and the daily swimming practice (about two hours) lasts for three months.

I've read Anje's "Swimming and hair!" article, But I'm not shore if that's intended for daily use. However, I DO use a latex swim cap (my hair isn't that long so the pulling/head ache is not a problem), and I would be willing to wet and condition/oil my hair every day before swimming.

My routine has been BS and ACV wash but I think BS is waaaay to harsh to use every day for chlorine removal, so having swim season in mind I've eased into just COing with V05 Free Me Fresia for about a month or so. Should I just CO after each swim or do you think that would not be enough for chlorine removal?

There is also the option of using UltraSwim shampoo, but i'm not too comfortable with it since it contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate, a long with a bunch of chemicals that I have no idea what they do and/or how to pronounce. I've shyed away from cones and SLS so this is more of a last resort.

If you guys have any method to remove chlorine or and more natural treatments to keep my hair safe during this period, ANY advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

[kimberlily]

I honestly don't think that daily chlorine removal is necessary, and I do think it will dry your hair terribly if you do. I'd suggest oiling your hair before going in the pool. It will help keep the chlorine out by creating a physical barrier.

[MeMyselfandI]

My concern with chlorine would be if the hair is bleached, dye light brown or blond, for the green effect. (I am not sure how it affects natural blonds.)

I would not worry about hair if it has been hennaed. I do not find the chlorine really affects it as much.

For treated hair, I think a leave in conditoner before swimming helps. Also wetting hair before going in the pool helps so that less chlorine water is absorbed.

I do not use a cap.

In the summer I often use the L'Oreal for active kids (Dark blue container).

I find with our hair, the biggest concern is not the chlorine but actually the stabilizer put in the pool to keep the chlorine from being destroyed. I find it leaves the hair oily or sticky not sure how to describe it.

I was thinking of using Neutragena on my daughter's hair before going back to the normal shampoo.

[WaimeaWahine]

Those latex caps tend to slip and slide a lot. Whenever you can get away with it - like swim practice - go for the Speedo silicone cap. I do a lot of diving and it has a really good air tight seal which would keep your hair safe.

Remember that even though it's a small amount, chlorine is present in tap water as well. So there's no way to completely remove chlorine. With the cap you wouldn't need to change the way you wash your hair at all.

I always just rinse it in the shower afterwards and do a CO wash. Since there's not a lot of time for changing, oil gets applied later while hair is damp. And because you're back in the pool less than 24 hours later.... You do the best you can.

Continually washing it trying to get the chlorine out may just make things worse. It did for me. When the season starts and you have to use the team caps - latex - you'll have to keep a hair journal maybe and find what works best for you.

Wishing you fast times and happy meets! :cheese:

[Pilgrim]

I've been having success this summer with simply using coconut oil and braiding my hair before swimming, then rinsing with water afterward. Sometimes I wet it first as others have suggested. Then, when I get home, I use some AO GPB conditioner and leave it on for a couple hours, under a cap, then I rinse it out in the shower. I still only use shampoo once every 7-10 days. I had been concerned about the chlorine, too, but the condition of my hair is actually even a bit better now, I suppose because of deep conditioning a couple times a week. (I had been rather lazy about that before.) :o

HTH!

[MeMyselfandI]

I like the ABBA Molasses Purifier Detoxifying Shampoo. I find it gentler then the Neutregena clarifying shampoo.

I do use the Neutregena before henna.

[missmanytoes]

I swim 3-4 times a week for about 1/2 hour each time. Before going to the pool I wet my hair and then throw in a dollop (less than a handful) of VO5 moisture milks passion fruit smoothie (who make up those names???). I squeeze out all the excess liquid and toss my hair up into a high infinity bun and then hit the pool. After swimming I rinse my hair (at the pool shower) and then head for the house. I make it home before the hair dries and I jump into the shower and CO with that same VO5 condish. This stuff was initially chosen for my hair based on smell...I choose a LOT of my hair care products that way. Anyway, it became the swim days condish because it has EDTA. I have no idea what it is or how it works, but it seems to be the recommendation of those who know way more about hair and chlorine than I do. And they must be right because I don't have hair that smells like a pool and it is not crunchy in the least.

[thankyousir74]

Thanks for the helpful responses!

MemyselfandI-
My hair is hennaed, but I'm not too worried of the color, more just the chemicals and the state/ texture of my hair. After six years of swimming my hair has gotten infamous for being dry and "golden"(really the chlorine effect). And maybe since that formula is for kids, hopefully it is gentler.

WaimeaWahine-
I guess I should invest in the slightly more expensive silicone cap for practice and use the latex one just for meets. And the amount of chlorine in tap water doesn't scare me as much as when you can really smell the chlorine coming from your hair, that's what I'm really trying to avoid (I'm assuming that's when the most chemical-related damage occurs anyways). And thanks a lot, it's nice to see advice from a fellow LHC members with the same daily pool-related hassles

Pilgrim-
I was also considering braiding my hair before hand but my braid would be too short to fold into my cap and the tail would stick out, leaving my ends at the mercy of the elements (not a good place for them to be lol). However, I may adopt your deep conditioning methods (if I don't get too lazy about it either lol)

You were all really helpful and I await August 11 to approach the swimming pool armed with some very good knowledge, there hasn't been a season prior to this where I put effort towards hair maintenance as this one. My hair has been doing great lately and I don't want the progress to die a watery death and thanks to you guys and Anje, I'm so glad!

:cheer: :heartbeat

[thankyousir74]

missmanytoes-
Oh yeah I read about ETDA I use V05 Free me Freesia and I'm guessing it has a fair amount :goes to check the ingredients: And I have a fairly similar schedule, those locker room showers aren't very good for a thorough shower, so I'll havta wait for the car ride home to do my CO. Looks like I'm gonna havta stock up on condi these next few months.

It shore is real nice to see how members deal with this pickle

[MusingFrog]

When I was on a team I pretty much just stopped using shampoo. Period. Tons of conditioner though. Back then I didn't wet my hair beforehand (I would now). However, I clearly remember coming out of the pool, pulling off my cap (silicon), and having only the edges wet - this after a 1 to 1.5 hour practice. That happened pretty routinely. If you get a real good seal on the cap you can avoid getting your hair wet. But I wouldn't count on that.

If I had to do it again I'd get my hair wet before I put the cap on. Once practice was over I'd wash with conditioner. Shampoo would be whenever conditioner quit doing the trick. Probably every week or two.

Also, I know Aubrey Organics has a shampoo and conditioner designed for swimmers. I personally have not tried them, but you might want to check them out.

[WaimeaWahine]

About those pesky caps...

I used to wet my hair first but then I couldn't tell if water had seeped in or not. My cap goes on dry. This also keeps it sealed as it's slippery when wet.

The silicone caps are worth the $9 or $10 and last forever. You can ask to borrow someone's and see how it feels. Wouldn't hurt to see if Amanda Beard or Kaitlin Sandeno have given advice about long hair in interviews. You could probably check through SwimStars.org Very nice girls run that site. :)