Swimming and chlorine questions

[racrane]

Hi. :) So, I am starting to LOVE swimming in pools now that I am pregnant (in third trimester). I didn't used to swim so much, but I'm wondering if people could answer my questions about chlorine.

How do I know if my hair is not happy due to chlorine?
What can I safely use to get the chlorine out?
Should I shampoo every time I swim? (I normally shampoo twice a week)
Are swim caps a smart choice?

Thank you all so much! Have a lovely day!

[Littlewing13]

I think Ktani wrote an article on this that covered everything from protecting hair during to deep cleansing after.

[racrane]

I did read the article, thank you. :) I am hoping for others' opinions, too.

[Thenolegirl]

I love the beach =) but I don't get into a pool often. But when I go to the beach, my hair has some kind of product or oil in it to protect it, and in braids. My hair feels really dry and icky from a day swimming in salt water so I just do a heavy duty conditioner on it in the shower during a CWC. If it's the pool - same thing, only with chlorine I let it rinse out of my hair first under the shower head before doing CWC.

When my sister was in a swim team, she used special swimmer's shampoo by Paul Mitchell to get the chlorine out of her hair because she swam for two hours everyday in a chlorinated pool.

[longhairedlady]

I usually oil my hair before swimming and rinse it afterwards, sometimes I will wash it.

[pepperminttea]

How do I know if my hair is not happy due to chlorine?
What can I safely use to get the chlorine out?
Should I shampoo every time I swim? (I normally shampoo twice a week)
Are swim caps a smart choice?


Chlorine normally dries my hair out if I'm not careful, so keep an eye out for that.

I just use shampoo or CO, the same as any wash really. Every so often I'll throw in a chelating/swimmer's shampoo to remove mineral build-up. I did try club soda, but I didn't notice much difference and it was a faff, so I haven't done it in a while.

I would wash it in some way, yes. You might be able to get away with just rinsing, but my hair isn't all that cooperative to detangle and work with if I don't wash it - you could try CO though, as a gentler cleanser between shampoo washes. As with everything, YMMV. :)

There is one out there specifically with more room for hair, but given my luck with swim caps (I have a huge head and none fit comfortably), I haven't tried it. But that might be worth a look for you. :)

The best tip I can give you is to take time to really saturate your hair in the shower just before you get in. That way your hair will absorb less of the pool water. I also heavily oil my hair beforehand too, and braid it.

[auburntressed]

How do I know if my hair is not happy due to chlorine?
What can I safely use to get the chlorine out?
Should I shampoo every time I swim? (I normally shampoo twice a week)
Are swim caps a smart choice?

Thank you all so much! Have a lovely day!
I'm about to start my swimming every day thing this summer too! My apartment pool is opening up just this weekend, in fact. :D

My take on it is - the way you know your hair is happy or unhappy is by how it feels and looks. If you don't like how it feels or how it looks, then your hair is unhappy. You won't know until you have been swimming a lot if your precautions are working satisfactorily.

I have Paul Mitchell's clarifying shampoo 2, which is supposed to be specially made for chlorine. I don't know if it's worth the money or if any other shampoo would work as well. But I've got it in a liter bottle, and I've had it for a few years now. It works for me, so I use it.

This year I plan on keeping my hair slathered with coconut oil whenever I go swimming, then using that same shampoo for a quick wash when I am done. Then I'll probably put more coconut oil in afterwards as a leave in. Hopefully that keeps my hair moist.

[ptricia]

I'm not much of a swimmer. But on holiday when there is a pool with the hotel I do swim. I make my hair dripping wet under the shower and than oil with coconut oil and make a bun.

[racrane]

Thank you very much everyone! I will try these tips and I hope they help to keep my hair happy. :)

[spidermom]

When I go on vacation and will be in the water every day, I wet my hair first, liberally apply coconut oil, braid it as snugly as I can stand, then do a CWC at the end of the day. Every day. When I get home, I trim off the driest ends and do a few deep moisturizing treatments.

[heidi w.]

Find a kind of old-fashioned thicker bathing cap. The new latex ones will more than likely split too easily when piling in long hair. I've had that occur, innumerable times. I also always wet my hair thoroughly prior to putting in the cap, and if I had reasonable cause to not think that heavy oiling would not cause the pool a problem I oiled hair prior to swimming. For a while I swam every day, so I washed my hair each time afterwards, complete with a good conditioning session. I had a public pool that kids generally did not swim in so the chlorine wasn't so bad. But depending on the pool you're in and how much chlorine is in it, you can consider Swimmer's Shampoo which is essentially a clarifying kind of shampoo, or chelating kind of shampoo to prevent hair from turning overly glossy and get the chlorine out of the hair.

I looked really wackadoo when I swam because I can't see the wall without my glasses. I am absolutely blind without my glasses. So in I'd go with glasses, hair piled inside my cap...people would just stare at me. I love swimming, so I ignored the fright sight that I became. LOL

I looked like a conehead!!! Which was finished off with a bathing suit all covered in big flowers. Yikes! (Actually, it was kind of a nice swimsuit with big blue and torquoise flower print on it.) It was a special sight. People would stop watching me when I swam laps, though, cause I typically beat the other swimmers, especially other women. I once took a friend of mine to the pool, and she could barely actually swim even half a lap. She was just pooped out. Today, I don't think I'd do so well. I have lost a lot of strength and energy over the past few months from not eating so well.

heidi w.

[anime_length]

Find a kind of old-fashioned thicker bathing cap. The new latex ones will more than likely split too easily when piling in long hair. I've had that occur, innumerable times. I also always wet my hair thoroughly prior to putting in the cap, and if I had reasonable cause to not think that heavy oiling would not cause the pool a problem I oiled hair prior to swimming. For a while I swam every day, so I washed my hair each time afterwards, complete with a good conditioning session. I had a public pool that kids generally did not swim in so the chlorine wasn't so bad. But depending on the pool you're in and how much chlorine is in it, you can consider Swimmer's Shampoo which is essentially a clarifying kind of shampoo, or chelating kind of shampoo to prevent hair from turning overly glossy and get the chlorine out of the hair.

I looked really wackadoo when I swam because I can't see the wall without my glasses. I am absolutely blind without my glasses. So in I'd go with glasses, hair piled inside my cap...people would just stare at me. I love swimming, so I ignored the fright sight that I became. LOL

I looked like a conehead!!! Which was finished off with a bathing suit all covered in big flowers. Yikes! (Actually, it was kind of a nice swimsuit with big blue and torquoise flower print on it.) It was a special sight. People would stop watching me when I swam laps, though, cause I typically beat the other swimmers, especially other women. I once took a friend of mine to the pool, and she could barely actually swim even half a lap. She was just pooped out. Today, I don't think I'd do so well. I have lost a lot of strength and energy over the past few months from not eating so well.

heidi w.
I look like that right now. I'm going to the pool with my mom and my boyfriend.

Soaked my hair, saturated it with conditioner, put coconut oil in it and then covered it with a swimming cap [the regular black kind that look like a condom on your head] and then put a cute frilly shower cap over that because it's just super cute. pair that with a plain black one piece. I think I look like a nut but who cares. I'm cool. Everyone knows it. lol

Plus, my boyfriend says I look like a "cute little strawberry girl"

[marla]

Is there a link to this article by Ktani?

[torrilin]

If you're maintaining, soak your hair with plain water beforehand, and put it up in a contained style. Then use a swimmer's shampoo regularly and LOTS of conditioner. Regularly doesn't necessarily mean every day, but the more you swim in chlorinated water, the more often you'll need special shampoo.

If you want to keep growing or minimize the use of swimmer's shampoo, same deal, but add a swim cap. Some styles of swim cap will be prone to sticking to wet hair, and this can cause breakage for more delicate hair types. So you *really* want your hair contained before you put the cap on.

For most of us, it's better to get exercise that makes us happy than to not exercise for our hair's sake.