How to protect your hair from chlorine in the pool

What can you do to prevent your hair from becoming dry after the pool if you don’t like to use a swimming cap?

If you love to swim and regularly visit the swimming pool, this will help you keep your body in good shape, which unfortunately cannot be said about the condition of your hair and scalp if you do not use a swimming cap. This is due to the water purification system, which uses chlorine, but this should be a reason for you to give up this useful hobby.

So, if you prefer to swim with bare hair, then in order to protect your hair and skin from the negative effects of chlorinated water, you just need to follow a few rules, and as a result, your hair will not become hard, brittle and dull.

#1 Take a shower before entering the water to protect your pool hair from chlorine.

Before entering the pool area, we go through mandatory showers to wash off dust, sweat and cosmetic products from our bodies. Take the time to wet your hair completely. The fact is that dry hair allows chlorine to penetrate into the hair, while wet hair will no longer absorb as much chlorinated water, since it will already be filled with moisture from the shower. By the way, the same applies to the skin; when saturated with water from the spirit, it will absorb less chlorinated water from the pool.

#2 Use hair products containing silicones or oil

Today we hear a lot about the dangers of silicone in hair care products, since such components envelop the hair too much, as a result of which they block access to beneficial substances, and most importantly, moisture, which leads over time to drying of the hair along its length. But for the pool, it is precisely this quality of silicone additives in care products that will play into our hands. Before going to the pool, apply serum or other leave-in product containing silicones to your hair. Coconut oil (or other plant-based oils) will have the same effect, but you only need to apply a little and note that your hair will look a little greasy afterwards. For this reason, we recommend applying it to your hair in the locker room, immediately before going into the pool. Unlike beauty products, coconut oil will not leave any chemical residue in your pool water.

#3 Take a shower immediately after swimming in the pool

It is best to rinse chlorinated water off your body and hair as soon as possible so that any remaining chlorine does not continue to react with your hair. Use a moisturizing balm along with shampoo and try not to dry your hair with wall-mounted hair dryers in the dressing room. Of course, you are unlikely to have time to dry your hair naturally, so it is better to carry your own hair dryer with a cool air function.

#4 Vitamin C to neutralize bleach from hair

You need to use ascorbic acid immediately after a shower; it will lower the pH balance of the skin to a natural level and neutralize chlorine. At home, make an aqueous solution from the powder and take it with you to the pool. How to make a spray to treat hair after the pool, read the article “How to make a hair protection product after the pool.”

Additional tips:

Approximately two to four times a month, use shampoo to deeply cleanse your hair. It will help you get rid of the remaining silicones and other components of styling products, as well as wash out chlorine and other elements foreign to the hair that accumulate there.

Swimming in salty sea water also requires hair protection, and all the rules described above will help you protect your hair from exposure to salt water and then the sun.

A visit to the pool helps keep the body in good shape and has a beneficial effect on overall physical well-being, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about the condition of the hair and scalp. This is due to the water purification system, which uses chlorine. A swimming cap, which by no means makes us irresistible beauties, unfortunately, does not help save the situation. After several visits to the pool, many girls notice that their curls have become dry, stiff, brittle and dull. But this should not become a reason to quit swimming. Today we’ll talk about how to protect your hair from chlorine in the pool.

Effects of exposure to chlorine on hair

We all know how negatively bleach affects hair. At home, you can solve the problem, for example, by installing filters to purify tap water. But we visit the pool, water park, and our hair still suffers.

Chlorine dries out the hair, it becomes thinner and porous, the natural pigment fades, causing the hair to become dull. Chlorinated water can also irritate the scalp, leading to dandruff. At the same time, chlorine tends to accumulate in the hair.

How to protect your hair from chlorine?

1) Effective hair remedy against chlorine - vegetable oils and silicones

Before going to the pool, apply coconut or olive oil to the ends of your hair. There is no need to worry about oil stains appearing on the water - some of the oil will be absorbed by the time you dive into the water, and a swimming cap will hold the remainder.

As you know, cosmetic hair products containing silicones envelop the hair and block access to moisture and nutrients, for which such cosmetics are often criticized. But in this case, this property of silicones will benefit swimmers. Just use a silicone-based leave-in product before going to the pool.

2) Before entering the water and after training, take a shower

Before entering the pool area, be sure to visit the shower stall to wash off dust, sweat and cosmetics. Take the time to wet your hair completely. The fact is that dry curls are more susceptible to chlorine, while when wet they will no longer absorb as much chlorinated water, since they will be filled with moisture after a shower.

After swimming, it is best to rinse chlorinated water from your body and hair as soon as possible so that chlorine residue does not continue to react with them. Use a chlorine neutralizing shampoo.

3) Vitamin C to neutralize chlorine

A solution with vitamin C for treating hair after the pool can be prepared independently at home. To do this, you need to buy vitamin C in powder form (sodium ascorbate) at the pharmacy. Mix 1 teaspoon of powder with a glass of clean water and stir thoroughly. After this, pour the solution into an empty spray bottle. By the way, you can add a couple of drops of essential oil to the solution. This way you will solve the problem with the residual smell of chlorine from your hair.

Apply the solution after leaving the pool, after you have rinsed off the chlorinated water in the shower. Treat hair with a vitamin C solution and rinse with shampoo as usual, such as ALERANA® Shampoo to stimulate hair growth and strengthen hair.

4) Shampoo for deep cleaning of hair

Once every 2 weeks you can use shampoo to deep clean your hair. It copes not only with ordinary surface contaminants, but also removes elements accumulated in the hair structure, such as chlorine.

From this article you learned how to go to the pool and not worry about the condition of your hair after chlorinated water. We hope these tips will help you protect your locks from the harmful effects of chlorine.

For an accurate diagnosis, contact a specialist.

What to do and what not to do to keep your skin healthy after regular swimming.

Author: Arina Rakhteenko, Tatyana Potapova

The water in the pool is purified in different ways: ultraviolet light, ultrasound or using chemical reagents - silver or copper ions, ozone, bromine or chlorine. Only bleach irritates the skin, but it is used most often as one of the most effective and affordable methods of water treatment. We tell you how to protect yourself.

In front of the pool

1. The best skin protection before swimming is systematic care. Your goal is to constantly strengthen the skin’s self-hydration mechanisms: to create a good supply of moisture at the dermis level. Then the skin will be able to cope with all problems on its own, including the pool. Daily care helps this process in the skin start on its own.
2. Before entering the water, be sure to shower with soap or gel. Spend at least a minute on the procedure to wash away natural skin secretions (sebaceous and sweat), pathogenic microbes, remnants of cream, lotion and other products. This should be done not only for hygienic reasons, but also because chlorine is very active and can enter into a chemical reaction with substances contained in cosmetics. The by-products that result can be dangerous.
3. Wet your hair in the shower: wet hair does not absorb chemicals as actively as dry hair.
4. If possible, wear a swimming cap and goggles to minimize exposure to chlorine and protect your hair and eyes.
5. If your hair and skin are severely damaged by bleach, you can use professional cosmetics: apply a special mask to your hair that protects against drying out and is not washed off with water (for example, Philip Kingsley Swimcap Cream or Biopoint Sport & Swim Swim Cap Crema Protettiva), and to your skin - lotion used by professional swimmers, Dermaswim Pro Pre-Swimming Lotion: it does not form toxic compounds with chlorine and protects the skin from drying out. The latter is not sold in Russia, but it can be ordered online.

After swimming

1. Rinse off the chlorinated water thoroughly with a washcloth and shower gel. If possible, choose a mild product that uses saponins (plant substances that also produce foam) instead of sulfates. After the pool, the skin is already vulnerable, and there is no need to further irritate it with aggressive chemical components. Ideally, the product should not only cleanse well, but also care for the skin. So look for shea or sunflower butter (soften the skin), hops (restores the balance of minerals in tissues), saponaria extract (effectively cleanses without irritating the skin) and all sorts of stimulating essential oils: rosemary, horsetail, cypress.
2. If you can't get rid of the feeling of chlorine on your skin, use an exfoliator: a soft scrub or shower gel with abrasive particles. But don’t overdo it – peeling can be done no more than twice a week.
3. After showering, apply cream or lotion to your body and make a face mask. “The main thing that the skin needs after the pool is hydration,” insists Natalia Abramova. “Chlorine disrupts the hydrolipidic barrier of the skin, which is why moisture evaporates especially actively.” Look for sesame oil in the products (it is embedded in the intercellular cement of the stratum corneum, which instantly removes the feeling of discomfort), white lily extract (relieves redness and irritation), D-panthenol (moisturizes), vitamin E (prevents oxidative stress), herbal ingredients with moisture-retaining properties (for example, marshmallow root extract or rice) and ingredients that can stimulate the skin's own hyaluronic acid production (padina pavonica, blue agave extract and ceratonia seeds).

When is the best time to change the pool?

1. If allergies constantly appear.

Substances used to treat pool water are considered safe: to date, there is no evidence of their connection with cancer or lung diseases. Therefore, all that can happen in a well-treated pool is an individual allergic reaction.

“If after a swim you constantly have allergies, temporarily eliminate contact with the irritant, that is, chlorine, or better yet, just change the pool. If possible, choose one that uses other cleaning methods: they are less likely to cause allergies,” says Anna Pavlenko.

2. If the pool smells strongly of chlorine

The bleach itself has almost no smell. And the pungent odor that is usually attributed to it is caused by chloramines - substances that are formed when chlorine combines with other elements (particles of creams, soaps, natural skin secretions). They are also to blame for eye irritation.

A persistent odor and eye irritation are a sign that the water is not treated often enough or not thoroughly enough, and a good reason to look for another pool.

When not to go to the pool

1. If you have wounds, take a break for a couple of days until they are covered with epithelium, which will protect them from bacteria.
2. If you get a tattoo, refrain from water procedures for 2-4 weeks - the skin should fully recover.
3. If you have had a piercing. Here everything depends on the place of the puncture: for example, the lobe heals in 6–8 weeks, and a puncture in the navel takes from six months to a year.
4. If you have just waxed or waxed, wait a day.
5. If there are rashes or irritations on the skin or external genitalia, chlorinated water may increase discomfort.

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