Chlorine pool everyday - what to use afterward

[GodMadeMePretty]

Can anybody help me out? My daughter is taking swimming lessons starting on 6/14 so I'd like to do some preventative maintenance and upkeep for the two weeks that she will be in the pool.

What do I use before she gets in? And what do I do after? BTW, I won't be there for right before and right after. She's learning at her daycamp.

Thanks a bunch!!

 

[patience]

Before she gets in, you need to saturate her hair with water and then apply a conditioner before putting on a swim cap. Afterwards, she needs to rinse her hair REALLY well, wash with a swimmer's shampoo possibly or just do a really good wash with a moisturizing shampoo and then condition again. Don't forget to moisturize.

I generally use diluted Dr. Bronner's castille soap with extra olive oil and aloe vera gel added.

 

[Scasey]

[ QUOTE ]
patience said:
Before she gets in, you need to saturate her hair with water and then apply a conditioner before putting on a swim cap. Afterwards, she needs to rinse her hair REALLY well, wash with a swimmer's shampoo possibly or just do a really good wash with a moisturizing shampoo and then condition again. Don't forget to moisturize.



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Great advice! This is what I do.

 

[Supergirl]

I read a tip in some magazine that said to comb clarifying shampoo through the hair before swimming.

 

[patience]

[ QUOTE ]
Supergirl said:
I read a tip in some magazine that said to comb clarifying shampoo through the hair before swimming.

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What does that do?

 

[Supergirl]

The mag. said that the hair will absorb the clarifying poo rather than the chlorine and that the ingredients in the poo will "push" the chlorine away from the hair or something like that...

 

[patience]

[ QUOTE ]
Supergirl said:
The mag. said that the hair will absorb the clarifying poo rather than the chlorine and that the ingredients in the poo will "push" the chlorine away from the hair or something like that...

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay...so it basically does the same thing that the conditioner will do. It absorbs into your hair so that the cholrine has no where to go...cool.

 

[simplycee]

My daughter is swimming too. I saturate her hair with conditioner and braid her up. I tell her to rinse well when she gets out. When she gets home she hops in the shower and washes with neutralizing shampoo, conditions and air dry.

If she forgets the conditioner tell her to rinse her hair in the shower until its soaking wet before she gets in the pool and rinse again when she gets out. When she gets home make sure you wash her hair good.

I tried getting her to use a swim cap but she hated it and it was always "forgotten" by accident.

 

[GodMadeMePretty]

Oh, these are great suggestions. I'll see if she'll remember to put on the swimming cap. She's 5.

What is a swimmer's shampoo? Can I get that at Wal-mart or a drugstore? Where can I buy a swimming cap? LOL!!

This is what I found out about swimming and hair. After reading this, I'm regretting signing her up while I'm not there. I won't be able to wash her hair until a couple of hours after she is finished. And her hair dries super fast.

[ QUOTE ]
Swimming in chlorinated pools can be detrimental to your hair. The damage can be cumulative. More damage will result, the longer you spend in the water, and the more frequently you swim. Some swim instructors, aquatic therapists, and competitive swimmers who spend extended amounts of time submerged in pool water have reported losing their hair in patches.

Chlorine is a bleach, and it will cause hair pigment to lighten. Color treated hair may fade and become less shiny. Chemically treated or permed hair which is already porous and protein damaged will tend to absorb chlorine, becoming further damaged and over processed. Chlorine bonds with hair protein and causes the cuticle, the protective scaly outer protein layer that covers the inner cortex and central medulla of the visible hair shaft, to be eaten away. This results in dry, brittle, straw-like hair. Hair will become less elastic. Chlorine will make the hair shaft weak and easily damaged by brushing or combing, and hair breakage and split ends may result.

Although exposure to chlorinated pool water does damage hair, chlorine in the water is not what causes a blond, gray or white haired swimmer's hair to turn green. Exposure to hard metals dissolved in the water, particularly copper, iron, or manganese is really to blame. When absorbed by the hair shaft and oxidized by chlorine, metals commonly found in pools tend to leave behind a greenish residue on hair. Metals are introduced into pool water through source water used to fill the pool, as algaecides or sanitizers, from ionizers, as a result of electrolysis, and sometimes from water moving through recirculation pipes at excessive velocities, and from maintenance of aggressive water conditions in the pool.

The pool operator will monitor the amount of dissolved metals in the water, and add sequestering or chelating agents to the pool to neutralize or remove metals from the water before they have a chance to be absorbed by your hair.

To protect your hair from damage caused by swimming in chlorinated pools, rinse your hair with fresh water immediately after swimming and don't allow chlorine to dry on your hair. Wash your hair when you're finished swimming with a shampoo which is designed to repair damage caused by swimming in chlorinated pools. Look for a shampoo which is pH balanced, contains either vitamin C or sodium thiosulfate to neutralize chlorine by dissolving it or turning it back into chlorine salt, and which will replacing protein eroded by chlorine exposure. Some shampoos formulated specially for swimmers contain chelating agents, as well as conditioners and moisturizers to help repair chlorine damaged hair. You can help reduce the build-up of metals and remove some oxidized metals from your hair by using shampoos which containing the chelating agent EDTA (ethylenediamene tetracetic acid), or ascorbic or citric acids (vitamins commonly found in citrus fruits).

Washing your hair in warm water containing dissolved aspirin, will have a similar result. Use 6 aspirin in a liter of warm water, let sit for a few minutes then rinse with fresh water. To balance the acidic tendency of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and give shine to damaged hair, make a mixture of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and water, comb the solution through your hair, and rinse after a few minutes.

Don't brush your hair when it's wet. Let it dry naturally, then brush only with a wide toothed comb to lessen the chance of breakage. Try to limit the use of blow dryers, electric curlers and curling irons--they further dry out already dry hair.

Damaged hair can be partially repaired by conditioning while you swim. Before entering the pool, apply a protective conditioner to your hair and cover it with a latex rubber or silicone bathing cap. Heat generated during lessons, water exercise or swimming will provide a heat conditioning treatment. Wearing a conditioner while swimming will also prevent chlorine from being absorbed into, penetrating the cuticle, and damaging your hair, in the first place.



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[AMBERSKYE]

I've heard good things about Aubrey Organics Swimmers Shampoo. It removes chlorine from the hair and brings the pH balance back to normal.

Following the method that SIMPLYCEE uses is also key.

 

[chanou]

Ok now I'm scared. I have braids in my hair and I signed up for swimming lesson this summer too. I remember someone saying that if you had braids, the damage tends to be less, is that true someone please help- I love swimming. I don't want to stop.

 

[Ayeshia]

You can get swinmming cap form any sporting good stores. Preferably Dicks, or places like Walmart too

 

[Champagne_Wishes]

When I used to swim, I used to use some kind of cholesterol conditioner, I think Queen Helene, and I didn't suffer much breakage.

 

[Nutmeg]

If you're looking for products that are purposely meant to deal with swimmer's hair, try the Nexxus Aloe Rid line or the Redken Sun Shape line. I used the Nexxus when I was in my pre-teens and used to swim a lot, and I used the Redken Swim Cream this past summer and was very pleased, especially because it also has a sunscreen (you put this on before swimming)