Please Help!! I need A Summer Swimmer's Reggie!!

[TressObsessed]

Ladies! I need help! I need to come up with a swimmer's reggie.

I would like to continue using my MN mix, MT mix and do my tea rinses and henna if I can, ( I have 2 henna applications left) but I don't want to waste my product by cowashing daily, is it a waste if I moisturize and seal daily and nightly like I do now?

Oh, I have also ordered MTG, but it hasn't arrived. I am relaxed and I normally relax every 6 weeks, but I have stretched for 14 weeks, it didnt go well, but I am currently on week 7 of a 10 week stretch attempt...I have the salt water system, so the usual chlorine is not an issue, the salt water actually makes my hair softer

How often should I shampoo? And with what?
How often should I tea rinse? If at all.
Should I henna? If so, when?
How often should I use the MTG?
How often should I relax, if at all?

The summer swimming has been the root of all my setbacks, and for once I would like to kick it's butt and show it whose the boss!

I am open to all suggestions because I don't have a clue.

Ladies, please chime in...thanks!!!!

 

[Shoediva]

This is what I have been doing for my daughter. She swims almost every other daynow

Before she goes into the pool I saturate her hair with conditioner and seal with oil.
When she comes out of the pool. I wash her hair with Nexxus Aloe Rid it doesnt strip her hair at all or leave it feeling brittle. Wash with Giovanni TTTI. DC twice a week.

Here hair has grown very nicely all winter I dont want to have any setbacks due to swimming. So far I have been doing this routine for a month.

 

[TressObsessed]

Thanks! I will do this.

I have recently learned that I should saturate my hair with conditioner prior to swimming..I will add oils also. I will need to do this for my 2 daughters, we have all had setback due to swimming....they only suffered 1 setback, I have had 3 or 4...due to tree braids, too tight cornrows, phony ponys while neglecting my hair, etc. I wonder if I should discontinue the tea rinses and henna for now...maybe stretch for longer than usual.

I would really like to get it right for once.

 

[TressObsessed]

oke:

Anyone else???

 

[Tiye]

I can only speak to the henna because I've been using it every month for years. I was in the Carib recently and was in the pool every day. Loved it and want to make it a way of life but that's another story. So for the henna I'd just keep using it as you normally would. I didn't saturate my hair with conditioner before swimming - I only saw this tip mentioned on someone's youtube video after I got back. All I did was rinse out the pool water and condition when I was done and I was fine. My hair is natural - though so I can't tell you if its the same for relaxed.

 

[swimfan09]

Hi, TressObsessed! As you can tell from my username, I was a former active swimmer. I don't get to swim as much as I used to due to work and life demands, but I do swim more in the summer than I do during the rest of the year.

I am relaxed.

I am an avid snorkeler and ocean swimmer, so I am familar with the affects of salt water - salt water enhances your curl but BE WARNED - it is very drying, especially for relaxed hair. One year, I was ocean swimming every day and ended up with very dry hair filled with snarls and knots.

KEY TO SWIMMING HAIR CARE - WASH YOUR HAIR AS SOON AS YOU GET OUT OF THE POOL/OCEAN. It is letting it sit in your hair which is deadly.

I don't use a swim cap - I found that caps don't help me keep the water out: they are really designed for swimmers to get more slip in the water.

I do try to at least put water in my hair if I forget conditioner - if your hair is saturated, the chlorine/salt/minerals won't be absorbed. If I can, I will put a leave in conditioners, depending on what I have.

After swimming, AS SOON AS I CAN wash and shampoo hair with a clarifying shampoo. If you are swimming in a chlorinated pool, get a shampoo specifically designed to remove chlorine, like UltraSwim. If salt water swimming, a good clarifying shampoo will remove salt and minerals.

Then follow with a deep conditioner and a leave in, moisturizers and oil to seal.

As far as the other parts of your regimine, they should be fine - but I really don't know the effects.

Good luck!

 

[hillytmj]

Bumping. This is great info ladies. I'm a late bloomer, and wanting to learn to swim now in my 30's. Bumping...

 

[Priss Pot]

BUMPING

I read somewhere that using conditioner may defeat the purpose since it's usually soluble in water, that the conditioner would get "rinsed" out once submerged in water.

I also read that using a product with cones would help since cones repel water. But, my hair doesn't like cones, so :-\

Maybe if I just wet my hair, applied conditioner and coconut oil (to help repel water) and then washed and conditioned when I get out. I bought some Ion's Swimmer's Shampoo and Roux Porosity Control Conditioner from Sally's. I figured I'd shampoo with the swimmer's shampoo, do a quick rinse with the porosity control, and then use my regular conditioner to detangle, etc.

 

[CocoBunny]

A salt water pool is very different than swimming in salt water (i.e. the ocean).. Salt water in the pool replaces the chlorine and should be less damaging. I am taking swimming lessons in a salt water pool and the pool at my home is chlorinated I can tell the difference.

Sally's has a sale on shampoos and conditioners specifically for removing chlorine and /or minerals from your hair. I used it today and it seemed fine.

When it's gone I think I will just rinse my hair upon exciting the pool and them use a good leave in conditioner.

Good luck and happy swimming.

YMMV

 

[KinkyGenius]

So for those who are relaxed, when is it ok to swim after getting a relaxer? Maybe a week? I do cassia treatments as well so should I wait a week before swimming after this treatment as well? The pool contains chlorine I believe.

I'll be swimming 2x a week starting next week. I'm relaxing July 10th so I don't think swimming prior to a relaxer would be damaging (the last day I'd swim my relaxer week would be Tuesday so that's 4-5 days before the actual relaxer.)