Swimming Tip: Shea Butter Protects My Hair From Chlorine

Priss Pot

Priss Pot

Makeup + Bench Pressing
I just wanted to share this with you ladies. I've been swimming almost weekly since the beginning of summer, and had to quickly find a way to protect my hair from the constant chlorine contact. Out of all of the methods I've tried, shea butter works far superior than the others.

1. Wetting hair and slathering with conditioner before getting in the pool- This still left my hair feeling stripped and very very matted after getting out of the pool. Detangling took forever.

2. Applying loads of coconut oil- My hair still felt very stripped and rough when getting out of the pool.

3. Applying loads of avocado butter- same results as when using coconut oil

4. Applying a few fingertip-fulls of shea butter- Hair feels very soft upon getting out of the pool.


I rub shea butter throughout my hair before swimming and it works like a charm. This has really helped to keep my hair moisturized, especially since I spend at least 2hrs in the pool each time I go, a few times a week. When I'm done, I get in the shower and rinse my hair really well then co-wash. When I get out I bun it up again.

I will actually use shampoo about 1-2x a week. I've tried using the Sally's ION's Swimmer's Shampoo before, but :nono: it stripped my hair something terrible.

Also, I don't use a swim-cap, and I very rarely swim with my hair down. I keep it pulled back into a bun.
 
It was very sweet of you to post this tip! When I swam I used a swim cap and conditioner, but with recent matting problems I'll try the shea butter! I've been hesitant to get in the pool this summer and my hair is one of the reasons.
 
From what I've learned reading online, chlorine damages the hair by raising the cuticles.

From my little bootleg theory, pre-wetting your hair and adding conditioner won't help too much because the conditioner will only rinse away. The chlorine will still strip natural oils and raise your hair's cuticles.

The case with coconut oil: It's good when it comes to water absorption because it prevents hygral fatigue (the constant swelling of the hair shaft from water), and it actually absorbs into the hair shaft, through the cuticle. BUT, it doesn't really "protect" the cuticle on the outside from the harshness of the chlorine.

I think that Shea Butter is a heavy enough solidified oil (much heavier than the natural sebum that our own scalp produces) that can provide as an effective barrier against chlorine.
 
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This thread came just in time!! I was about to search since I will be swimming for the next 4 days!! Do you wet your hair before you put the shea butter on?
 
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danigurl18 said:
This thread came just in time!! I was about to search since I will be swimming for the next 4 days!! Do you wet your hair before you put the shea butter on?
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Not really. I have before to see if it made a difference, but it still worked the same.
 
Thanks for the tip. I have been swiming daily for 2-3 hours and my hair is actually thriving. But this is a great tip and well worth trying.
 
Hi! I'm a long-time stalker, and this is my first post :blush:

Great tips and explanation! I too found that wetting/coating with conditioner doesn't really work for my hair, but coating with shea butter keeps my hair feeling moisturized after swimming (I swim 4-5 times a week for 1-1.5 hrs per session). I had a feeling it was because the shea butter forms a barrier preventing the hair from absorbing the chlorine, but your explanation is more convincing!

I stopped using swim shampoos because they left my hair feeling dry and tangled, but once I started using shea butter before swimming I found I could use a regular moisturizing shampoo (which doesn't leave my hair feeling as dry) or even just co-wash after getting out of the pool...
 
What kind of shea butter do you use? The pure shea butter I have is very thick and solid, almost too thick for my skin. Ex: When I put it on my body my skin feels tacky.

How much of it do you put on your hair?

Chouksie, once your hair gets wet does your swim cap stay on?
 
I'll either use the plain unrefined shea butter or my own shea butter mixture that I've mixed with other oils. As long as it's made up of primarily unrefined shea butter, it'll work in my hair.

I usually whip my shea butter before using it so that it can be softer. I bought a 5lb bag last year, so I'd scoop some out, whip it and put it into its own container. Whenever it runs out, I'd do it again.

I put in my hair enough to make sure that all of my strands are covered. I'm not too light with it, but I'm not too heavy with it either. I use about 3 fingertip fulls for all of my hair. I guess it would depend on your length to see how much you need. Stretched out, my hair is past APL, near BSL.
 
Priss Pot said:
I'll either use the plain unrefined shea butter or my own shea butter mixture that I've mixed with other oils. As long as it's made up of primarily unrefined shea butter, it'll work in my hair.

I usually whip my shea butter before using it so that it can be softer. I bought a 5lb bag last year, so I'd scoop some out, whip it and put it into its own container. Whenever it runs out, I'd do it again.

I put in my hair enough to make sure that all of my strands are covered. I'm not too light with it, but I'm not too heavy with it either. I use about 3 fingertip fulls for all of my hair. I guess it would depend on your length to see how much you need. Stretched out, my hair is past APL, near BSL.
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Thanks Priss Pot. I bought mine from From Nature With Love and it's in a small tub and is so heavy and thick it's not scoopable. My ex left the lid open and it got hard and has never returned to it's semi-soft state.

Where did you buy your shea butter?

I can't get my hair too slick or my swim cap will fall off.
 
Good idea Priss Pot. This is a good way for me to use up the jar I bought my hair doesn't like shea butter, but it would make a good barrier, its really heavy so it wouldn't rinse off easily.
 
starfish said:
Thanks Priss Pot. I bought mine from From Nature With Love and it's in a small tub and is so heavy and thick it's not scoopable. My ex left the lid open and it got hard and has never returned to it's semi-soft state.

Where did you buy your shea butter?

I can't get my hair too slick or my swim cap will fall off.
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I bought mine from Oils By Nature.
 
That Fantasia IC Heat Protector had my hair shielded from the chlorine also. I used that before I went swimming at the pool and my hair was sooooooo soft after i got out! Maybe other heat protectors could have the same effect in chlorine water due to all of the cones in it....I wonder
 
Questel said:
That Fantasia IC Heat Protector had my hair shielded from the chlorine also. I used that before I went swimming at the pool and my hair was sooooooo soft after i got out! Maybe other heat protectors could have the same effect in chlorine water due to all of the cones in it....I wonder
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Hmm, I don't have any shea butter so I might have to try this instead. I have Chi Silk Infusion. I might do that or maybe vaseline mixed with oils which is how I coat my hair prior to a relaxer.
 
Man, thanks for sharing!! That's an amazing idea, I wanted to start swimming this week and was also going to go on a search for what I should do. :-D Just in time!
 
Good info! I used shea butter over the weekend before getting in the pool......hair didn't have that dry crunchy feel after swimming. I washed with Nexxus Aloe Rid and conditioned afterward. Hair was good.
 
Thanks for this tip I always keep shea butter in stock! My 5 yr old daughter swims frequently each week, so I will try this since she does not wear a swim cap most of the time. Of course it will come in handy for me as well.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you Priss Pot. My dd loves to swim and does so every chance she gets. Her hair is mid-back and was driving me crazy trying to get out the post-swim tangles...rushing off to my local bss to pick-up the biggest tub of shea-butter I can find.
 
BabySteps said:
Good info! I used shea butter over the weekend before getting in the pool......hair didn't have that dry crunchy feel after swimming. I washed with Nexxus Aloe Rid and conditioned afterward. Hair was good.
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That's the very thing that I wanted to try and prevent, that dry crunchy feeling! And then putting a swimmer's shampoo on top of that made it even worse. I'd spend like 30 minutes detangling my hair, and it usually doesn't even take half as long.
 
Thanks for the tip...I'm kinda scared to dump all this blonde in chlorinated water, but if I ever overcome that fear, I will definitely try the shea butter!
 
The Chi Silk Infusion worked soooooooooooooo good for me in lieu of the shea butter. The swimming cap kept sliding off my head though and me trying to keep it on my head made me pull on a few strands of my hair, so I won't be using a swim cap in the future. My hair was still getting wet with it on anyway.
 
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