Swimming is an amazing exercise, both for your physical health as well as your mental health. However, the same cannot be said for your hair’s health. Below, you’ll find tips on how to prevent your hair from undergoing chlorine damage as well as how to repair it.
Does chlorine really turn your hair green?
One of the biggest myths surrounding chlorine is that it can turn your hair green. Although chlorine gas does have a greenish hue, that colour doesn’t actually affect your hair. What can turn your hair green when you go swimming are the oxidized metals in the water. These bind themselves to the protein in your hair shaft and give it that greenish colour.
Though chlorine isn’t the culprit for that particular problem, it does have some nefarious effects on your hair. Regular exposure will suck the natural oils from your hair, leaving it dry and porous.
Who is most at risk of chlorine damage?
Typically, those who already have damaged hair or who have dyed their hair a lighter colour tend to be more affected. However, anyone that is often exposed to chlorinated water will be affected by it. If you meet any of the following criteria, consider using hair damage prevention methods when going for a swim:
- Colour treated hair (dyed lighter or highlighted)
- Dry hair
- Thin hair
- Chemically treated (perm or relaxed)
- Damaged hair
How to repair chlorine damage to the hair
Although it might feel as though your hair can never go back to normal, there are ways in which you can repair the damage done to your hair. Don’t worry. Follow the steps below, and you’ll have you beautiful locks back sooner than you know!
Do a clarifying treatment
A clarifying treatment strips away any product buildup your hair has suffered through. Although you might think that only includes things like leave-in conditioners or hair oils, it also applies to chlorine as well! Chlorine can build up in your hair, making it feel dryer and worse than it actually is.
In order to do a clarifying treatment, you can go to any Pharmaprix or drug store to purchase a clarifying shampoo. If you cna’t find any near you, you can even make your own at home by mixing two parts apple cider vinegar with one part water. Apply it to your hair for 15 minutes, and rinse it out. It might seem as though apple cider vinegar will only serve to dry out your hair even more, but that’s not the case! It actually serves to lower the pH level of your hair, which will balance it out after chlorine exposure.
Take good care of your scalp
Fixing the dryness of your locks will not do any good in the long term if you don’t fix your hair at its roots first. For this, you need to make sure that your scalp is healthy. If your scalp is dry, you might start to notice a lot of flaking. Over the long run, a dry scalp will lead to damages hair follicles — which in turn can lead to slower or stunted growth as well as thinning.
To prevent this, make sure you provide your scalp with enough moisture. Apple cider vinegar can also help here, but for a deeper conditioning, consider giving your scalp an oil treatment. The most popular ones include treatments with pure coconut oil, tea tree oil, or aloe vera.
Protein Treatments
Because chlorine causes dryness in the hair, your hair’s inner protein structure can become damaged as a result. Protein treatments can help restore the hair’s natural structure, leading to softness, fullness, and shine. Since protein treatments restore your hair’s strength, it will also protect your hair from further damage.
There are many products on the market that restore your hair’s inner protein structure. The most popular are Ouai Hair Treatment Mask, OGX Extra Strength Hydrate and Repair, and Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt.
Deep Conditioner
You might want to start getting into the habit of deep-conditioning your hair at least once a week. Doing so will help seal in the moisture chlorine has stripped away. It will also help those who struggle with frizz and split-ends. Just like with your scalp, you can use different oils like coconut oil, tea tree oil, or even olive oil for a deep conditioning treatment. It might also be a good idea to condition your hair before you go swimming — this will protect your hair follicles by ensuring that oxidized metals won’t attach to it.
Prevent chlorine damage
Now that we know how to repair chlorine damage, it’s equally important to know how to prevent it from happening ever again. Below are a few well-known tips.
Wet hair before going for a swim
One of the best ways of preventing chlorine damage to your hair is to wet it before going for a swim. You might be wondering how fighting water with water will work. In fact, wetting your hair before a swim will help it absorb more freshwater than chemical water. As previously mentioned, this works even better if you condition it right before swimming! You want to make sure your hair really soaks up the water before going into the pool for best results.
If you’re on vacation/aren’t home and don’t have access to freshwater, but have access to a beach, ocean-water will do the trick!
Wear a swim cap
The most obvious way of preventing your hair from undergoing any chlorine damage is to wear a swim cap. Though it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing look, your hair will thank you in the long run! However, it is still suggested that you wet your hair beforehand for optimal protection. After all, if your swim cap doesn’t fit just right, some water might end up seeping in through the openings.
Rinse hair after swimming
Although rinsing it beforehand as well as after might seem like overkill, it’s probably one of the best things you could do for your hair to prevent chlorine damage. Washing your hair right after you’ve been in the pool will more easily remove the chlorine than if you were to let your hair dry first. Remember to condition!
Invest in a saltwater pool
One of the many benefits of a saltwater pool is that there is much less chlorine present in the water than chlorinated pools. This leads to less skin irritation, less bathing-suit colour fading, and less hair damage. They’re also much easier to take care of since they require less maintenance. They are gentler on the body, hair, and clothing, and you’ll feel that the water is much softer. You’ll even notice that you no longer have any harsh chlorine smell in the air! Best of all, your hair will keep being silky smooth.
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