It's officially Summer in the South and I'm already seeing posts of women asking how to protect their hair and their daughter's hair from chlorine in the pool this summer. 50+ comments later, I've seen everything from "wash it in dawn" to "baking soda" to "swimmers shampoos". While I know everyone has an opinion, these are the three easiest ways to protect your hair from the pool this summer.
WEAR IT UP. I see you there laughing or maybe rolling your eyes at me. Well duh, you say. But really, buy a banana clip and put it on top of your head, throw it in a messy bun, or put it in a ball cap. You don't have to fix a problem that doesn't exist. Swim caps are also an option, but I can't promise you will look fabulous in it.
APPLY LEAVE IN CONDITIONER BEFORE SWIMMING. This keeps the pool chemicals from easily attaching to your hair or grabbing on to it. Any leave in or regular conditioner would work. It doesn't have to be expensive. You could coat in conditioner then braid the hair to keep exposure to a minimum. My go to for this would be Kevin Murphy's Hydrate Masque or Repair Masque because I might as well add heat from the sunshine and make it a treatment kind of day. Kevin Murphy's Untangled leave in conditioner would be an easy spray option to comb through the hair. Any brand works as long as the hair is coated.
WASH IMMEDIATELY AFTER SWIMMING. This is the best option to me. Numerous brands have products geared towards this, but at my hair studio my go-to is Redken's Cleansing Creme designed to cleanse the hair of build up and chemicals while still being color safe. If you arent going to clip it up, then just make sure to wash after swimming. Don't, I REPEAT, DON'T let your hair air dry just to clip it up because you are going to swim again the next day. You do not want chlorine and other pool chemicals sitting in your hair for hours. Imagine if you have color in your hair for hours. Not a good outcome. This is the reason why I think you see the most hair issues (hair turning unnatural colors or cotton candy textured) among children.
While these may be obvious, the point is that it's not hard to protect your hair from the pool this summer. I recommend doing a bonding or moisture treament weekly if you are in the pool often and/or switching to a repair based combo like Kevin Murphy's Repairing system. Redken's Professional Bonding Treatment is a favorite of mine as well, be sure to ask your stylist about this, but an at home version is available here. This will add the extra moisture and strength that your hair will need from exposure to harsh chemicals. I hope everyone has a great summer and please reach out if you have any questions. Happy Swimming!
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