Protect your hair from chlorine damage

Chlorine is the chemical commonly used in swimming pools to disinfect and keep the water clean. If you’re a keen swimmer who trains a couple of times a week then you may notice your hair is more brittle and dry than it used to have been! This is because chlorine removes the natural oils from the scalp and hair so dries out the hair severely. This makes the hair split and break more, taking away the super soft feel that hair has when well maintained. Here we have some preventatives for you to try to stop your hair from suffering so badly from chlorine damage! Firstly, the obvious preventative is wearing a swimming cap. Swimming caps can help to keep your hair safe from the harsh chemicals in the swimming pool water and prevent as much water getting to your hair. There are swimming caps to suit everyone now, bright designs, different materials or plain styles. To see our range of swim caps click here. Always shower before you get into the water as then your hair has already absorbed a lot of chemical free water so there’s not much more space for chlorinated water. Shower after you swim too to rinse out the chemicals and use a shampoo that is designed to dissolve chlorine, an ingredient called Sodium Thiosulfate. Condition your hair after every wash, alternating between a normal conditioner and a deep conditioner to keep your hair well moisturised. This will really help to bring back the super soft, manageable hair that you want! Avoid blow drying your hair, straightening or curling your hair as the excessive heat will dry your hair out and damage it even more. Use the cool setting on your hair dryer or towel dry, these may not be as fast but will reduce the amount of damage you are putting your hair through. If you have serious damage and none of these preventatives are working for you then make an appointment with your local hair salon and ask them for their best advice. With thanks to Lin Pernille Photography for the banner image.