How to Prevent Swimmer’s Hair

 As we all know, swimmer's hair is a real thing. As a company based in Southern California, where pool’s are everywhere and the ocean is just a short drive, we see cases of swimmer’s hair quite frequently. While typically the symptoms of swimmer’s hair are pretty minor, it’s nonetheless a common annoyance and something nobody should have to worry about. With that in mind, the following sections are all about the best practices one can implement to limit the chance of getting swimmer’s hair.

What is Swimmer’s Hair?

Before diving into how to prevent this condition, we thought we would explain exactly what swimmer’s hair is. Swimmer’s hair is hair that has become dry, damaged, and even discolored due to extended exposure to the ocean or the chemicals in most pools. While this condition can come about from extended time spent in the ocean, it is far more common to happen to those who spend large amounts of time in classic pools. Copper compounds are used to prevent the growth of algae, invertebrates, and microorganisms in swimming pools. Unfortunately, in high quantities this same copper can severely damage exposed hair.

How to Prevent Swimmer’s Hair 

Rinse Before

Hair is highly absorbent, and will very quickly soak up any liquid it comes in contact with. If that liquid is a chlorinated swimming pool, your hair will immediately begin soaking up the water, as well as all the chemicals that go along with it. An easy way to avoid this is to make sure to rinse and dampen your hair with clean water for a few minutes prior to getting in the pool. This way, your hair will be in much less need of hydration, and will not look to soak up the pool water as much.

Coat

After you rinse your hair for a few minutes, it’s important to do all you can to help your hair lock in that moisture. We recommend using products like our Leave-In Conditioner or Tahitian Hair Oil for the best results. If you do not have access to these products of ours, a good home remedy can be using oils like avocado oil and coconut oil instead.

Rinse After 

One of the easiest ways to prevent swimmer’s hair is to never leave pool water in your hair. Chlorine doesn’t just do damage while you’re in the water. Letting your hair dry without rinsing allows the chlorine to sit on the strands of your hair, continuously doing damage to the already vulnerable hair. After spending time in a pool, it’s imperative to thoroughly rinse out your hair to ensure that all chlorine has been removed. Fully washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner is also a good idea, and products like our Classic Shampoo and Deep Conditioner are perfect for this use. 

How to Treat Swimmer’s Hair

While these tips will greatly reduce your chance of getting swimmer’s hair, it is still possible to contract. Fortunately, swimmer’s hair is also relatively easy to treat, if you know how. 

Anti-Green Swimmer's Paste 

One effective treatment for many hair types is to create a homemade paste with a few crushed aspirin tablets, baking soda & warm water. Wash your hair with our Classic Shampoo. Apply the paste to your damp hair. After 5 minutes rinse thoroughly and finish with our Deep Conditioner to restore moisture & shine.

Weekly Green Detox: 

Dissolve a few aspirin in a cup of warm water and work through damp hair after shampooing. Let hair sit for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly. Always condition after treatments or hair can become dry and coarse. For best results, we recommend using our Leave-In Conditioner.

Anti-chlorine shampoo 

The active ingredient in many swimmer’s shampoos is sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). You can make your own by mixing our Hair and Body BabyWash with baking soda. Five minutes of shampooing with this do-it-yourself mix leaves our hair feeling amazing! It’s like a deep cleanse, helping to lift away mineral deposits & getting the green out for healthy, revitalized hair. We always follow shampooing with a UV-based conditioner like our Leave-In Conditioner to leave hair brilliant, smooth & silky soft.

Happy Swimming!