Swim Free: How to Protect Your Summer Locks from Chlorine
Your hair is healthiest when it maintains some of its natural oils, which makes chlorine a nightmare for your locks. Chlorine strips your hair of its natural oils, leaving your hair and scalp dry, rough, and damaged. It’s also known to cause chemical reactions in your hair, which weaken each strand, resulting in more split ends. If you consider yourself a regular at the pool you may want to rethink that “just jump in” mentality and follow these tips to prevent and treat chlorine damage.
Pre-Rinse
The easiest way to avoid damage is by wetting your hair before your first dip. This lessens the amount of chlorine water absorbed into your hair. Second, you can apply a conditioner before entering the pool. This will also prohibit some of the chlorine from being absorbed, plus it provides your hair with a healthy moisturizer that is an absolute necessity when swimming. Lastly, you can apply an oil such as coconut oil before swimming to not only repel the water but also give your locks an extra dose of hydration.
If the pool is just too tempting and there’s no time to prep your hair, then luckily, we have a few tips to repair chlorine damage too. The first thing you should do after a swim is to rinse your hair out immediately. This will reduce the damage and put your locks on the road to recovery. You should never let chlorine, salt, or other contaminants just hang out in your hair. The second thing you should do is clarify your hair because just like our skin, our hair and scalp need a deep cleaning too. Use a clarifying shampoo to help strip away product build-up and any harsh chemicals that could be lingering. The result leaving your hair lightweight and easier to style. Plus, healthy hair follicles mean an increase in hair growth and thickness.