Summertime and swimming, a fun duo right? But if you stay in the pool for too long, the chlorine in the water can do a number of damages to your hair, especially if you have colored hair. It can react to a number of chemicals in your hair, and may even cause your hair to change colors. If you have natural or untreated hair, the chlorine may also dry out your strands.
What Is Chlorine?
So how does chlorine damage our hair? Chlorine is used for a variety of purposes. It is dissolved in pool water to destroy bacteria and germs, keeping the water safe for swimmers before it needs to be replaced. One of the damages that chlorine brings to your hair is that it can cause your strands to become coarse, brittle, and prone to breakage. Chlorine in the pool strips the sebum from the hair, and this causes the hair strands to dry out and crack. So how do we prevent our hair from losing its shine and smoothness from chlorine?
How To Protect Your Hair From Chlorine
Wet Your Hair Before Swimming
Whether you’re going swimming at a pool or at the beach, try first wetting your hair with fresh water first before diving in. This will cause your hair to absorb the freshwater first, leaving little room for absorbing chlorine water. By minimizing the amount of chlorine and salt absorbed in your hair, it’s less likely that you’ll experience dry hair or breakage after you swim.
Apply Heat Protectant Spray
If you’re going swimming for a long period of time or you’re a frequent swimmer, try applying a protectant before you swim. Just like using heat protectants that prevent heat damages, you can use protectants to avoid damages brought by chlorine. Adding a coat of coconut oil or a protectant with UV protection will help moisturize your strands while preventing the absorption of chlorine.
Brush Hair When It’s Dry
After swimming, avoid brushing your hair right away. Since wet hair is more susceptible to breakage, brushing through it while wet puts tension on the hair strands and may cause breakage. Leave your hair to dry in the sun a bit, then brush with a wide-tooth comb that will detangle your hair without added stress and possible breakage.)