Anyone who goes to the swimming pool, even just a few times, can see the adverse effect that the chemicals in the pool water leave on our body and hair. The hair becomes extremely dry and hard, it loses all of its shine and smoothness, split ends appear, etc. With colored hair, the color may fade a lot, or even be lost altogether.
So, here are some tips that, as a person who lives for both hair and swimming, I want to share with you guys to minimize the damage that swimming pool water can cause.
Before swimming.
Braid your hair, soak it through water till completely wet. This way, your hair will absorb the fresh water first, and less the pool water (this goes the same same for the skin as well, I think).
Then, apply some hair oil on your hair. Pour an appropriate amount of oil into your hand, rub it, then tap and massage it thoroughly on your hair, from root to tip (you can also use a conditioner instead).
All of the above steps are done when your hair is braided. This minimizes the hair coming in contact with other harmful elements.
Now you can relaxing and enjoy your swimming.
After swimming.
Using a rich moisture shampoo, completely wash all the pool water out of your hair. This is important. I know some people don’t use conditioner frequently, but when it comes to swimming, this is a must. However, only rub the conditioner through the bottom half of your hair. Conditioner can steal the volume from your hair if you apply it on the hair root.
After washing, squeeze the excess water out of your hair by hand. Then, using a cotton towel, press it thoroughly on your hair to absorb as much as water as possible. Then, use hair oil to help add moisture back into your hair. Pour the oil on your palm, rub it, then massage it on your hair, ONLY the bottom half. Then, let your hair dry naturally.
I usually stay away from shower caps because I feel like they will destroy my hair shape, cause pain and can make my hair fall out. Due to that view, my hair must face the pool water more, but I feel that with the above mentioned steps in helping hair recover, my hair (and yours) will be just fine.