Swimming - it is killing my hair and skin - any tips?

[dazedandblue]

I've got into swimming recently at my local pool.
I'm slow but really enjoying it.

However, it's starting to take a toll on my hair and skin.
I shower before and after every swim and wash my hair 9/10 times after a swim. It's rare I won't wash my hair.

Any tips or recommendations on what I can do or any products that could help my skin and hair?

I would always wash hair after swimming to get chlorine out and a thick conditioner helps as well. Moisturiser will help skin, thicker ones are better but doesn't need to be expensive, Nivea or similar would do. I have scented ones like RHS one. You can get shampoo for after swimming though I don't use that just another good shampoo and conditioner and hair is fine. I take a bath at home rather than showering at pool but it's the same. Have quick rinse at pool.

Posted the below on a similar thread. I’m still doing it and it still works.

I saw a reel on Instagram that I thought I’d try. I’m a regular swimmer and always plagued by ‘eau de chlorine’.
Get some sodium ascorbate powder. Put a teaspoon’s worth in an empty sports bottle before your swim. After your swim, fill up the bottle with water from the shower, shake it a bit to make sure the powder has dissolved, and douse yourself in it: rub it into hair and skin. Just be careful of your eyes/face. Rinse off. Then use regular shampoo, conditioner, body wash etc.
It works! The sodium ascorbate binds to chlorine and neutralises it, and you can then use your regular products. I was so surprised, but it does work. I’ve been doing it for a few
weeks now and have noticed I don’t have that lingering chlorine smell any more. Before, once I started to sweat I could always get a whiff of chlorine on me, and given the recent hot weather I’ve sweated a lot, but no chlorine smell! I didn’t do my rinse after a recent swim with my DD and could quickly tell the difference: I got whiffs of chlorine periodically, and then when I got in the shower could really smell it as the pores opened. So that really suggests to me that the rinse is the difference.
I think it’s worth a go versus £££ on specialist products. I got a 1kg bag on Amazon for £16.99 and it’ll last for ages.

You do need to wash your hair immediately after every swim. Another tip is to wear a hat, but rinse your hair before putting the hat on and this will stop your hair absorbing so much chloriney water. And then immediately rinse and wash hair after swimming.

I swim every day,have done for about 10years.I always wear a Speedo hat,my hair doesn’t get wet at all,I wash and condition after every swim.Always think the pool water has wee in it!
I use body butter all over,loads of it and it keeps my skin in good condition,I buy it in TK Maxx,look for a good make,they always have some.

@LadyWiddiothethird

please can you link the hat. My dd plays water polo and has long hair, she always wears a club hat but her hair still gets wet so any suggestion would be great (I’ll double hat her!).

She uses an anti chlorine shampoo once a week and Aussie 3 min conditioner.

@CheeryOchreCat please can you link the product you buy? Thank you

I always shower right before and after my swim. I use Aveeno on my skin. And a really good hair conditioner. Since it takes a while, I stretch and do squats in the shower cubicle!

Best tip I have tried is similar to a pp- rinse your hair before going in the pool. Hair absorbs water, so if you make it absorb clean shower water before you swim, it will then hardly absorb any chlorine water. Meaning it doesn't get so dry. Then wash as normal after swimming.

I had this when I started swimming @dazedandblue - so I wet my hair before I swim (as it is harder to absorb the pool water if already wet) and I apply a pre-swim hair cream from Umberto Giannini (swim proof hair protecting cream). I also use a specific shampoo/conditioner - Malibu swimmer’s wellness. My skin is ok though.

Google “silicon long hair swimming hat”. Several people, including Speedo, make them. They are like normal swimming hats but bigger.

A swim cap then wash your hair and fully wash your body with shower gel then moisturise all over with something like Aveeno or E45.

@dazedandblue This is it. It’s basically Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. But this form is a bit milder on the skin.

Pure Source Nutrition Pure Sodium... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E3SW3FK?ref=ppxpopmobapshare

I also think putting anything in your hair before swimming (aside from water) isn’t a great idea. Adding further chemicals to the pool only worsens the chlorine problem.

When I pre shower before swim I put a bit of hair mask on and then put on the cap. Shampoo and conditioner in the shower after the swim.

Wear a swimming cap and put conditioner in your hair after wetting your hair before your swim

I recommend the L'Oréal glycolic gloss conditioner. My kids swim a lot, and using this once a week really helps their hair.
https://www.superdrug.com/hair/hair-styling/hair-serum/loreal-paris-elvive-glycolic-gloss-5-minute-lamination-treatment/p/838720

Phillips kingsley swim cap.

Also always wash your hair after swimming! I'm not sure I've ever not washed it. Leaving it 10% of the time is a lot.

Following for tips as I swim a few times a week.

I always wash my hair after, I can't wear a cap. I use a good quality cleanser on my face in the shower after and moisturise.

I wish people wouldn't put creams etc on their hair before getting into the pool ...it's really not necessary. Wet hair before putting a swim cap on.

Aye surely this defeats the point of them asking you to
shower before using the pool??

@dazedandblue , what exactly are the changes you see in your skin & hair that you don't like?

Thank you everyone!

I definitely wash and shampoo my hair almost after every swim. The only time I don't is if I have either forgotten the shampoo (rare) or if I know I'm going to wash it at home/later that day.

Great tips on making sure hair is fully wet beforehand to stop the chlorine absorbing as much, I will start doing that! As well as investing in a thick conditioner mask.

I don't have a cap, I swam a lot as a kid (not competitively or in a swim club but for leisure) and never had one.

My hair is getting a bit dry at the ends, I was guessing it was the swimming. And my skin is getting drier than usual.

I have bought a body lotion now and will look to try out the Glycolic Gloss linked above!

Thank you!!

I don't have a cap......then buy one!! They're about the price of a bottle of shampoo and will definitely save your hair, particularly if you don't want to wash it straight away.

I haven’t actively been avoiding a cap! I’ve just never been in a position of needing one.
I swam a lot as a kid and never needed one then so it didn’t occur to me that I’d need one now.

This is all new to me.
But will get one, thank you. 🙂

I do wash my hair right after most times, it’s a rare occasion I don’t.

I stopped using Aquaguard pre swim conditioner, because I couldn't get my head around introducing yet more contaminants to the water. If I try to wear a conditioner under a hat, the hat comes straight off.
I've yet to find a hat that can keep your hair dry. Currently wear Speedo. I would just pre soak my hair, but I'm self conscious due to alopecia.

I’ve found the same: the couple of times I’ve tried putting conditioner or similar on my hair beforehand, the cap just slides off.

Adding further stuff to the water is a recipe for a disgusting pool. I think many people have experienced when another swimmer with perfume, aftershave or similar gets in without showering first. You can taste and smell it in the water 🤢 Conditioner on hair will definitely seep into the water.

I don’t think any cap keeps hair completely dry, and they don’t claim to either: it’s mostly about keeping it off your face. Though it depends how you swim: if it’s mostly head-up breaststroke, then you’ve a better chance of keeping your hair mostly dry with a cap, than me who does all four strokes, tumbleturns and kicks underwater, so my head is immersed very often.