Question for frequent swimmers?

Question

Ive heard conflicting stories that chlorine damages your hair no matter what, and others say as long as you wash your hair with a quality shampoo/conditioner, the chlorine wont damage it. Any input from swimmers? I am just starting out with swimming daily and i want to make sure i take the proper steps to maintain healthy hair.

Answer 1

Just make sure you wash and condition when you shower after a swim. No swim cap can keep your hair dry.

Keep up a routine, you will notice how you become more fit. I am a lap swimmer and I wish I had started many years ago, rather than just back in 2000.

Answer 2

I swim 20 hours a week and am a competitive swimmer. Some days i go on the morning at 5 before school and on a night after school to swimming training. although i do wear a swim cap, my hair still gets thoroughly wet as i am in the water for 2 hours. Yes, chlorine does damage your hair, but if you make sure you give it a wash with good shampoo and condition ( put more conditioner on than you normally would )straight after you come out of the chlorine it should be fine. Also, brushing hair after going swimming is fine but combing is a lot better as brushing wet hair can snap your hair easily. From experience, always wash after swimming, don't let it dry with chlorine still in it :D.

Hope this helped :).

Answer 3

A swim cap won't keep your hair completely dry, but it WILL reduce the exposure.

I, too, have read conflicting statements about what is causing the damage (Is it the chlorine? Is it merely exposure to water?). Regardless of the cause, on any swim team putting in many hours in the pool, you can always tell who wears a cap and who doesn't just by looking at their hair. I think that some people's hair is more prone to damage than others (but don't know why). All I know is I swam for several hours per day for many years and always wore a cap, and my hair never got that weird shimmer.

I don't think you'll be swimming enough hours to make a huge difference, but to be on the safe side, I'd recommend a cap. Small price to pay for peace of mind, I say.

Answer 4

i knew one girl who had blonde hair and did this. she would put some condition on her hair(dry) then put the swim cap over. not sure if she did this to prevent it from getting that nasty color but her hair looked nice all the time. no matter what wearing a swim cap will protect a small amount of your hair from getting wet. chlorine will affect your hair somehow, maybe in a small amount if you wear a cap, but as long as you wash it once you get out it should be fine.

Answer 5

I am a 13 yr old female swimmer with very straight hair. People often comment on it and say it is very nice. I am not meaning to sound arrogant. I swim Monday - Saturday, 4 hrs per day in a pool with lots of chlorine ( I know because most of my swimming costumes don't last very long and I smell very much of chlorine when I get out of the pool and you can smell it of the pool as well). If you wear a latex/silicone (personally I prefer and use silicone) swim cap, your hair will stand far less chance of being damaged and it will maintain a healthy look as long as you use good shampoo. I don't even use conditioner, after swimming I use Pantene, and at home I use Head and Shoulders (well the type I use is actually 2 in 1 so it's shampoo and conditioner). Anyway, just make sure you wash your hair thoroughly with good shampoo after swimming(everytime), and that you wear a latex/silicone swim cap. I have been swimming all my life and my hair is no where near damaged, I spend about everyday of my life in the pool so yeah, chlorine might damage your hair but only if there is a lot of it in the pool and it comes into direct contact with your hair (meaning you aren't wearing a swim cap) otherwise there is very little chance that your hair will be damaged.

Whew! that was quite long! But I hope you got a bit of an idea from me. All the best!

Answer 6

Try wearing a swimmers cap for a month or two and keep an eye on your "other" hair, to see if there is any change. Then if you see no obvious change, you can get rid of the cap. After that you can also get rid of the other hair.

Swimming is a wonderful form of exercise.

Good for you.