Swim Hair Regimen

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Now that summer is here many people enjoy the weather by swimming. This summer I plan to spend a lot of time in the pool cooling off. I want to become a better swimmer as well as start swim lessons for my son. Because I will be using the community pool and my gym's pool I will be exposing my hair to chlorine. If not properly cared for, chlorine can be very damaging to the hair. It can cause dryness and lead to breakage. Before my hair journey I never thought to prep my hair before going swimming. I would only take care of my hair after getting out of the pool. Sometimes it would be 2-3 days before I would wash my hair after swimming. Now that I know better I do better. I'm going to share what I do to my hair before and after swimming. Hopefully you can build your own regimen to protect your hair from chlorine and even salt water.

Before swimming
Supplies needed

• Spray bottle with water
• Cheap conditioner of your choice
• Oil of your choice. I prefer a thick oil such as EVOO or Castor Oil
• Hair ties
• Swim Cap (optional)

I start off by sectioning my hair into four sections and secure them with clips. Depending on how thick your hair is you may want to use more sections. Working with one section at a time I saturate the section with water. I use my hands to massage in the water so that every strand is wet. I next take my conditioner of choice and coat the section thoroughly. I use lots of conditioner for this. After applying a generous amount of conditioner I use a generous amount of oil to seal in the moisture. The purpose of the conditioner and oil is to keep as little chlorine and water from penetrating the hair shaft as possible. Next I braid or twist each the sections and secure it out the way as I work with the remaining sections. Lastly I secure two sections together towards the back of my head and apply my swim cap. The swim cap creates another barrier against the chlorine or salt water. 

After swimming

Supplies needed

• Shampoo (preferably a swimmers shampoo, clarifying shampoo, or sulfate shampoo)
• Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
• Plastic Cap

Immediately after swimming I thoroughly rinse my hair out with warm water. Even if you are not able to wash and deep conditioner your hair it is very important to rinse your hair as soon as possible. I try to remove as much chlorine or salt as possible. I do this without removing the twist or braids. I work with the sections that I previously created. I remove the twist or braid and rinse the hair one more time before applying my shampoo of choice. I make sure to thoroughly clean my scalp and hair. This is one of the only times I will apply a little shampoo to the length of my hair. I don't worry about the shampoo drying my hair out because my main concern is removing all the chlorine or salt from my hair. I put the moisture back in when I deep condition. After lathering 2x I apply my deep conditioner and retwist/rebraid my hair. I apply a plastic cap and sit under my hooded dryer for 15-30 minutes. I will then rinse the deep conditioner out and style my hair or place a winter hat on my hair and leave it for as long as overnight. 

**Side Note: I have never used a swimmers shampoo, but I plan on purchasing the Ion Swimmers shampoo this month from Sally Beauty Supply because it is on sale. If you have used this brand or a different brand please share your experience in the comments below.

These are the steps I take to protect my hair when swimming. What do you do to protect your hair? If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please leave them in the comments below.