I have a daughter with very long, very blonde hair. This same girl is also a year-round swimmer, so keeping her hair blonde and not green takes some effort.
Thankfully there are just a few simple things to know to keep your swimmer hair healthy.
Blonde hair is the most susceptible to turning green, because blonde hair is the most porous, but even dark hair can become brittle and damaged from chlorine. So what does one do?
The first thing to do is realize that your hair is like a sponge. If you go into the water dry, your hair is going to soak up all that chlorinated water. But, also like a sponge, if you wet it first with non-pool water, it will be too full of water to soak up any pool water. So, rule number one is:
Wet your hair before going into the pool.
If you can take a quick shower and wet all of your hair first that is great. A swim cap does NOT keep the chlorine out. My kids are always running into practice on the brink of being late, so I keep a spray bottle in our car, that I have filled with water, lemon juice, Moroccan Oil, and conditioner. Some of these things float to the top, so I have to shake it before using, but it works GREAT! Even just using a spray bottle with regular water would be a HUGE help in lessening chlorine damage.
Next,Use a de-chlorinating shampoo.
There are many brands that make a shampoo which specializes in removing the chlorine. My favorite is MALIBU 2000. You can only buy this at salons or on the internet (I buy mine at Amazon) and it's pricey but it works VERY well. It is also concentrated, so a little goes a long way. I stick a pin in the top to create a hole which causes the shampoo to come out a little slower, this way I can keep my kids from using too much. Malibu makes another swim shampoo, called Malibu C, but it is not half as good as the 2000. You may see the Malibu C at swim shops, or sporting goods stores but not the 2000 because only Hair Salons are allowed to sell it.
Well, I hope this helps! Have fun in the pool, green free!
-Becca
I never thought about the fact that hair is porous and soaks up whatever wets it first. We are going to be swimming a lot in Georgia and you know Alayna's hair is SO light so I'm very grateful for this advice!
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