Preventing Your Hair From Chlorine Damage
When the mercury soars high there is nothing more refreshing than a dip in the swimming pool. While swimming is definitely an exciting and relieving sport, the only hitch that may at times deter you from entering into the pool is the way your hair gets damaged because of the chlorine in the water.
Chlorine is somehow unavoidable when you go swimming, because that is the most effective disinfectant, used to keep the swimming pools clean. The side effect, however, is that chlorine washes away the natural protective oils from the hair and the scalp, making the hair brittle, dry and fragile. Here are a few steps that you can take to prevent chlorine damage, to be followed before and after swimming.
Before swimming:
Before you enter the swimming pool, just stand under the shower and wet your hair thoroughly. Doing this will help your hair to absorb the normal water, and when you get into the pool the hair shafts will absorb less of the chlorinated water. Also, you can apply a little bit of natural hair conditioner into your wet hair, give it time to get absorbed by the hair shafts and then you’re ready to get into the pool.
The conditioner will moisturize your hair and at the same time will offer protection against chlorinated water. And your last option is to wear a swimming cap, although that isn’t very attractive an option, but it is one which offers maximum protection, especially when you’re planning to spend long hours in the pool.
After swimming:
When you step out of the pool, rush back to the shower and thoroughly rinse off your hair with normal water. If you’re swimming at the club, you can always order for a bottle of soda and just pour it over your hair to remove all traces of chlorine. Or else just shampoo them properly to remove chlorine from your hair.
Look for a shampoo which contains sodium thiosulfate, as this chemical will not only help to remove chlorine from the hair, but also the traces of hard metals which stick to your hair and turn your hair somewhat greenish. And lastly, if the damage is excessive then you’d better walk into a hair saloon to get to a proper treatment done.
