Looking Good - May 7, 2018

*-- How To Repair Your Chlorine Damaged Hair --*
Whether you're a regular swimmer or you like to take a dip in the pool during the hot, summer months, you may notice that shortly after you begin taking a swim that your hair becomes dry and damaged in no time. This is because the chlorine which is used as a disinfectant in the water strips the healthy and protective oils from our hair, leaving it extremely dry and sometimes itchy. Chlorine has even been known to turn hair green (beware, blondes!).

You don't have to give up swimming because of your hair; you can do something about it. Let's start with preventative measures:

The Pre-Treatment

The most important thing that you can do before you let your hair get wet in the pool is to let it get wet outside of the pool. Allowing your hair to become soaked with water that is not chlorinated will let the hair to first absorb this non-damaging water. Since the hair has absorbed that water first, there's less chance of there being room for the hair to absorb the chlorinated water.

Next, always apply a hair conditioner to your hair to keep it moisturized, and protected. This is absolutely essential, as you will otherwise end up with dry, brittle and breaking hair.

Third, if you are a regular swimmer, or if you do happen to have very damaged hair, always enter a swimming pool with a swimmer's cap on. You may feel silly at first, but you won't be feeling so silly when you are able to enjoy the pool and great hair after.



The Post Treatment

Next are the important steps for after you get out of that pool. It's essential that the hair is rinsed thoroughly once you exit the pool. Club soda is a great and cheap rinse that you can use, but regular shampoo will also do the trick. Shampoos with "sodium thiosulfate" are the best, as these shampoos will remove both the color and the odor of the chlorine from your hair. Try to also find a shampoo with aloe vera or glycerin as these will naturally moisturize your hair and prevent it from drying out after a day at the pool.

It's also important to treat our hair to a deep conditioning treatment every now and again. Though it is not necessary to deep conditioner your hair after every wash, doing this once a week will vastly improve your hair's quality. If you dye your hair, make sure you keep the deep conditioning to once a week as some deep conditioners have been known to strip color from one's hair and gradually cause it to fade.



Salon Treatments

If you swim regularly and do happen to have very badly damaged hair, then you may want to consider some salon intervention treatments. The most popular for chlorinated hair is "Aphogee". Aphogee is fused to your hair by use of heat. This product will actually harden the hair so that it is far less vulnerable to the damaging effects of chlorine.

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