It’s that time of the year again—summertime! This means barbecues, swimming pools, and good times. That first dive into a refreshing pool on a hot day is something we all look forward to. With that excitement, however, it’s easy to forget the damage chlorine can have on your hair and scalp.

Chlorine is a disinfectant commonly used in pools to kill bacteria, leaving the water safe and clean for a swim. In essence, it’s a less intense version of bleach. While short, intermittent dips in the pool are unlikely to cause significant harm, regular and prolonged contact with chlorinated water is an ideal recipe for hair weakness and breakage.

Here’s a closer look at what chlorine is doing to your hair:

• It Strips Away Natural Defences: Your scalp produces a natural oil, sebum, which acts as a protective conditioner for your hair. Chlorine leaches these vital oils away, leaving your hair unprotected, dehydrated, and feeling brittle and straw-like.
• It Lifts and Damages the Cuticle: The outer layer of a hair strand, the cuticle, has a structure like overlapping shingles. Chlorine roughs up and lifts these “shingles,” making the hair porous. This allows excess moisture to enter the strand, leading to frizz, tangles, and a much higher chance of breakage.
• It Can Alter Your Hair Colour: The infamous “swimmer’s green hair” isn’t caused by chlorine alone. Instead, chlorine oxidizes hard metals like copper in the water. These oxidized metals then bond to the proteins in your hair, producing a greenish tint that is most visible on blonde, gray, or colour-treated hair.
• It Compromises Overall Strength: This combination of stripped oils and a damaged cuticle weakens the hair’s internal structure. Each strand becomes less elastic and more fragile, resulting in more split ends and snapping when you brush or style it.
• It Irritates the Scalp: The harshness of chlorine doesn’t stop at your hair. It can also disrupt the delicate moisture balance of your scalp, leading to uncomfortable dryness, persistent itching, and flakiness or dandruff.

We will go over a few life hacks to lessen the effect of the swimming pool on your hair.

Pre-soaking: We all remember going to the pool in school and the teachers and lifeguards telling us to wash off under the shower before going in the pool. Your hair is like a sponge, and if you let it absorb fresh water, it will limit the amount of pool water that can be absorbed.

Swimmer’s Cap: Ever notice the cap swimmers use during the Olympics and professional swimming events? That’s because professional athletes are well-versed in long-recurring exposure to the pool water. A swimmer’s cap can significantly prevent chlorine damage to your hair. Whichever one you choose, make sure it’s lightweight and breathable.

Post-soaking / Shampoo & Conditioning: It is imperative you wash out the pool water from your hair and skin as soon as you leave the pool. Otherwise, it can easily dry up, leaving chlorine and salt residue. Use a shampoo that clarifies your hair by stripping the chlorine residue off the scalp and hair shaft. Follow this with a moisturizing conditioner to replenish the PH level back to normal, such as “Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo & Conditioner.

Natural Oils: Applying natural oils, such as coconut oil, has been shown to prevent protein loss. Speaking of protein loss, cracking an egg on the scalp has been shown to reinvigorate the scalp. After all, eggs are essentially pure protein!

All these preventative measures can turn the tide on the war for Chlorine-damaged hair. For more tips, visit any one of our locations, and our guy smart stylists will be all too happy to assist with any further questions you may have!