Swimming is good to keep healthy, but it’s not so beneficial for hair. If you enjoy swimming, you may be always troubled by the chlorine in the hair after you get out of water. The chlorine keeps water bacteria-free, but it can make your hair dry, brittle and even look green. Hence, it’s very important to properly wash your hair after swimming to minimize the effects that chlorine has on hair.
In common cases, people will immediately rinse their hair with plain water after swimming if they are unable to wash it with shampoo on time. Although people will neglect to rinse the hair after have a swimming, it indeed helps get rid of a lot of chlorine before this chemical has a chance to damage your hair. In addition, you should rinse the hair before swimming as it will reduce the amount of chlorine water which is absorbed into hair. However, if you have access to better hair products, you’d better use the best shampoo or conditioner you have.
How to wash hair after swimming?
Get some preparation to wash hair after swimming. Commonly, regular old shampoo may not clean out chlorine completely, thus you should look for a specialized shampoo that scrubs out mineral and chlorine deposits. Alternatively, rinse your hair with a natural mixture made of a quart of water and 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Hold the mixture on your hair for two minutes, then rinse it with plain water. It will restore the natural acidity of your hair that the chlorine stripped away. Besides, lemon juice mixed with club soda also does the same work.
Of course, you can also find other solutions from kitchen cabinets, for instance, the ketchup. Mixing a little ketchup into your shampoo can counteract the chlorine’s effects. If you have lighter colored or highlighted hair, the chlorine may turn the lighter portions of hair slightly green over time. So washing the chlorine out immediately after your swimming can help preserve the color. As for significant after-swimming greenness, apply the ketchup directly into your hair and cover it with a shower cap for about 10 minutes, then rinse it away.
After rinsing, the next procedure is certainly conditioning. Look for a conditioner specially made for dry hair, and start from the hair roots to apply the conditioner throughout the hair while showering. Then use a wide-toothed comb to distribute the hair evenly and reduce snags. At last, leave the conditioner in your hair for at least two minutes before you rinse it out. And this will infuse your hair with extra moisture.
If you are an avid swimmer, a weekly deep-conditioning treatment may give your hair an extra boost of moisture. Although the drugstore likely has a variety of weekly deep conditioning treatment, you can still make some at home. Just mix an entire peeled and mashed avocado with one egg and a tbsp of olive oil. Then slather the mixture on your hair and wrap it with a shower cap. After about half an hour, wash it away.
Hope all the advice work as guidance for you about how to wash hair after swimming.