hair...and pools

robinaddison

Hey - so I love to swim. All my life it was the one thing I could do better than most people. Now I'm a little older, but not ready to accept the greyer part of life, so I'm colouring my hair.
This, the chlorine does not like so much! Does anyone out there have any foolproof ways to stop my beautiful red hair from fading overnight, or worse yet, becoming chlorine green?
Thanks much!

havalinaaa

Get it wet before you get in the pool. If your hair is already wet, it can't soak up as much chlorine.

Misiaxcore

I would think wearing a cap might help at least a little? I got a LOT of blond highlights in my hair, and they haven't gone green yet :P

spottedlee

hmmm Let me think on this. I dyed my hair brown and it still brown. I don't wear cap and I jump into pool without pre-shower (I never do anyway, not sure why when the chorline kills germs.)

let me ask my friend, the hair sytlist and see what she says.

spottedlee

hmmm Let me think on this. I dyed my hair brown and it still brown. I don't wear cap and I jump into pool without pre-shower (I never do anyway, not sure why when the chorline kills germs.)

let me ask my friend, the hair sytlist and see what she says.

She said, go to public beauty supply store and ask for a shampoo that removes chlorines without damage. She said to make sure you wash your hair and lather it well with that shampoo EVERY time you get out of the pool.

bregalad5

I wet my hair before getting in the pool, then wash with this after:

http://www.amazon.com/UltraSwim-Chlorine-Removal-Shampoo-7-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B001ET76OO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321227950&sr=8-1

Before doing this, my hair was getting really weird feeling, and I didn't like it. 4 bottles for $15 isn't bad at all.

Monkeylost

This is the stuff I use

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Sun-Swim-Gym-Shampoo-Normal-Dry-250ml_16309/

I cant wear a swimming hat as it gives me a headache but the shampoo keeps my red for longer. Never as long as if I didn't swim though.
Xxxx

Redness82

Put some conditioner on your hair before you put a cap on. It locks the good moisture in and keeps the bad stuff out. I have natural red/blond highlighted hair, and very rarely did I get that "green" look! (I swam competitively for about 10 years) There is also a treatment that takes out chlorine, but I can't remember what it is.

SoCalSwimmerDude

Robin - I think an above poster mentioned it, but UltraSwim is what I and many other swimmers used growing up... until, of course, we simply didn't care anymore. At the age of 17, I'm pretty sure I could break my hair off like peanut brittle, but when we did care, Ultra Swim was the only product made specifically for the chlorine.

bstamps12

Yeah, like TheFranLover, I used Ultra swim until I just stopped caring. I constantly smelled like I had chlorine coming out of my pores anyways, so why not have the hair to match was my attitude. Now I just don't swim enough for it to hurt my hair. :frown:

robinaddison

thanks folks - I've used Ultra Swim my entire life...and I know about the brittle hair/hay thing well...it's just now that I actually have to pay some money to keep it the colour it's always been, I don't want to waste it!
I'll try the conditioner under the cap - that may help. If not, I guess I'll just die it green and call myself a leprechaun. :P

bluemist248

I've swapped my hair colour around a lot this year, I've had brown, red and blonde. My brown and red wasn't too bad in the pool, but my blonde looked a little green last week when I first got out, so when I got home I applied a hair mask designed for blonde hair, then washed it off with cold water and then washed it again with a moisturising shampoo/conditioner, which restored it back to blonde. I also use leave in hair conditioner to help with the tangles and dryness.

tiedye

I oil my hair before getting in. Jojoba, olive or coconut oil.

nerdieprofessor

At the end of your swim, get out of the pool and straight into the shower. Wash your hair with a good cleansing shampoo, then condition your hair, paying extra attention to the ends. My brown hair does not look chlorinated and I swim frequently.

I have not found ultraswim to be better than just using Suave, honestly. I think getting the hair clean and then conditioning it thoroughly is the key.

Please do not put anything (other than water) on your hair before getting in the pool. You are polluting the pool and making it disgusting for others (and potentially smelly) and harder to clean.

If your hair is turning green, your pool manager is not keeping the Ph Balance in the pool at the proper level. Talk to them about it. Your hair is not supposed to turn green. If the pool chemicals are correct, it won't.

blueturquoise

I used to get this problem all the time. I found it was for a few different reasons:
1. I had chemically processed light blond brown hair
2. The ends of my hair were quite damaged and dry
3. It got greener the longer i was in the water with my hair unprotected
4. hot tubs are the worst

So i have since remedied the problem with the following methods:
1. wear a nice fitting cap at all times.dampen hair before putting cap on
2. preconditioning hair before putting cap on works even better but you will contribute that conditioner to the pool which is not polite for the other swimmers
3. a medium to darker brown, or a darker red will not get green. I find the lighter the colour you have the more green you get
4. Get regular haircuts/trims to make sure your hair is healthy and not spit
5. when at the salon get deep condition treatments as well as deep condition at home. If your hair is not dry it doesn't soak up as much chlorine
4. wash hair with a chorine shampoo after the pool like Aveda chlorine/salt water shampoo.
5. Dry hair quickly, do not keep towel wrapped around head. The towel warms up the chlorine and allows it to cause more damage. It ruins your suit faster the same way if you keep it wrapped in a towel.

hope this helps! (from one green head to another )

blueturquoise

p.s. red fades like crazy anyway unless you have a red maintaining shampoo. brown or black is the best i have found for swimming.