How Do You Really Care For Chlorine Damaged Hair
Oh! The joy of swimming especially on a hot summer’s day!! As you may or may not know swimming is the best exercise one can have. It’s fun. It’s refreshing. And yet you’re burning more calories than walking or running. This is one exercise that you’ll gladly do even in the middle of summer.
One drawback to swimming in the pool is the chlorinated water that serves as a disinfectant for removing any bacteria or germs that remain in the water and possibly some that come from the people swimming in it, whether it’s a public pool or not. It would have been great though to have swimming pools that use cool spring water so you won’t be bothered by the chlorine but these are not as accessible or as abundant as regular chlorinated pools.
What exactly does too much chlorine do to your hair? First, you have to understand that hair has natural oils that protect it from regular wear and tear. Now, if you regularly submerge your hair in chlorinated water, the chlorine works on your hair removing these natural oils and making your hair susceptible to breakage and porosity. Once your hair becomes porous and you still swim in chlorinated water, then your hair is more prone to absorbing chlorine into your system, damaging it even further.
If you absolutely must risk going into a chlorinated pool, you can prevent chlorine damage of hair by following a few simple tricks. Before going into the water, take a shower and get your hair wet. Let the hair absorb most of the non-chlorinated water so that by the time you do swim in the pool your hair is already soaked and will be less susceptible to the chlorine. A better protection for your hair is applying conditioner to your hair and keeping it under a swimming cap. Yes, a swimming cap may look funny to most people, but at least it will prevent chlorinated water from touching your hair. Immediately following your dip, you must rinse your hair either with simple water or combined with shampoo that contains sodium thiosulfate. This ingredient effectively removes chlorine from the hair. Make sure that you also use a conditioner to bring back the moisture into your hair.
Serious cases of chlorine-damaged hair need to be repaired in subsequent treatments at a hair salon. This usually happens when your hair is not responding to home remedies and short of cutting off all your hair because of frustration, though it may cost more, at least you’ll be able to regain the lost luster and bounce of your hair.