How to Care for Chlorine-Damaged Hair

One of the best things about summer is spending hot days at the swimming pool. Unfortunately, all of the chlorine can be murder on hair (especially light-colored hair). If you are one of the countless summer pool denizens, here are several preventative measures as well as tips on how to care for chlorine-damaged hair.

Instructions

1. Head off chlorine damage before getting into the pool. Swim caps may look silly to some people, but they keep your hair safe from the harsh chemicals in the water. If you are against swim caps, read on.

2. Soak your hair in the sink or shower before getting into the pool. If your hair has already absorbed lots of nonchlorinated water, there will be little room left in the hair shaft for the harsh stuff.

3. Try a club soda rinse immediately following contact with chlorinated water. This can stop the adverse effects of the chlorine.

4. Wash your hair with a shampoo that is specially formulated to dissolve chlorine (look for sodium thiosulfate in the ingredients). Do not allow chlorinated hair to dry without washing, since this increases the chances of drying and breakage.

5. Condition hair after each shampooing. Alternate regular conditioning with a deep-conditioning treatment once a week to keep hair moisturized.

Tips & Warnings

• Applying a leave-in conditioner to hair before swimming can prevent the absorption of chlorinated water.

• Avoid overexposure to heat. Excessive use of hair dryers, ceramic straighteners and so forth can further exacerbate damaged hair.