There is a product on the market to remove chlorine from hair and skin (Swim Spray) that costs $12.95 for a 4oz bottle, on their website. If you look at the ingredients of Swim Spray, there are only two: Water and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
After doing a few minutes of research online, I learned that I could make my own spray by adding 1tsp. of Vitamin C crystals to a pint spray bottle of water. I just purchased a bottle of Vitamin C crystals from Trader Joe's for $11.99. I am going to use my empty 2oz. free sample of Swim Spray to refill it with my own mix for a cost of about $0.13 per bottle (there are 908- 1/8 teaspoons in the bottle of crystals)!
$0.13 vs $6.50 for 2 ounces of Swim Spray. That gives you an idea of how much $ goes into packaging, marketing, salaries, and all of the other overhead expenses to bring a product to market. :afraid:
By the way, if you there is not a Trader Joe's near you, Vitamin C crystals can be purchased online. Just use an empty travel size hairspray bottle, mix up a batch, and throw the bottle in your swim bag. After your swim, briefly rinse off in the shower, spray your hair and skin, wait a few seconds, then rinse. Now you can use your shampoo and body wash or soap as usual.
Edit: I previously typed in 1/4 tsp., rather than 1tsp. (in bold). Sorry for the mistake!
Awesome, Elaine. Thanks for going the extra mile and testing your remedy. :agree: I'm going to have to give this a try. I swim at noon outdoors, so I'm wondering how the Arizona heat may affect the mixture. I use a small cooler to keep my water and recovery food chilled, so I think it would be a good idea to keep my home-made spray in it as well while I'm swimming. I'll be sure to report my findings.
I mixed up a batch of home-made "anti-chlorine spray" (1/4 tsp powder to 4 oz of water), but instead of using vitamin C crystals, I used powdered vitamin C, which I purchased at Sprouts ($15.99 for an 8 oz bottle -- good for a 6 month supply of spray). The powdered version is meant to be mixed with liquid and consumed as a drink and since Sprouts didn't have the crystal version (unless powder and crystals are the same thing), I figured that powdered vitamin C would work just as well, if not better.
Well, I am happy to report that it did. I tested it out today after my noon swim, and after arriving back at work, I asked a couple of co-workers if they could smell chlorine. Their answer -- a resounding "No". :cool:
The vitamin C powder I purchased is manufactured by SolaRay (8 oz, 5000 mg, 100% pure ascorbic acid), which is available on-line through various sellers. Here's a URL to one particular vendor: www.vitacost.com/solaray-vitamin-c-powder.
Awesome, Elaine. Thanks for going the extra mile and testing your remedy. :agree: I'm going to have to give this a try. I swim at noon outdoors, so I'm wondering how the Arizona heat may affect the mixture. I use a small cooler to keep my water and recovery food chilled, so I think it would be a good idea to keep my home-made spray in it as well while I'm swimming. I'll be sure to report my findings.
I mixed up a batch of home-made "anti-chlorine spray" (1/4 tsp powder to 4 oz of water), but instead of using vitamin C crystals, I used powdered vitamin C, which I purchased at Sprouts ($15.99 for an 8 oz bottle -- good for a 6 month supply of spray). The powdered version is meant to be mixed with liquid and consumed as a drink and since Sprouts didn't have the crystal version (unless powder and crystals are the same thing), I figured that powdered vitamin C would work just as well, if not better.
Well, I am happy to report that it did. I tested it out today after my noon swim, and after arriving back at work, I asked a couple of co-workers if they could smell chlorine. Their answer -- a resounding "No". :cool:
The vitamin C powder I purchased is manufactured by SolaRay (8 oz, 5000 mg, 100% pure ascorbic acid), which is available on-line through various sellers. Here's a URL to one particular vendor: www.vitacost.com/solaray-vitamin-c-powder.
