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!
Thanks for the tip, I can't wait to try it. I might try to find the crystals elsewhere though depending on how much shipping it cost. I have just deal with the chlorine smell because I dont want to blow a lot of money on the spray.
This is a great idea, but I choose to embrace my chlorine smell.I'm with you on that Kirk...that's why we swim, so we don't have to buy that expensive smelly stuff at the store. Ever noticed when you start sweating at work that all you smell is chlorine (that is if you have a job where you sweat :bolt: ).
(that is if you have a job where you sweat :bolt: ).
I sweat 3s² 3p⁵ configuration at work. My coworkers say I smell like bleach. I don't smell anything.
Kirk & James: This post is NOT for you. :D
Debaru & Jayhawk: In my opinion, my homemade spray worked just as well as SwimSpray. So, go ahead, by a bottle of crystals and split it with your entire team. They will each end up with enough crystlals to last for plenty of batches of spray. And, they'll love ya for it! :agree:
I would recommend mixing up just enough for a small (4oz or less) bottle at a time, so the Vitamin C doesn't break down. Besides, it would be a lot easier to carry around than a big spray bottle.
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.
Kirk & James: This post is NOT for you. :D
Debaru & Jayhawk: In my opinion, my homemade spray worked just as well as SwimSpray. So, go ahead, by a bottle of crystals and split it with your entire team. They will each end up with enough crystlals to last for plenty of batches of spray. And, they'll love ya for it! :agree:
I would recommend mixing up just enough for a small (4oz or less) bottle at a time, so the Vitamin C doesn't break down. Besides, it would be a lot easier to carry around than a big spray bottle.
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.
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.
:applaud: Definitely a less expensive option than SwimSpray! But, Trader Joe's Vit C is still the least expensive option I have seen; $11.99 for a 1 lb. bottle.
I'm glad it worked for you! :agree:
Ascorbic acid is commonly used in food and pharmaceutical industries. One should be able to purchace bulk quantities (55 gal drum for less than $400) fairly cheaply. No need to worry about vitamin C spoilage either, it's chiefly used as a natural preservative:D.
