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!
Former Member
Hi Elaine! Do you use this solution before/after any shower soap or as a replacement altogether ?
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!
While we're on the $$$ saving note....instead of expensive hair treatments 1X per month to remove chlorine from hair I learned that applying a 6 ounce can of tomato paste every other week to your hair works as well or even better. I just smear the stuff and work it through my hair, cap it with a large zip-lock bag, and let it set for 15 minutes. Afterwards I rinse and shampoo well and my hair look great!!
Hi Elaine! Do you use this solution before/after any shower soap or as a replacement altogether ?
Hi, Mauro! :welcome: I would use it before using soap or body wash. Most of the time, I use it as a replacement, because I swim in a saline pool that uses much less chlorine in the water. If I'm at a heavily chlorinated pool, I'll use the solution first and follow up with my body wash.
Just a note for the lazy among us... after learning about this vitamin C trick (I think from Elaine on a different thread), I discovered that some shampoos have ascorbic acid in them and seem to do a good job at chlorine removal, e.g., a number of the Burt's Bees shampoos do (just check the ingredients label).
While we're on the $$$ saving note....instead of expensive hair treatments 1X per month to remove chlorine from hair I learned that applying a 6 ounce can of tomato paste every other week to your hair works as well or even better. I just smear the stuff and work it through my hair, cap it with a large zip-lock bag, and let it set for 15 minutes. Afterwards I rinse and shampoo well and my hair look great!!
And are you now a redhead? :)
And are you now a redhead? :)
Hi Jayhawk! Yes, my hair is sort of reddish but it always has been. When I sweat copiously I do smell a bit like lasagna though!!
Just made my second batch - 4 ounces of water and 1/4 tablespoon of Vitamin C crystals (from Trader Joe's) mixed up in a 4 ounce spray bottle. Works great. Thank you all for info on this thread. David K
Something else you might want to try is a pre-treatment. You just rub it into your hair and let it absorb 3-5 minutes and it does a good job of preventing the brittle green hair. The kind I like is called Aqua Guard Pre-Swim Hair Defense and I get it here: www.underwateraudio.com/.../
They make waterproof ipods and headphones, but the Pre-Swim Hair Defense is good and it is only $8.
