does chlorine damage your hair?

Former Member
Former Member
I do not know much about the negative effect of chlorine and was wondering if it damages your hair and contributes to the receding hair or whatnot at all.Do swimming caps actually protect you from that, 'cause it seems like when I take it off after the practice, my hair is all wet, as if I was not wearing anything. Just wanna keep my full head of hair :-))) Thanks.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW....
  • Originally posted by SWinkleblech I have to say that I am a blonde and have never had green hair. Even as a child. I never could understand why people say that blonde hair will turn green in chlorine. My daughter has blonde hair and her never turns green either. My hair DID have a green tint to it and I was really blond then and light brown now but I haven't had that "Kermit" tint since swimming in college. Also, the kids with darker hair had some silver tint goin' on! I like the copper explanation.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I had hair once......
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by Tom Ellison I had hair once...... That does not sound good...Think chlorine "helped" you with that?
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Naaaa....what I have left is a result of pure luck....and the loss of what I had is having to put up with Mr. Moose and Ralph all the time...
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I tried that tip of conditioner under the cap. Cap slipped on really quickly. Swam the first length, flipped and pushed off. Cap stayed on the wall, body jetted forward. And I am not known for great turns. So works if you don't put your head under and push off. To avoid looking like tinsel, I wet my hair first before putting on my cap. After each session, wash then apply conditioner. Let it do it's thing while you yarn with team mates in the sauna. Then rinse off conditioner after the sauna ot hot tub. Now that is true VO2 (2in one) Max stuff. :p :D Kiwi
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I have a buzz haircut, so I don't concern myself with the effects of chlorine. But I've heard that you'll get good results if you put conditioner (not shampoo) in your hair, don't rinse it out, put your cap on and do your workout. Then wash it out when you shower afterwards.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by 2go+h20 I tried that tip of conditioner under the cap. Cap slipped on really quickly. Swam the first length, flipped and pushed off. Cap stayed on the wall, body jetted forward. And I am not known for great turns. So works if you don't put your head under and push off. To avoid looking like tinsel, I wet my hair first before putting on my cap. After each session, wash then apply conditioner. Let it do it's thing while you yarn with team mates in the sauna. Then rinse off conditioner after the sauna ot hot tub. Now that is true VO2 (2in one) Max stuff. :p :D Kiwi That's probably more of a function of your turn than the conditioner. :) But your suggestion about wetting your hair first (with clean water, not chlirinated water from the pool) has merit. If your hair is dry under your cap, pool water will wick in during your swim, and in essence you end up soaking your hair in pool water anyway. But if you wet it in the shower and put your cap on before getting into the pool, the pool water won't have room to wick (or be absorbed) in.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Yep, my turns are not exactly lickety split, but I haven't lost my cap yet with just regular water on my hair under my cap when I flip. Only lost it when I tried the conditioner tip. I tried those chlorine removing shampoos as well. Did not like them. Felt like they coated my hair. YKKK. Mostly, wearing a cap and wetting the hair first with the shower, washing and conditioning after every pool time seems to do the trick. Even my hairdresser comments on how soft my hair feels. And my hair is in the chlorine a lot. Kiwi
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