Swimming is a fantastic low impact exercise for your body; it’s just very high impact on your hair.
Chlorine and salt can dry and damage your hair, so swimmers need to take extra care of their hair.
I love the water and I dream of having mermaid hair. I feel like Disney is to blame for some unrealistic expectations about what my hair actually looks like when I come out of the water however I have a few new tricks.
Here are 7 hair care tips to make sure your hair looks even better when you come out of the water.
1. Beach hair secret
For perfect beach hair, keep a spray bottle of leave-in conditioner in your beach bag. Salt is drying on your hair and opens up your hair cuticle. Close it down with a leave-in spray that you can scrunch through your hair when you get back to your towel.
You can make your own leave in conditioner spray by mixing 1 part of your fave conditioner with 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Give it a shake and spray it all over your hair, especially on the ends.
2. Wet your hair before going into the water
Whether swimming in the sea or in a pool, saturate your hair with fresh water before you dive in. Hair that is dry will automatically absorb the salt and chlorine but hair that is already wet won’t.
3. Rinse your hair straight away
Even if you’re not washing your hair, rinse your hair straight after swimming with fresh water. You want to remove any salt or chlorine residue as soon as possible so that it doesn’t dry in your hair.
4. Show your hair some love
If you’re spending a lot of time in the water, do a weekly conditioning treatment. Salt and chlorine will dry your hair out and if you’re not using a treatment under your swim cap, then add one into your weekly routine. Your hair will love you back.
5. Use a clarifying shampoo
If you’re a regular swimmer, switch your regular shampoo over to a clarifying shampoo about once a week. This will remove any chemical residues in your hair from the pool.
6. Wear a swimming cap
If you love swimming laps, invest in a swimming cap. You may feel funny wearing it at first but you’ll get used to it. Plus your hair will thank you for the extra protection.
7. Treat your hair while you swim
Now this is the trick that will really leave your hair better than when you started swimming. Apply a hair treatment under your swimming cap! Choose a hydrating deep conditioning treatment (NOT a protein treatment). Wet your hair and apply the treatment, concentrating on the midlengths and ends of your hair. Comb it through and put on your swimming cap. When you come out of the water, your hair will feel amazing. Now that’s encouragement to do a few extra laps too.
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Here are some of my fave products for swimmers
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Do you swim regularly? What are your tricks to keep your hair in top condition while you’re in the water?
Hi Christina,
Thanks for these great tips. I know its an older post. But, would you be able to give some tips for swimming in the cold months? I swim everyday, so wash my hair with conditioner every day but then shampoo/conditioner once a week. I cover my hair in Bumble invisible oil. Then to dry I cover my hair in a thin cotton scarf and use the dryer all over (about 80%). My curls come out but my hair becomes very big and gets bigger as it dries further.
Any recommendations to effectively dry and style curly hair after swimming everyday during the cold months?
Hi Gayatri, it sounds like you have a great routine. Are you finding that you have too much volume or is frizz a problem? Do you use a diffuser? If it’s volume (for me – you can never have too much volume!) but you can weigh your curls down with some clips at the ends of your hair. Or you can use a silk scarf to tie your hair back after you dry to let it settle.
For frizz, you could use a little of the oil to smooth down your hair at the ends. Or I like to use gel to control my frizz. This may be a pain though as you’ll spend so much time drying your hair just to swim again. It might be too much product…
I’m not sure I’ve helped but swimming and curls are not always easy partners. I would definitely diffuse dry after swimming and then use an oil or leave in conditioner to smooth your hair down xx
Helpful tips. It is best to saturate your hair with fresh water before you dive in. Hair that is dry will automatically absorb the salt and chlorine but hair that is already wet won’t, then also rinse hair immediately with fresh water after swimming and dry.
Thanks for sharing. It is best to saturate your hair with fresh water before you dive in. Hair that is dry will automatically absorb the salt and chlorine but hair that is already wet won’t, then also rinse hair immediately with fresh water after swimming and dry.
I wet my hair with fresh water prior to swimming and after wetting I warm a quarter sized dollop of coconut oil in my hands and spread it through my hair as evenly as I can, combing if I remembered to bring my wide tooth along to the pool:-) After swimming, I use a very small amount of shampoo and the hottest water I can stand and give my hair a good scrub. I have found that plain air drying is best for my hair(thick, mixed curls and frizz red hair) as blowdrying makes it crunchy.
Great tips Leah! Love coconut oil x
The last tip is fantastic! I will try it when I will go to swimming pool!
Thanks Elina, your hair will love you for it xx
Really useful tips from a weekly swimmers point of view- my hair hates me!! xxx
Thanks so much! The undercap treatment will totally calm your hair down and bring it back to life x
Absolutely fantastic!! I love these helpful tips! I am so going to have a spray bottle in my bag with conditioner in it, what an awesome tip.Thank you.:)
your DIY spray would be perfect for this Kat! x