Chlorine Question for stylist or anyone who knows

Hi Angelpog,

I can tell you something from my own experience with our swimming pool.

We bought this house with a lovely inground pool where we had to chlorinate it as usual. As the weather got hotter we had to use more and more chlorine because algae loves heat and grows more in warmer months.

I had the same question for my hair stylist who I`ve been going to forever. She is very knowledgable about hair (goes to hair shows all over the country every 3 months, etc.) Anyway, she said that chlorine is one of the absolutely worst things for your hair because it dries it out terribly. If you have color on your hair it will dull it quickly too.

Here was my hairdresser`s solution (and it worked wonderfully for me):

Before you let your hair get wet with chlorinated water, wet it with regular water first. This is because your hair is like a sponge and will soak up whatever liquid touches it. You want it to be completely saturated with "good" water first... that way it will be so saturated it can`t really soak up much, if any chlorinated water. I usually wet my hair with the water sprinkler or hose before going into the pool. Worked out fine. But, if your hair starts to dry out, like on the top when the sun is shining, you need to wet it again with the good water before dunking in the pool again. I usually kept some plastic bottles of water at poolside which I continually kept filled with good water. I also tried to wet my hair with good water before putting on my swimming cap. I used the cap when I planned on swimming a lot. Another thing my hairdresser suggested was to use a product made by "Sebastian" called "Potion 7" before going out into the sun. It`s a conditioning treatment which is heat activated. My hair would soak up the Potion 7 first and the sun would activate it. My hair really loved it. I didn`t use it every day because you`re only supposed to use it once every 7 to 10 days. I highly recommend it. (By the way, my hair is straight, rather fine and of medium thickness.

I hope this information has been helpful to you. Ask your own hairdresser for recommendations for your hair, of course. Good luck and enjoy your pool this year!!!

Warmly,
Anaclaire

I am a certified Pool Operator, and I can tell you that Chlorine is horrible to hair. However, conditioner can cloud up the pool. A swim cap is best for both your hair and the pool. If you won't wear a cap, a clarifier in the pool will help. I, of course, recommend HTH brand Clarifier. I'm sitting here at work answering the phone talking to people about their pools. At least I can play on the internet when I'm not busy.