5 Essential summer hair tips to protect your hair from the pool
As a mom, can I just say I love taking my kids swimming. Why, you ask? Because it wears them out and usually means they nap! Hahahahaha - or should that be muhahaha? Either way, the one thing I don’t love about taking my kids swimming is that my hair feels super gross afterwards! I am not the mom laying out in the sun working on my tan - mostly because I don’t tan, I burn - instead I’m the mom in the water making sure no one drowns. It’s nearly impossible to keep my hair dry when I’m swimming with my kids, so this year I’ve decided to embrace my pool hair instead of being upset about it.
Unfortunately, pool water can dry your hair out, mess up your coloring - you blondes know what I’m talking about - and it can even cause your hair to fall out faster! While I want to embrace my hair in every stage, I don’t want to fall victim to unhealthy hair. Instead of letting these things happen, I’ve found 5 tips to protect your hair from the pool - or splash pad - this summer!
Protect hair from absorbing too much pool water
Pool water presents a few issues for your hair. First and foremost, chlorine can really take a toll on your hair. In order to protect your hair from chlorine, you’ll want to avoid having your hair absorb too much pool water. One of the best ways to protect your hair from absorbing too much chlorine, is to get it wet before you hop in the pool. Who knew those pool rules to shower before you got in were actually helpful? Your hair can only hold so much water and if you soak your hair with clean water it won’t be able to absorb pool water.
I also recommend using a leave-in conditioner on your hair before you get into the pool. It gives you another layer of protection because it will keep your hair moisturized which will make it harder for chlorine to absorb into your hair! (This leave-in-conditioner also protects your hair from UV rays so it’s a double whammy!)
Both of these tips will help keep your hair from drying out and from falling out.
Get excess water out of your hair before you head home
You don’t want to let your hair dry while it’s full of chemicals from the pool. We’ll talk more about what is left on your hair after a dip in the pool further on, but can we all agree, that we don’t like the way our hair feels after we swim?
To combat that feeling, I spray my hair down with detangler once I’m out of the pool and before I head home! I use the Monat Jr. detangler because it has olive oil in it and the olive oil pushes excess water out of your hair. The olive oil also helps to moisturize your hair! It’s a win-win. If you don’t want to use the Monat Jr. detangler, just search for any detangler with olive oil in it. Not all detanglers are made the same and you need that ingredient to get the most out of it. Of course, using any detangler before you brush wet hair will help prevent breakage, so it’s better to use something than nothing!
Use a clarifying shampoo when you wash
I had not really heard of a clarifying shampoo before I got into the hair care industry, but I am so glad I found it! Clarifying shampoos are the perfect post-pool shampoo because a clarifying shampoo removes build up and additives from your hair. It purifies the hair, which is a great way to remove any chlorine that soaked into your hair while you were swimming.
They key with a clarifying shampoo is that you don’t want to use it every time you wash your hair. You only need to use it once in a while or it will strip essential oils from your hair. I would only use the clarifying shampoo once a week. Use your normal shampoo for the other washes. Or, if you wash your hair twice, which you should (you can read about why in my hair routine post) - then use it for your first wash and use your regular shampoo for your second wash. I did this and I could not believe how amazingly soft my hair was!
One of my favorite clarifying shampoos is the Micellar Smoothing Shampoo. Unfortunately, it’s not available to purchase but Rebekah Anne VIP customers can get it for free this month when they place an order! If you have any questions about it or the VIP program, shoot me a message!
Rehydrate & Moisturize your hair
Exposing your hair to chlorine will cause dry and dehydrated hair, so it’s important that you add moisture and hydration back to your tresses. There is a difference between moisture and hydration! Moisture refers to the oils in your hair or skin. Whereas, hydration refers to the amount of water in your hair or skin.
Think of it this way, if your skin is dry, do you put lotion on or do you soak it in water? If you're dehydrated do you drink a tall glass of oil or water? It's the same for your hair! If your hair is dry, it needs oil to lock the water in your hair, but if it's dehydrated it needs water to plump and hydrate your hair!I like to do rehydrate my hair by using a masque. Masques are basically deep conditioning treatments but there are different formulas to address different issues.
The Heavenly Hydration Masque is a great and simple way to rehydrate your hair! It’s like giving your hair a big drink of water and can penetrate the hair shaft to hydrate it from the inside out. If you’re experiencing dryness rather than dehydration, try the Super Moisture Masque. As the name implies, it will moisturize the hair and will leave your hair soft, silky and shiny!
Protect color-treated hair
If you color treat your hair, then you know that pools have a tendency to strip your hair of color, or even worse turn it green! Yikes!
To protect your color from turning brassy or fading quickly, use the tips from #1 but add a color enhancing shampoo and conditioner into your routine. Color enhancing shampoos will help keep your color vibrant between salon visits. It’s especially important to use when you’re subjecting your hair to pools often - think 3+ times a week - because you’re putting more stress on that color. Color enhancing shampoos aren’t just for platinum blondes! You can get them for hair with yellow tones or brown tones as well!
It’s safe for color-treated hair to use a clarifying shampoo, but make sure that you do so sparingly! You don’t want it to start stripping the color. I would suggest using a stronger shampoo like the Black 2-in-1 more often because it will help keep brassy tones at bay without stripping as much away as a clarifying shampoo.
Not-so-fun fact: Chlorine doesn’t turn your hair green! When the chlorine interacts with the metal pipes in the pool, it chips little metal flakes away, getting in the water and they end up attaching to your hair, which turns it green! Isn’t that insane!
To avoid that, rinse your hair with warm water after you swim. Make sure you do this immediately afterwards, especially if you have to drive home and your hair will dry on the way. Rinsing it is the first step to getting rid of the metals. Once you’re home wash and condition your hair. If you remember before you get in the pool, spray the Monat Jr. detangler on your hair to prevent metal from sticking to it! You can also lightly coat your hair with olive oil and have the same effect!
I hope these tips help you keep your hair healthy this summer. Will you do me a favor and let me know which tip was the most helpful to you? Leave me a comment or head over to Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation there!
