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How Do I Choose the Best Shampoo for Swimmers?

Christina Edwards
Christina Edwards

If you swim in chlorinated water on a regular basis, your hair may become very dry or even turn green. To maintain healthy hair, you should consider choosing a specially formulated shampoo for swimmers. Many of these are very moisturizing, and they help prevent chlorine and other pool chemicals from building up on your hair. If you have green hair from swimming in a chlorinated pool, you may be able to use a purple shampoo to neutralize this unnatural color.

A variety of chemicals must usually be added to a pool, including chlorine and algaecides. These chemicals are used to help kill bacteria and algae. Unfortunately, these chemicals can also strip moisture and natural oils from the hair and skin.

Shampoos for swimmers are designed to clean hair that is regularly exposed to pool chemicals.
Shampoos for swimmers are designed to clean hair that is regularly exposed to pool chemicals.

Special shampoo for swimmers is perfect for people who swim in chemically treated pools. These shampoos are specially formulated to clean hair that is exposed to pool chemicals on a regular basis. A good shampoo for swimmers will remove and prevent any build up of chlorine and other chemicals found in the water.

Shampoo for swimmers will also usually help moisturize the hair. Many of these contain moisturizing nutrients, such as vitamins and fruit extracts. Other swimmer's hair products can also usually be found, including conditioner for swimmers.

Shampoo for swimmers will usually help moisturize the hair.
Shampoo for swimmers will usually help moisturize the hair.

Chemically treated pools can also cause your hair to turn an unnatural color. Green hair, for example, is a common problem for many swimmers, particularly those with very light blonde or gray hair. Contrary to popular belief, however, green hair is not caused by chlorine alone.

Most algaecides contain heavy metals, including copper. Dissolving these metals in chlorinated water causes them to oxidize. This oxidation process causes the metals to turn green. They can then be absorbed into the hair shaft, causing it to turn green.

Removing this green color from the hair is notoriously difficult. Some people claim baking soda can be used to remove this tint. To use baking soda, it can be mixed with either regular shampoo or shampoo for swimmers and applied to the hair. It should then be allowed to set on the hair for several minutes before being rinsed out.

Purple shampoo can also be considered a shampoo for swimmers. This unusual type of shampoo has mild purple dye in it that can help make yellow, brassy, or green hair less noticeable. You should not use this shampoo daily, however, since it can cause your hair to turn purple instead of green.

Discussion Comments

lighth0se33

You can get away with only using a swimmers' shampoo once a week or even once every two weeks if you put a protective coating on your hair before jumping into the water. I have found that using conditioner before swimming keeps most of the damaging chemicals out.

I use a spray bottle filled with water to dampen my hair, and then I coat it from root to tip with conditioner. It doesn't matter if you use the leave-in kind or the rinse-out kind, as long as you cover your entire head with it.

Some people prefer to use a spray-on leave-in conditioner, simply because it is easier to apply, and you can skip the step where you wet your hair first. Since the conditioner comes out as a fluid mist, it both dampens and saturates your hair, and it is just as effective as the creamy kind when it comes to keeping the chemicals out of your hair follicles.

shell4life

I use a swimmers' shampoo that gets all the pool residue out of my hair. It's not a purple shampoo, so I can use it every day.

It smells a lot like an intense perfume. I think that maybe the ingredients are so powerful that they have to be counteracted with a strong, pleasing aroma, or otherwise, the shampoo might smell horrible.

It does give me a pretty intense cleansing, so I have to balance that with a good conditioner. I like to use a leave-in conditioning cream, because it keeps on giving me moisture throughout the day.

Perdido

@orangey03 – I think that baking soda is meant just to sit on the hair and soak into it rather than being lathered around. My friend uses a paste she makes herself from baking soda and mashed up tomato, and she doesn't try to lather it up.

She takes the skin off of a tomato and pummels it with a meat tenderizer. Then, she adds some baking soda and mashes it around until it is all combined.

She puts this paste on her wet hair and bags it up with plastic wrap for half an hour. Then, she rinses it all out.

This might sound like a lot of work to be doing every night after a swim, but if you buy a bunch of tomatoes and mix up a large amount of paste all at once, you can refrigerate it and keep it on hand. Then, you only have to mix it up about once a week.

orangey03

Has anyone here ever tried using baking soda on your hair? I have used it as a natural toothpaste before, and it was very abrasive. I can't imagine putting something this rough on my hair!

I was just curious, because I am always looking for more natural ways to get the chemicals out of my hair. I have a pool, so I am in it every day in the summer. Since my hair is golden brown, it does take on a slightly green tint.

I use a purple shampoo, but I can only use it once a week. I'm looking for something that I can use on a daily basis.

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    • Shampoos for swimmers are designed to clean hair that is regularly exposed to pool chemicals.
      By: esp2k
      Shampoos for swimmers are designed to clean hair that is regularly exposed to pool chemicals.
    • Shampoo for swimmers will usually help moisturize the hair.
      By: Africa Studio
      Shampoo for swimmers will usually help moisturize the hair.