If you want to know how to protect hair from chlorine without giving up your favorite summer activities, you’re in the right place! No need to worry about your tresses while you’re enjoying your pool time. You can take a dip in the water while keeping your hair (and your extensions) healthy and damage-free.
Our hair experts at Big Kizzy are here to help! First, we’ll go over how to protect hair from swimming pool water before you dive in. Then we’ll cover the best way to protect hair from chlorine after your swim. Our tips work for both extensions and natural hair, so you’ll have stunning strands all season long. Now, let’s have some poolside fun!
Why Chlorine Is Harsh on Hair (and Extensions)
Before we get into the how-to, it helps to understand why chlorine causes so many hair issues in the first place. Chlorine is designed to kill bacteria in pool water, but that same chemical strength can strip natural oils from your hair, leaving it dry, brittle, and more prone to breakage.
For those with hair extensi ons, chlorine exposure can also weaken the bonds and adhesives holding everything together. Lighter shades are especially susceptible to discoloration and that dreaded greenish tint. Once you’re aware of these risks, learning how to protect hair from chlorine becomes a lot more straightforward.
How to Protect Hair from Swimming Pool Water
The best way to protect hair from chlorine starts before you even step foot in the pool. You can make those plans to go swimming as the temperature rises! We’ll give you our best advice on how to protect hair from chlorine pool water with a little prep beforehand.
Here’s how to protect hair from chlorine at the pool:
Wet Your Hair First
If you want to learn how to protect hair from chlorine when swimming, this is a quick, easy step to add to your routine. Start by thoroughly wetting your hair with fresh, clean water. Hair acts a bit like a sponge, so if it’s already saturated with clean water, there’s less room left to soak up chlorinated water once you’re in the pool.
Nourish Your Strands
Apply a lightweight hair oil to create a protective barrier between your locks and the pool water. Thairapy™ Hair Repair Oil works well for this step since it coats the hair without weighing it down, helping to seal the cuticle and limit how much chlorine actually reaches your strands. This plays a big role in how to protect hair from chlorine pool exposure if you’re wearing extensions.
Wear a Swim Cap
Wearing a swim cap is one of the most effective ways to protect your hair if you’re swimming laps or spending extended time underwater. It creates a barrier that keeps chlorinated water away from your hair entirely, which is especially helpful for extension wearers who want to protect their bonds and tape.
Keep Hair Pulled Up and Out of the Water
If a cap isn’t your style, try keeping your hair pulled up and away from the water as much as possible, only fully submerging when you need to. For extension wearers, this also helps reduce tangling that can happen when wet hair repeatedly rubs against tape, bonds, or wefts when swimming.
Rinse Your Hair Right After Swimming
If you decide to get your hair wet in the pool, rinse it thoroughly with fresh water when you get out. This way, you can wash away chlorine and other pool chemicals before they have a chance to dry into your strands.
Wash with Extension-Safe Products
Once you’re home, follow up with a sulfate-free shampoo and nourishing conditioner that’s safe for extensions, like our F.A.T.T. Shampoo and Conditioner. These help remove any leftover chlorine residue while replenishing the moisture your hair lost during your swim.
Together, these small adjustments make it easy to put into practice how to protect hair in chlorine, even during long days at the pool.
Everything You Need for Healthy Hair All Summer
Now that you know how to protect hair from chlorine, you don’t have to skip the pool! Our tips will help you protect your hair from chlorine all summer long, no matter what type of extensions you wear (or if you’re working with all-natural hair). Let’s make this your best hair summer yet!
For those who wear extensions, Big Kizzy has a full collection of products for every part of your extension journey. We have all the essentials, from application tape and tools to removers and accessories for all the most popular extension methods. Head over to our website to stock up on everything you need to keep your hair looking its best, in and out of the pool.