Now that we are approaching summer, you may be thinking about spending time in the sea or in a pool. Although swimming is a great summer activity, it can be bad news for your hair.
Consultant Trichologist Eva Proudman from UKhairconsultants.com has shared a few tips to help you keep your locks looking luscious and full of life over the warmer months.
Conditioning masks
Keep your hair protected by slathering on a conditioning mask before going for a swim.
“Use a protective conditioning mask before you go into the water to coat and protect the hair making it less easy for the chlorine and salt to penetrate into the hair’s core,” Eva suggests.
Alternatively, you could use coconut oil, which will “repel the water and provide protection from the drying effects”.
Wear a swimming cap
If you thought swimming caps were a thing of your primary school years, you are wrong. They are an effective and easy way to protect your hair from harmful chemicals that are often in pools.
“Hair can take on a greenish tinge after swimming in a chlorinated pool, this is due to the copper algaecides that are used to prevent algae growing in the pool water,” the expert explains.
“To avoid this problem, you can wear a swimming cap, keep your hair out of the pool water or wash the hair well immediately after you get out of the water.”
Don’t forget the aftercare
It is important to wash your hair after you swim to get rid of anything that might dehydrate or damage your hair or scalp.
Eva recommends, “Wash your hair when you come out of the pool and reapply a mask with sunscreen or your SPF protection spray.”
The consultant insists that it is important to add an SPF to your haircare routine, explaining, “The sun’s rays weaken the hair’s protein structure, cause dehydration and dryness and reduce the natural elasticity of the hair making it more prone to breakage.”
