Hair Protection For Swimmers

Everything You Need to Know About Swimming and Your Hair

With self-care more important than ever, hobbies, such as swimming, have become incredibly popular. Whether that’s taking a dip in a lake, braving the ocean or doing a few lengths in a pool, swimming is an amazing way to clear your mind and keep you active.

But when it comes to your hair health, swimming can present a few issues. With the ocean comes salt, and in a swimming pool your hair has to deal with chlorine. And what do these two things have in common? They leach moisture out of your hair, leaving it straw-like and brittle. But before you throw in the towel (literally), here’s everything you need to know about how swimming affects your hair, and how to protect your hair from that damage (hint: it’s as simple as using the right products…).

How to minimize chlorine absorption on your hair

Not a fan of swim caps? The key to protecting your hair in a swimming pool is to reduce the amount of chlorine it absorbs. One solution is to saturate your hair with non-chlorinated water first, minimizing the amount of chlorine absorbed once you’re in the pool. It’s worth noting that tap water does contain traces of chlorine, but nowhere near as much as swimming-pool water. But even the purest water swells the hair’s inner cortex, raising the cuticles and making your strands weaker and more susceptible to breakage (an argument for not over-washing your hair).

So, what’s the answer? Products that reinforce the hair’s protective layer, creating a moisturizing barrier. Nexxus Prep & Protect Leave-in Spray can be applied to damp or dry hair, coating each strand with a protective seal that keeps hair aggressors out and moisture locked in. In fact, the entire Weightless Styling collection is infused with this unique PROTEINFUSION blend, because who doesn’t want effective styling products that double up as hair protectants?

How to replenish lost moisture in hair

Prepping your hair before you enter the water is one thing, but gently removing any chemical build-up afterwards is just as important. Therappe Ultimate Moisture Shampoo contains a PROTEINFUSION blend with green caviar and elastin protein, which delivers deep hydration while restoring the hair’s protective barrier. For best results, follow with the Humectress Ultimate Moisture Conditioner, which smoothes raised cuticles that can leave hair feeling rough and looking dull, as well as future-proofing from further breakage.

Treating split ends after salt-water swimming

The ocean’s high salt levels make it osmotic, meaning it draws out the hair’s natural moisture reserves. Dehydrated hair is notoriously difficult to manage (have you ever tried to get a comb through yours after a salt-water swim?). As well as leaving locks parched, brittle, and more prone to split ends, salt also has an abrasive quality, which can rough up the hair’s protective lipid layer and leave it more vulnerable to protein loss and color fade.

Every Nexxus collection contains a unique PROTEINFUSION blend that delivers a customized approach to protein-powered hair repair. The Keraphix collection is infused with keratin protein (90% of our hair is made of it) and black rice (in Chinese tradition, fermented rice water has been used for thousands of years to strengthen hair). Whether you have color-treated hair, split ends or damage from heat styling, there’s a product designed to give your hair the love it needs - it’s the perfect collection to repair damaged hair. Investing in both a shower and styling routine that protects as well as it restores means you’ll never have to choose between activities that make you happy, and your hair happy.