How to Protect Your Hair Before Swimming in Pools or the Sea

Here's the thing about hair and water: dry hair is a sponge. Jump into a pool with dry hair and it drinks chlorinated water deep into each strand. That's why swimmers' hair turns brittle, matted and — for blondes — occasionally green. The fix is to fill the sponge with something better first.

The pre-swim routine

• 1. Saturate with clean water. Wet your hair thoroughly before you get in. Hair full of clean water absorbs far less pool or sea water.
• 2. Apply a protectant. A dedicated pre-swim protector coats each strand so chlorine and salt can't bind to it. Apply to mid-lengths and ends 10 minutes before swimming — or hours ahead. In our consumer survey, 94% said hair felt silkier after swimming and 88% brushed through with no knots.
• 3. Cap if you're serious. Over the protectant, a swim cap is the belt-and-braces option for frequent swimmers.

After the swim

Rinse as soon as you're out — don't let chlorine or salt dry into the hair. Towel-dry gently, reapply a small amount of protectant as a leave-in, and comb through from ends to roots.

The step most people miss

Your post-swim rinse is only as good as the water you rinse with. Rinsing chlorinated pool water off with chlorinated shower water is half a fix. A shower filter closes the loop — up to 99% of chlorine removed from every rinse and wash. More on that in how chlorine damages hair.

Swim season in Lebanon and the Gulf is long. Protect accordingly.