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Are there any swimmers in here?? I swim in a normally chlorinated pool every day, and I'm often in the Ocean. So, basically every single day I'm in a body of water that either contains chlorine or salt water.
I know for a fact that chlorine is awful for your hair, and I don't imagine salt water is good either (though I can't imagine it worse than chlorine).
When I swim in a chlorinated pool, I wear a swim cap. But realistically, the chlorinated water still gets to my "covered" hair. When I immediately get out of the pool, I rinse my hair in a fresh water shower. Then I go home and shampoo/condition it.
My question is, what can I do extra to minimize the Chlorine (especially) and salt water effects on hair?
Sounds to me that what you're already doing should do the trick.
Frodo
Shark...
I swim in a chlorinated pool every morning before work. I've been growing my hair for about one year now. First, continue with the swim cap, very important. Secondly, wet your hair thoroughly with shower/tap water before getting in the pool. Your hair is like a sponge, and will absorb less of the chlorinated water if it is already wet (tap water contains much less chlorine). Finally, wash your hair well after swimming as you are doing. You may also want to try a little conditioner in your hair prior to swimming, however that can leave little "oil slicks" floating on the water and that may not go over to well.
As a side note, my hair is very curly/wavy, so it tends to dry easily. Therefore, I do conditioner only washes (no sulfate shampoos) with Suave coconut conditioner. It contains EDTA, a chemical that actually binds with and removes chlorine. I hope this helps!
Kenny B
Sounds like chlorine has been covered. I would like to address salt water. I've been a scuba diver for most of my life and have been growing my hair for more than half a decade, so I can say with some certainty that while ocean salt water is not good to drink because it's bad for the kidneys, it happens to be exactly the same pH and salinity as our bodies, especially our blood and tears. Ocean water should not be bad for your hair, but you should consider your location and the possible contaminants that it may otherwise contain.