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Howdy!
This site is FANTASTIC! I finally feel that I'm not alone anymore!
Anyhow.... This past summer, I cut my hair (boo hiss), it had been
down to the middle of my back. But I swim a great deal, and
swimming caps do nothing but break your hair, while the pool water
does all it can to damage your hair. I had what seemed to be a
great deal of damaged hair, so I got it cut. Now, I want to prevent
or at least be able to treat split ends while I grow my hair back.
Is there a FAQ list somewhere to help out with tips/preventative
maintenance? I would really appreciate any help that will give
me a very successful head of long hair! Oh yeah, giving up swimming,
really isn't an option either. Thanks in advance!!!!
Mark
Mark, your post has reminded me just how much I miss my regular pool workouts! I've had long hair for many years though, and I'll tell you the secret to long hair and pools. First of all if your hair is very long at all, shoulder length or better, you really need a cap, especially if you're swimming for any kind of speed. But the key is to wet the hair BEFORE you put on the cap, (unchlorinated water, from the showers in the locker room) dry hair is a real pain and yes, it gets all tangled up with the latex, but wet hair works great, and the real secret is to put a big handful of conditioner on your hair too. The wet hair is already hydrated and so the chlorinated water can't soak into it as much, then the conditioner makes a nice slick surface to repel even more pool water. As long as you're wearing the cap the conditioner won't get into the pool and your hair won't suffer from regular swims. Consider it a perfect way to do a deep conditioning treatment. When you come out of the pool just rinse it out, or wash and condition as usual. It always worked for me! Good luck!
Best wishes to all!
Dawn
I am a masters swimmer, and do a minimum of 3 pool workouts
each week. In the swimming magazines, I have read statements
by Janet Evans and other competitive swimmers (both female
and male) about the necessity of wearing a cap, and using
a good shampoo and conditioner afterwards. I have taken
their advice, and everything seems to be working O.K.
After using the conditioner, I always end each shower with
a cold water hair rinsing. My black hair is growing, and
down to my shoulder blades. Have been growing it (starting
out with a buzz cut) since March 1996.
--Loren