Swim Moms - tangles advice

[Southern Ivy]

We take private swim 2x a week and are at the pool for open swim at least 2 more times a week, so her hair is really feeling the effects of the chlorine. This is all new territory for me, so any advice on how to best treat her hair? It tangles so easily and this isn't helping! 

[solascriptura]

It really helps to use a good swim shampoo and conditioner. It has made an enormous difference. Some try to apply products to keep the hair from absorbing the chlorine, but I just can't do that. I found it to be easier to just change the hair products around.

[catz]

lots of conditioner.  Use a pick when it is wet. 

 

Considering shorter hair isn't a bad plan for swimmers who are open to it.  Especially if they're resistant to the upkeep. 

[cera2]

Get her hair wet and work a very small amount of conditioner into it then cover with the swim cap.

[MistyMountain]

I just started using the swim shampoo and conditioner. It really keeps the hair from getting damaged and makes it easier to comb out. I comb it out when wet.

[Southern Ivy]

So what swim shampoos and conditioners do you use? 
I've considered the swim cap, but she is so picky, so I'm not sure how easily that can be accomplished - definitely going to try though!

[MistyMountain]

I use ultra swim.

[Barb_]

Ultra swim

[rebcoola]

Leave in conditioner, swim cap lycra is soft and still helps, followed by swim shampoo and conditioner.  

 

https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/ultraswim-chlorine-removal-shampoo-7oz-2674/

[Southern Ivy]

Thank you, everyone!! I appreciate it. I'll try to find some Ultra Swim today. 

[bettyandbob]

For swim caps when my Dd was young she wouldn't wear a latex cap at all. For a while she wore to caps. A Lycra cap to cover the hair and then a silicon cap. That approach may be overkill for you. Silicon caps are more expensive than latex, but they don't pull hair as much.

 

If you get a cap follow the pp rec to wet hair, work conditioner into hair and cover with cap.

[MotherGoose]

Also make sure her hair is trimmed regularly.

[Rachel]

I use Ultra Swim and a cap for my daughter. She despises the cap and won't wear it all the time. I also bought a really thick conditioner that I put on my daughter during swim season. It came in a tub and I think is intended for African American hair, but it really helped with my daughter's fine, straight, Caucasian hair.

[Barb_]

This is only hearsay and I've not googled it, so take it fwiw. I was told that chlorine wrecks hair by binding to the hair shaft. The goal isn't to soften it, but to prevent the chlorine molecules from binding to the hair in the first place. To do this, wet the hair and coat it with conditioner and comb through before swimming. If you forget and hair gets crispy, the goal is to unbind the chlorine from the hair using a clarifying shampoo like ultraswim.

[Southern Ivy]

For swim caps when my Dd was young she wouldn't wear a latex cap at all. For a while she wore to caps. A Lycra cap to cover the hair and then a silicon cap. That approach may be overkill for you. Silicon caps are more expensive than latex, but they don't pull hair as much.

 

If you get a cap follow the pp rec to wet hair, work conditioner into hair and cover with cap.

I think she's allergic to latex like her dad, so we'll probably err on the side of caution and get a silicon cap. 

[Southern Ivy]

This is only hearsay and I've not googled it, so take it fwiw. I was told that chlorine wrecks hair by binding to the hair shaft. The goal isn't to soften it, but to prevent the chlorine molecules from binding to the hair in the first place. To do this, wet the hair and coat it with conditioner and comb through before swimming. If you forget and hair gets crispy, the goal is to unbind the chlorine from the hair using a clarifying shampoo like ultraswim.

We're swimming in an hour. I'll try that today and see how it goes.