Skin and Hair Care for Swimmers

Introduction
This blog  talks about tips and tricks for protecting your skin and hair from chlorine damage when swimming. I talk through my own routine and how I prepare myself, what I do during my swim and how I get rid of any lingering chlorine when I’m done!  There are some fairly common products and tips and a couple of unusual ones that will help you protect your coloured hair from turning green!

Pre Swim Beauty Regime
To begin, my routine before I swim. I always take a quick shower before entering the pool to hydrate the top layer of my skin and wet my hair which prevents it from soaking up chemicals in the water and helps fight against chemical damage. A great tip for those of you with blonde or coloured hair, is to use coconut oil to prevent the chlorine turning your hair green! It hydrates the hair cuticle with a layer of moisturiser that seals and blocks the chlorine effecting your hair colour. If like me your skin is sensitive to chlorine, you can buy chlorine neutralising body lotion and use this in your pre dip shower! Some swimmers may find that areas of the body chafe throughout their workout, this may be the inner thighs due to the amount of work your legs do during your swim. A good tip is to apply petroleum jelly to these areas prior to your swim to ease the irritation and avoid damage to the skin.

Swimming Workout
Now, I’m ready to dive in! It is important to me to get the most out of my swim, as I have to take a lot of care protecting my hair and skin from the chlorine, my swim has to be worth it! I find doing lengths for 45 minutes gets rather boring, so I make sure I switch it up and use tools to make it harder and ultimately work myself harder! I enjoy using resistance gloves, you can feel the effect they have whilst you’re swimming, so you know they are working! I tend to do 6 lengths with the gloves and then change it up. I then use my kickboard which is a great tool because it helps me work certain areas of my body harder, depending  on the stroke. Again I will do about 6 lengths per stroke with the kickboard so in total I manage around 30! For my first set of lengths I stick to a traditional kick, so swimming with the kickboard in front of me, this works on strengthening my quadriceps and hamstrings. Next, I do a breast stroke, this move is quite tough and you can really feel the burn in your thighs after a length or two! To ease it up I then do the back kick, which is a lot more relaxing! Similar to the traditional kick, lying on my back with the kickboard above my head. Finally I do a side kick, only 3 lengths for this move and then 3 lengths on the other side, to make sure both sides work evenly!

During My Swim
During my swim I always take a bottle of water to leave at the edge of the pool. It is very important to stay hydrated, just as you would doing any other sport! If you are dehydrated your skin is more likely to be damaged by the chlorine, so keeping refreshed and having a sip of water every couple of lengths is an easy and effective way to protect your skin from drying up.

Post Swim Beauty Regime
Once I leave the pool the next step of my beauty regime commences! I make sure I have a thorough shower for several minutes to allow the fresh water to wash away as much chlorine as possible. I use aqueous cream to wash my body as it is neutralising and gentle on my skin. Other lotions that are lanolin based or contain aloe vera, I also find are good for the skin after swimming. I wash my hair with a clarifying shampoo that contains EDTA to make sure there is no chemical residue remaining in my hair. A handy tip is that apple cider vinegar is a natural remedy to remove residue in your hair, although I have never taken this to my local swimming baths! Finally, I always condition my hair after washing to leave it soft and shiny!

Drying Tips
Now, I’m out of the pool, out of the shower and it’s almost time to get dressed! For some reason whenever we go swimming it seems impossible to fully dry ourselves before trying to slip back into our clothes! So, I always take talcum powder with me and apply it to the areas that need it most, usually my feet and upper body! This seems to work wonders every time and makes it much easier to get dressed! My final step is to apply a moisturiser to rehydrate my skin and leave it feeling smooth!

Washing
Once I arrive home from my swim I like to get my costume washed straight away and get rid of any residing chlorine! Giving  your swimwear a thorough wash as soon as you can helps them last longer as well as removing the chlorine ready for next time you put it on!

Conclusion
So, there are lots of handy tips to help protect yourself from chlorine damage, however if you’re short for time you could always pop on a swimming cap! Looking after your skin is important and if you are a regular swimmer it is a good tip to follow a similar regime throughout the week, so your skin is always prepared. The more sensitive your skin is the more precautions you need to take, so as well as the tips in my blog you could also check out similar blogs or sensitive skin related blogs that may talk about more specific products that could really improve your skin!