Swimming is a great way to keep fit as well as a relaxing recreational pastime. The only problem is that chlorine and sea water can wreak havoc on your hair, leaving it dry, frizzy, and more prone to breakage. In this article, we take a look at some of the best conditioners you can buy for swimmers’ hair.
The best conditioners for swimmers’ hair are ones that help to protect and rebalance the hair, remove chlorine, and provide deep moisture and detangling. Chlorine can strip the natural oils from your hair and raise the cuticle, leaving it feeling rough, frizzy, and damaged. The smell of chlorine can also cling to your locks.
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In A Hurry? Our Top Picks
| Description | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Top | Malibu C Leave-In Conditioner Mist, 9 Fl Oz | Buy on Amazon | |
 | AquaGuard Pre-Swim Hair Defense| Pump Bottle (16.9 oz) | Buy on Amazon | |
 | TRISWIM Scented Moisturizing Conditioner, Detangles, and Repairs Chlorine Damaged Hair for Swimmers and Athletes | Buy on Amazon | |
 | Carol’s Daughter Almond Milk Leave In Conditioner with Almond Milk, Aloe Butter and Shea Oil for Extremely Damaged Hair, 8 fl oz | Buy on Amazon | |
 | Ultraswim Ultra Repair Conditioner - 7 oz - 2 pk | Buy on Amazon |
Can Swimming Cause Hair Damage?
Chlorine is often added to water to remove bacteria, dirt, and oil. This makes the water at your local pool safer to swim in.
However, if you’re someone who likes to go swimming regularly, you may have found that chlorine can be damaging to your hair and skin.
Chlorine strips away your hair’s natural oils, leaving it more prone to breakage. It also raises the cuticles of the hair, making it feel dry and rough.
The smell of chlorine can also stick to the hair, and in extreme cases, chlorine can even give your hair a green tint.
Seawater can also be damaging to the hair, as the salt draws out moisture from your hair, leaving it dry and brittle.
After a day at the beach, your hair may feel tangled and frizzy, and you may even find yourself with an itchy scalp.
You should also take caution if you have recently dyed your hair. This is because swimming in chlorine or saltwater can affect how long your hair color lasts.
Ways To Protect Your Hair When Swimming
There are a few simple things you can do to help protect your hair while swimming and neutralize the effects of harmful chlorine or seawater on the hair:
Wet Your Hair Before Swimming
Your hair works like a sponge. If you wet your hair in the shower first, it will become saturated with water. This way it won’t absorb the chlorinated water from the pool as much.
This can significantly lessen the effects of harsh chlorine on the hair.
Wear A Swim Cap
A swim cap works as a physical barrier to protect your hair against chlorine and seawater. It has two more advantages too: it keeps your hair out of your face and makes you more streamlined in the pool.
Don’t Clean Your Hair Before Swimming
The natural oils in your hair and scalp help provide some protection from chlorine and saltwater. For this reason, don’t shampoo your hair before getting in the pool. Wait until after your swim is over.
Use Coconut Oil
Putting a little coconut oil in your hair before getting in the pool is a great way to help protect it. The coconut oil will serve as a natural barrier against chlorine and seawater.
Work a bit through your hair before putting on your swim cap.
Use A Leave-In Conditioner
Adding a leave-in conditioner to your hair serves a similar function to coconut oil or soaking it with water; it absorbs into the hair and smoothes the cuticle, helping to protect it from harmful chemicals.
Why The Right Conditioner For Swimmers Matters
Getting the right conditioner for swimmer’s hair is important, to deal with the unique challenges that chlorine and saltwater brings. A conditioner for swimmer’s hair should:
● Provide plenty of deep moisture
● Make your hair easier to comb through and detangle
● Protect your hair
● Reduce and remove chlorine
● Rebalance pH
There are three types of conditioners you can use for your hair. These are:
Rinse-Out Conditioner
This is the standard type of conditioner which you probably use every time you wash your hair. They work to detangle, soften and moisturize the hair. They are usually left in for two minutes or so and then rinsed out.
Deep Conditioner
These are usually used less frequently and serve as a more intense conditioning treatment to restore dry or damaged hair or to maintain the hair’s condition over time.
They are packed with oils and moisturizers and are usually left on for 10 or 20 minutes or so before being washed out.
Leave-In Conditioner
As the name suggests, these sorts of conditioners are not washed out. They are applied to damp hair after washing and help serve as a detangler.
They also continue to provide protection for the hair once dry, against heat damage, humidity, and environmental aggressors.
Also Read: Best Shampoos And Conditioners For Tangled Hair
12 Best Conditioners For Swimmers
Here is our round-up of some of the best conditioners you can buy for swimmer’s hair. This list includes wash-out, leave-in, and deep conditioners.
1. Malibu C Leave-In Conditioner Mist
This malibu c conditioner contains the key ingredient of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that can neutralize the effects of harmful chlorine in the hair.
This leave-in conditioning mist is super lightweight and does not weigh your hair down at all. The Malibu c formula detangles the hair and helps protect blonde hair from turning brassy after swimming.
The malibu c conditioner is also paraben and sulfate-free.
2. AquaGuard Pre-Swim Hair Defense
Prevent chlorine damage before it starts with this pre-treatment especially designed for regular swimmers.
It smooths and protects the hair from dryness and brittleness and maintains the health of your hair while in the water, even colored hair. It works by sealing the cuticles of your hair to stop the chlorine from getting in.
Work through damp hair before getting in the pool, paying special attention to the ends.
3. TRISWIM Scented Moisturizing Conditioner
This is an ideal conditioner for swimmer’s hair as it helps to remove chlorine and chemical odors from your locks. It also works with saltwater too.
Leaving your hair soft, shiny, and healthy, it is the perfect conditioner for swimmer’s hair, helping to leave your hair stronger and healthier with aloe vera and vitamins A, E, and B5.
4. Carol’s Daughter Almond Milk Leave-In Conditioner
Ideally suited for curly hair of all kinds, this leave-in conditioner is lightweight and will help shield your hair from chlorine’s drying effects in the pool.
The conditioner contains curl-friendly ingredients like sweet almond oil, aloe, proteins, and shea butter and reverses hair damage.
It is also great for chemically treated hair. The Carol’s Daughter Almond Milk leave-in conditioner is paraben, petroleum, and mineral oil-free.
5. Ultraswim Ultra Repair Conditioner
Suitable for all hair types, Ultraswim Ultra Repair Conditioner works to neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine. It is specially formulated to repair the outer protein layer of the hair, detangling and leaving your hair soft, silky, and healthy.
6. Ouidad Curl Immersion Triple Treat Deep Conditioner
This luxurious deep conditioner is perfect for curly hair. Working in as little as two minutes, the conditioner provides intense moisture to the hair. Contains coconut, avocado, and grapeseed oils which help to restore shine.
It will leave your hair soft and frizz-free and helps to restore your natural curl pattern.
7. Mizani Moisture Fusion Intense Moisturizing Mask
This wonderfully creamy moisturizing mask works wonders on any hair type. It is quickly absorbed by the hair and leaves no residue.
Containing cupuaçu butter, argan oil, and honey, it deeply infuses dry, damaged hair with moisture, leaving your hair looking fuller, soft, and frizz-free.
8. Ouai Treatment Masque
This deep conditioner leaves hair soft and smooth after only one use. Containing artichoke extracts, it seals the cuticles of the hair and reverses damage caused by chlorine, protecting your hair from further damage.
Suitable for daily use, especially for damaged hair. Hair feels softer after just 5 to 10 minutes.
9. Reflect Sports H2O Swim Conditioner
This salon-quality conditioner helps to heal swimmer’s hair, moisturizing, strengthening, and even promoting the growth of chlorine-damaged hair.
With rosemary, vitamin E, chamomilla flower extract, and hazel seed oil, it leaves hair shiny, silky, and smooth and even protects color-treated hair.
10. Aubrey Swimmers Conditioner
Specially designed for those who spend a lot of time at the beach or pool, Aubrey Swimmer’s Conditioner contains organic jojoba oil and quinoa protein to help reverse the drying effects of chlorine and saltwater.
With a delicious apricot and almond scent, it will help restore damaged hair and boost natural shine, leaving your hair soft and silky.
Made with 75% organic ingredients, This conditioner is also vegetarian and cruelty-free and is free from paraben, phthalate and gluten.
11. Acure Curiously Clarifying Conditioner
This clarifying conditioner helps high-performance swimmers cleanse their scalp and hair on a daily basis.
With its gentle cleansing formula, this conditioner helps to replenish moisture into your hair without stripping it of essential oils.
This conditioner is vegan as well as free from paraben, sulfate, and mineral oil.
12. Newton Bay Swimmer’s Conditioner
This conditioner was made for swimmers and restores soft and shiny hair. The formula was specifically made to combat the smell of chlorine without any harsh chemicals.
This conditioner works for swimmers with all hair types and helps to protect hair feeling dry and brittle. Use alongside the Newton bay Swimmer’s shampoo and follow up with a hair mask once a week.
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