Swimming Regimen

This summer, my daughter is on a swim team. So in addition to our frequent trips to the beach, she spends at least 3 hours a week (more on competition weeks) in highly chlorinated water. Both the chlorine and the intense sun can be very drying to hair. Fortunately, there are a variety of resources online to help create a swimming haircare regimen. Some of the ones I used are:

http://www.happygirlhair.com/2010/05/good-to-know-protect-hair-from-chlorine.html

http://www.happygirlhair.com/2010/05/good-to-know-swim-caps.html

http://thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com/2010/06/hair-care-when-swimming-tip-on-water.html

http://newlynatural.com/blog/2009/05/protecting-hair-from-swimming/

I was able to create a fairly simple routine for my daughter’s hair and so far it seems to be working. Her hair still retains moisture and is in good condition. Before she swims, I put her hair into two cornrows. I use a lot of conditioner as I braid it. Right before she gets in the water, I give it a generous spray of Kylie’s pre-swim conditioner. She also wears a swim cap most of the time which keeps a lot of water out.

After swimming, she rinses her hair and co-washes with Aubrey’s Organics swimmers conditioner. I make sure to deep condition her hair within 24 hours and re-braid or twist (with leave-in conditioner, some type of butter, and a sealant) until the next swimming session. So far, so good.