Summer is (almost) here! Which means that school is nearly finished, and pools are beginning to reopen. I don’t know about you, but me and my household are ready.
This year is the first year we’ve signed up for the town pool so I’m already anticipating that we’ll be making the trek for a dip whenever the opportunity presents itself. To prepare, I immediately started digging through bins full of summer gear in my attic (because I have yet to switch over our wardrobe from Winter) to find swimsuits. The next thing I did was to worry about my girls’ hair.
We are at the beginning of our journey to healthy hair, so I am still learning the ins and outs of how to best care of each of our heads of hair. This led me to wonder what exactly could happen to our hair after prolonged contact with chlorine.
Chlorine, a seemingly innocuous element found in swimming pools, can wreak havoc on the delicate strands of natural hair. The harsh chemical properties of chlorine can strip the hair of its natural oils, leaving it dry, brittle, and prone to breakage. The below is what I learned…
Facts and Figures About Chlorine
Chlorine is among one of the highest volume-produced chemicals in the United States and is commonly used for commercial applications and household cleaning products.
When you say the word chlorine, your mind may immediately think of the beautiful blue pools you enjoy on a hot summer day, but chlorine has many other uses as well. This yellow-green gas is used to disinfect water for sewage and other commercial applications, as a bleaching agent for paper and cloth, as a cleaning product when dissolved in water, and for preparing chlorides, chlorinated solvents, pesticides, polymers, synthetic rubbers, and refrigerants.
According to The National WWI Museum and Memorial, Chlorine was the first effective use of poison gas in World War I. The Germans were the first to successfully weaponize chlorine against the French north of Ypres causing soldiers to drop and convulse before asphyxiating. Luckily, at low levels chlorine is only irritating to skin, throat, or eyes. However, if inhaled or ingested in large amounts damage caused can be severe or even fatal.
Chlorine and Your Hair
Chlorine has a lot of uses that impact our lives positively; however, it’s important to remember that we’re dealing with a chemical that has the potential to do damage.
When our hair comes in contact with chlorine, it can penetrate the hair shaft, causing the cuticles to swell and become rough. This leads to tangles, frizz, and an overall lackluster appearance. Additionally, chlorine can disrupt the pH balance of the scalp, leading to irritation and dandruff.
Steps to Protect Your Hair
Before jumping in the pool, thoroughly saturate your hair with clean water so that the hair is unable to soak up any of the chlorinated water. Oils can also be used to achieve the same result. Apply coconut oil or something similar then wet hair to protect it from the chlorine.
Alternatively, you can use a swim cap. It’s important to note that swim caps don’t completely keep your hair from getting wet. When I use caps, I wet the perimeter of my hair, which is the part of my head most likely to get wet when in the pool. If you use a cap and experience wetness over a larger area of your hair, take note, and ensure you saturate enough hair the next time you swim.
After swimming, rinse then wash your hair thoroughly with a quality shampoo and conditioner to remove any residual chlorine.
Effects of Chlorine Exposure Long-Term
Repeated exposure to chlorine can result in significant damage to natural hair, including increased porosity, loss of elasticity, and color fading. Over time, the hair may become weak, dull, and more prone to breakage. As noted above, swim caps and appropriate prep can decrease exposure and reduce the possibility of damage.
Chlorine is useful and necessary in many applications, but it can also be harmful. Take steps to keep yourself healthy so you can keep living your best life.
Further Reading
- https://www.njpies.org/chlorine/
- https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/chlorine_tech.htm
- https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/spotlight-first-usage-poison-gas