Chlorine and summer hair

Summer is in full swing and kids are outside playing in the pool and having fun in the sun. But where there are pool parties you will almost always find chlorine. Chlorine is still one of the most common chemicals found in public and private pools, spas, and other fun water features. While the amount of chlorine is safe to play in on a hot day, it can still do a number on our hair if we aren't prepared. And, considering how long and often your kiddo will be splashing around, this is doubly true for kids. Fortunately, this is not a new problem and there are many ways to help prevent damage.

How chlorine can damage hair

The chlorine in pools can have damaging effects on hair. The high levels of chlorination can strip natural oils from hair. This creating dryness, making it more difficult to manage. In lighter hair chlorine has also been known to cause a sort of green staining. This happens when chlorine reacts with copper in the water and forms a film on the hair. The dryness, loss of oils, and long hours in the sun can make hair damage a real hassle real quick.

Protective measures against chlorine

Lucky for us there are simple protective measures that can be taken to avoid damaged hair without avoiding any of the fun:

• If your kiddo doesn't mind a swim cap, it can go a long way to help protect the hair, but that often isn't a solution most kids are happy with.
• Wetting your child's hair with clean water before hopping in the pool is an old trick, that may or may not help by slowing the speed at which the chlorine can soak into the hair.
• One measure used by many swimmers, is to use a chelating shampoo, after spending time in the water. This type of shampoo does some cool chemistry to remove built-up junk in your hair more effectively than most traditional shampoos. Many blond swimmers swear by this in order to keep the green out of their hair.
• Even just giving a good shampoo and using a repairing conditioner can help to greatly reduce the damage caused by the pool and the sun.
• We recommend the Fairy Tales: sun and swim Lifeguard clarifying shampoo and Lemon-Aid conditioner, to help revitalize summer hair damage and keep your child's hair happy and healthy!

Unfortunately even with these measures it is very difficult to survive the summer with completely undamaged hair, but that is where we come in. If your kids hair is getting very damaged or you just want to help keep it at bay, our stylist will be happy to give your child a haircut, and you a routine, that will really help keep the haircare headaches to a minimum this pool season.

We are happy to see this summer starting of in a great way, and as always if you have any questions, comments, or just want to say hi. Feel free to reach out!