Does chlorine damage hair? Here’s how to protect your hair this swim season.

In the summer, there’s almost nothing better than a refreshing dip in the pool. It might be tempting to dive right in, hair and all, but there’s reason to believe you should think twice about this. Chlorinated water is the arch nemesis of healthy hair, and exposure can leave your hair dry and damaged. 

It’s a given that no amount of chlorine exposure is good for your hair, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sit poolside all summer. There are a few tricks that can help protect your hair while swimming, and decrease the possibility of frayed, brittle hair. 

Is chlorine bad for your hair?

Chlorine is an antimicrobial and algicidal chemical that’s often used to keep pools clean, and unfortunately, every time you submerge your hair in a chlorinated water, damage is unavoidable. When your hair comes in contact with chlorine, it strips away natural oils, frays hair cuticles, and makes “your hair more prone to external damage,” says Dr. Madalyn Nguyen, DO, a dermatology resident. All in all, chlorine exposure can leave you with dry, brittle hair if you don’t take precautionary measures, per Healthline. 

If you have dyed blonde hair, you'll face another problem: chlorine can turn your blonde hair green. It’s no myth, and truly, it’s a situation no one wants to be in. This doesn’t happen all of the time, but it can occur if the pool you’re swimming in has copper. “Chlorine actually oxidizes the copper, and then that compound attaches to the hair, and then causes it to turn green,” Nguyen explains. 

How can I stop chlorine ruining my hair?

To protect your hair from chlorine damage during the outdoor swim season, the number one thing you can do is to avoid contact with chlorine full stop, Nguyen suggests. Yes, that will mean forfeiting putting your head under the water, unless you choose to wear a swim cap. Although they may not be the most stylish, swim caps are effective at blocking exposure to chlorinated water.

More:How often should you wash your hair with shampoo? We asked the experts.

Another way to decrease the likelihood of chlorine damage is to rinse your hair with freshwater before and after getting into the pool, Nguyen says. If you think of your hair as a sponge, the more freshwater your hair absorbs before you enter the pool, the less chlorine can penetrate your hair follicles, she notes.

Before jumping into the pool, you can also try coating your hair in coconut oil, Nguyen recommends. If you think about it, oil and water don’t attract, so lining your hair with oil will deflect the chlorine water from being absorbed into your hair. 

What removes chlorine from hair?

After spending the day at the pool, you’ll want to prioritize washing the chlorine out of your hair. “The longer the chlorine is in contact with your hair, the more damage it'll cause,” Nguyen says. Try rinsing your hair with a light, mild soap in lukewarm water, she suggests. 

Also, “if you're blonde and your hair is getting green, you can use a chelating shampoo,” she says. Chelating shampoo is known to be effective at latching onto metal molecules that your hair was exposed to while swimming. In removing these harsh metals, chelating shampoo helps to prevent any unfavorable change in hair color.