Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Chlorine and Black Hair
Chlorine and relaxed hair are not friends. Relaxed hair has already been chemically treated which leaves hair more vulnerable to damage. When the hair is exposed to chlorine to long periods of time the chlorine beings to eat away at the cuticle. The result is damaged hair, split ends, and a decrease in shine. Avoid this by taking simple precautions.
1. Always rinse your hair out as soon as you hop out the pool. Luckily, my pool has an adjacent shower so I hop out and head to the shower. You'll also notice that your skin feels better when you do this too because chlorine also dries out the skin.
2. Some people wet hair and apply conditioner before even going in the water. I use to do this, but I didn't notice any difference from when I did and didn't so it's a waste of conditioner for me. Instead I like to coat my dry hair with coconut oil before heading in the pool.
3. Deep condition! Even if I plan on swimming again the next day, I will deep condition my hair after a day at the pool. There is a rule I never ever break and I think it's the most important!
Happy Swimming!