Cooling off in a pool may sound like the best way to beat the heat, relax or just have fun with your gang. Though exciting, your skin and hair have to bear the brunt. Swimming is a good exercise and you definitely have to go for it, but before you take the dive, prep up your skin and hair.
Swimming pool water has chlorine added to it as a preventive measure against virus, bacteria and protozoa which might breed in the pool water giving rise to diseases. Chlorine also helps to keep pools clean from debris. It is due to the presence of chlorine that you feel itchy after a swim. Sometimes you even have redness in the eyes and dryness on the skin. Regular swimmers face also face other skin problems like skin rash, irritation, tanning etc. Chlorine tends to strip hair of its natural oil called sebum, leading to dryness, split ends and brittle hair. Hair sometimes acquires a greenish tinge due to chlorinated water. This is more noticeable in blonde and light haired people.
Swimmers need not get disheartened by these after effects of an energetic swim session. Pack your swim bag with essentials like sunscreen, best natural body wash, moisturiser, swim wear, towel and you are ready to go!
The following tips will help you to combat the havoc caused by pool water.
- Before making for the splash, apply some barrier cream on your skin to minimize redness and itching. Select products with ingredients like glycerine or petroleum for good results. These moisturisers will create a barrier between your skin and chlorine water. If swimming outdoors, apply a sunscreen to prevent tanning of skin. A waterproof sunscreen will form a barrier as well as protect skin from sun damage and aging prematurely. It is important to note that some pools do not allow swimmers to wear moisturisers before entering the pool. Hence you need to check with the pool regulations.
- Apply conditioner or oil on your hair before swimming. The oil forms a barrier between hair and water protecting it from getting damaged.
- Wear a swim cap to so that your hair has minimum contact with chlorinated water.
- Pool rules ask us to take a shower before entering the pool. What’s even more important is to take a shower immediately after a swim. Waiting to take a shower until after reaching home will give the irritants more time to harm the skin and hair. Rinse off immediately and clean your body with a natural body wash.Do not use hot water as it may dry the skin further. Shower with cool- to -warm water.
- Reapply moisturiser to combat dryness and maintain the pH of the skin.
- It is not advisable to air dry hair and skin after the post swim shower. This will cause more dryness. Instead use a cotton towel to dry yourself.
- Keep sipping water in between the swim to keep yourself from getting dehydrated. Drinking water aids in purifying skin and also helps in flushing out toxins from the body, one of which might be chlorine.
