Let's face it. Our hair takes a hit when we go swimming. Those with buzz cuts aren't too concerned about it because are only going to cut it off again in a short amount of time. But for other with luscious locks, it's a big deal that the hair has to suffer in the end. We come out with a nice tan but dry hair and that's just not a good look.

First off, whenever your hair gets wet, the cuticle layer (the outermost layer) of the hair swells and opens up. This allows it to take in water and other elements that may not be desirable. Well this is a good thing when you're washing your hair and conditioning it with softening agents and cleansing agents. But when you're swimming, that's a whole other ballgame. Your hair's porosity level can determine to what extent the damage will be.

At this point in time, when your cuticle layer opens up, the chlorine has the perfect opportunity to get into the cuticle layer and do some damage. Chlorine is drying enough to the skin, let alone the hair. So when it gets into the hair shaft, it dries it out as well. And then when you get out the pool, your hair dries and takes the chlorine right along with it. Your hair ends up dry with a drying chemical in it and you get dry locks and the ends look horrible.

One way you can prevent this is by shampooing your hair with warm water before you go swimming. You can leave a conditioner in it and leave it while you swim. This will fill up the hair shaft with something else as a filler (say V05 or Suave) and then it won't fill up with so much chlorine because it has nowhere to go. Afterwards, you will want to wash your hair again with a clarifying shampoo (say Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three) and leave in a conditioner. But before you rinse out your conditioner, you may wanna change the temperature over to cool (not cold unless you can take it). This will close the cuticle before you finish your process and protect your hair during the manipulation (combing or brushing) or drying process (if you're using a hair dryer).

Often times some blonds experience the issue with green hair after swimming. People with blond hair tend to lack the innermost layer in their hair shaft and lack melanin so the affects of chlorine can be a major enemy of blond hair. Using this method can also help to prevent that. If this method isn't doing enough for you, Joico and Lanza have a good chelating shampoo treatment that will rid you of those ugly colors. So go ahead and enjoy yourself at the pool, just don't forget that your skin isn't the only thing that needs protection.