How to remove Chlorine from skin after swimming?

Chlorine added to the pool water basically opens the pores in your skin then releases hypochlorous acid which removes the natural oils. This leads to dry, itchy, and irritated skin which can also damage your hair follicles. This could lead to loss of hair if you continuously swim and don’t take steps to protect your hair. In some resorts, you can find a chemical free swimming this also could cause a slight green tint in your hair if your hair contains chemicals that may react to the copper ions in the pool.

Holiday preparation

We spend lots of time and money getting ready for our holidays and wanting to look good around the pool. So protecting your hair and making sure it does not go dry, fizzy or turn green on the first day of your holiday you need to do the following before you jump into the swimming pool to reduce chlorine damage.

1. Wet your hair: If you wet your hair prior to getting into the pool this will prevent some chlorine from being absorbed into your hair. Just get under a poolside shower it may be cold but worth it.
2. Wear a swimming cap: This is an obvious way of protecting your hair, the chlorine finds it very difficult to get through rubber or plastic. Make sure the cap is fitted well and you don’t have any gaps. It is worth wetting your hair first, as mentioned above.
3. Apply hair conditioner: This is better to use when wearing a swimming cap. Simply rub a little hair conditioner into your hair to have a soapy barrier to protect your hair from the Chlorine.
4. Apply coconut oil: Like using a hair conditioner if you apply some coconut oil or similar oil on your hair then wear a swimming cap this will also protect your hair from the chlorine attacking your hair.

If the above procedure is just not practical and you don’t have enough time, at least wash your body with soap and hot water before and after swimming. It will eradicate the chlorine from your skin and that strong smell of chlorimides.

You can try and repair the damaged har caused by the chlorine in the three following ways, the damage doesn’t have to be permanent and your hair will go back to it’s soft feel in no time at all.

After you leave the swimming pool

Rinse your hair immediately when you come out of the swimming pool. Don’t let the chlorine sit in your hair and this goes for using salt in your pool from a salt water chlorinator and other sanitizing systems. Believe it or not, laying in the sunshine will dry your hair but not quick enough, any chlorine left in your hair will evaporate due to the sun evaporating it . If you are still worried about any chlorine left in your hair just wash it out in a pool side shower with shampoo and conditioner.

Comb or brush your hair after drying your hair when you get out of the pool . If possible use a wide toothed comb or hair brush and gently brush out the knots, detangle and smooth out your hair.

Clarify your hair after swimming. This is a process of stripping away an build up of dirt , oils and chemicals. This specially formulated shampoo can also clean down to the hair scalp and remove chemicals such as dried chlorine on the scalp. This shampoo also helps hair growth and thickness.

Be careful and look after your eyes.

If you have sore and red eyes after you get out of the swimming pool you need to wash them immediately. Wash them to remove the chlorine and other chemicals from your eyes lashes and eyelids.

Close your eyes and splash water over them. Keep flushing your eyes for around 15 minutes until all the chemicals have been removed. Your eyes are very delicate and when you are in the swimming pool the bacteria and algae are neutralized by the chlorine to protect you but the chlorine put into the pool also strips away a fine film on your cornea. This makes your eyes more susceptible to infection. The three most common infections from swimming pool water are:

Conjunctivitis: This causes itchy eyes and crusty like substance build up on the eye lids and can be caused by bacteria or viral contamination. This thrives in pool water that has not been treated correctly.

Red eyes: The redness in the eyes occur when the blood vessels near the surface of your eye increase in size and then dilate. This is due to the chlorine dehydrating your eyes and removes a film on the tear duct.

Acanthamoebic Keratitis is a contact lens infection: This is a very painful organism which lives in water and is also a parasite. The water gets stuck between your contact lens and the cornea and this also traps the parasite. This can lead to corneal ulcers and can permanently damage your vision. After reading this you must understand that you should never wear contact lenses when you are going for a swim. If you have done this you will need to use eye drops immediately after your swim.

Prevention is always the best solution, so consider wearing very good fitting swimming goggles or complete face masks with a snorkel. You will reduce the infection in your eyes. Make sure you try a couple of goggles on first before you buy. Fitting tight is the key so they do not let in water. Make sure they don’t chafe your nose on apply too much pressure around your eyes. Lastly, they are clear to see through.

 Many swimmers don’t notice the smell of Chlorine in their body after swimming because Chlorine remains in the skin and around their face. Chlorine is used for preventing the illnesses caused by germs and bacteria in the pools. It can cause itching, dryness, asthma, cancer, skin irritation.

There are various ways of removing chlorine from the skin. One can buy after-swim spray. After swimming you need to spray your whole body with the spray and you will get rid of chlorine. If it is costly for you, you can make chlorine remover in your house at a cheap rate. Firstly, buy vitamin C crystals like ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate that neutralize Chlorine. Secondly, mix it with a bottle of water. Finally, you will get a chlorine remover spray. Spray it after finishing swimming. There is a third way to remove chlorine from your skin. Mix the vitamin C crystals with your shampoo or body wash.

It has always been a requirement to wash before and after you swim in a pool. Today there are many options of pool sanitization rather than simply using chlorine. Chemical free swimming pools are now becoming the main requisite for new swimming pool installations. However, there is no getting away from swimming pools globally where chlorine will still be used due to the lack of knowledge and costs of purchasing a chlorine free swimming pool system.

Many pools in holiday resorts, hotels, beaches, and private villas have ablution stations that were installed many years ago. For example, showers next to pools, and freshwater plunge pools. So, when you do see these in the future and the pools smell like it has chemicals in it follow the processes above, shower before you jump in the pool, and shower when you get out.

Final note

Just one last subject after you have washed all the chlorine off your body make sure you wash your swimsuit. Do this daily after each time you have been for a swim or if you are on holiday and this is not possible at least once why you are on holiday.

The fabric in the bathing suits can be attacked by the chemicals in the pool such as chlorine or salt from saltwater chlorinators, sand, and sun creams. Modern designer bathing suits are expensive and to keep them looking good and you feeling good when you wear them it’s best to take care of them. Try not to use laundry detergent as this could have a chemical reaction with the chemicals on your swimming costume from the swimming pool.

The best suggestion we have for you is to clean your swimsuit by hand. You can gently massage the chemicals and chlorine out of your swimsuit and smell it until all the scent has disappeared. If you are lucky to have a changing room or a private area the other option is to simply wash your swimming outfit in a shower and use soap and water all over you and your costume!

Chlorine will always find its way into or onto your body its a fact. Remember chlorine is a powerful cleaner , we use it in the house and at work to clean the kitchen and the bathroom. We also use it to clean around the swimming pool. So consider this if we use it on all these hard surfaces to get them clean what do you think its doing to your soft skin ? If possible use a chlorine free swimming pool sanitiser.