Swimming is great exercise and has health benefits, too.
However, one of the scariest places a black woman with a protected hairdo can find herself in – is in a swimming pool.
To minimize the opportunity for chlorine build-up, hairdressers recommend wetting your hair completely so that hair strands will be less able to take in chlorinated pool water.
Hair stylists also advise African American women to protect their hair by rubbing in a deep conditioner before a swim.
“It acts as a protectant from the sun as well as the chlorine and salt, depending upon where you are swimming,” said Maria Antoinette, a stylist at Christopher Stevens salon in Downtown St. Louis.
And don’t forget to wear a waterproof swim cap.
Sona, a stylist at Cutting Edge Studio in Florissant, Mo. said, “Shampooing and conditioning hair immediately following a swim with a clarifying shampoo and a conditioner that removes chlorine and other impurities is a must.”
While these steps will not save your hairdo; you will get some exercise that, in the long run, beats looking cute alongside the pool.
