If you are a frequent swimmer, consider a chlorine-removing shampoo to keep your hair looking its best.
While swimming is a true friend of your body, mind and spirit, chlorine can be a real enemy of your hair. Chlorine can fade your hair's color, dry hair out, weaken it, and in general cause it to lose its luster. Additionally, chlorine on your hair attracts metals such as copper. The metals attach to the chlorine in your hair, causing a green effect. If you are a frequent swimmer, you may want to use a chlorine-removing shampoo to prevent the damaging effects chlorine has on your hair.
The most common shampoo ingredient used for removing chlorine from hair is sodium thiosulfate. This ingredient is an anti-chlor, meaning that it removes chlorine and chlorine odor. Or, if you tend to shy away from chemical teatments, you may want to try one of the organic, natural options. Choosing from the numerous chlorine-removing shampoos can be daunting, so here's the low-down on some of the best.
UltraSwim Chlorine Removal Shampoo
UltraSwim Chlorine Removal Shampoo is a tried-and-true standby, having been used by swimmers since at least the mid-1980s. It contains chlorine-removing sodium thiosulfate, as well as moisturizers such as vitamin E and aloe. According to the UltraSwim website, it is gentle enough to use every day; it removes chlorine, copper and other metals that can turn hair green; and it can be safely used on color-treated or permed hair. UltraSwim also offers a shampoo in a replenishing formula and a conditioner specifically formulated for swimmers.
Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three
This shampoo also contains the chlorine-releasing agent sodium thiosulfate. According to the Paul Mitchell website, Paul Mitchell Three is a clarifying shampoo, meaning that it is designed to deep-clean hair, removing not just dirt and oil but chlorine, iron, minerals, medications and product buildup.
TriSwim Chlorine-Out Shampoo
TriSwim Chlorine-Out Shampoo is another anti-chlorine shampoo that contains to wash away chlorine. According to the TriSwim website, TriSwim can be used every day, and it contains a number of moisturizers, including organic aloe, provitamin B5 and vitamins A and E. TriSwim also makes a conditioner specifically for swimmers and a chlorine-removing body wash.
Aubrey Organics Swimmer's Normalizing Shampoo
If you'd like to try an alternative to sodium thiosulfute, Aubrey Organics Swimmer's Normalizing Shampoo is a good place to start. According to the Aubrey Organics website, it relies on organic corn syrup to remove chlorine and mineral buildup, and organic shea butter and aloe vera to deep-condition and restore moisture. A swimmer's conditioner is also available from this line.
Malibu C Swimmer's Action Shampoo
Malibu Wellness offers a fairly extensive line of swimmer's hair products, including Swimmer's Action Shampoo, Swimmer's Action Conditioner and Swimmer's Weekly Solution, a vitamin-rich weekly chlorine removal treatment. According to the Malibu Wellness website, these products use botanicals, vitamins and other natural ingredients for chlorine removal, are sulfate-free, and are safe for permed or color-treated hair.
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