Pool-Day Hair Care: Before You Swim and After You Get Out

If a swim feels easy to fit into the day but washing afterward does not, make both parts of the outing visible when you pack. A towel alone may leave you improvising the hair routine when you get out.

Why plan around the pool?

Chlorine can affect the protective fats around the hair shaft and contribute to damage and split ends. It can also break down protein bonds in hair, contributing to breakage.¹

This checklist focuses on hair care around chlorinated pool swimming. The steps below are general care suggestions, without a promise that your hair will stay unchanged after every swim.

Before entering the water

The American Academy of Dermatology¹ recommends considering a swim cap. If a cap feels too uncomfortable, its guidance offers oil or leave-in conditioner before entering the pool as another option.¹

• Put the cap or the before-swim product you intend to use in the bag.
• If you choose a product, read its directions before you arrive.
• Check the pool’s rules about products before applying anything there.

Choose the option you can actually manage. If a cap is awkward to put on, leave time to arrange it before the swim rather than trying to work out the fit at the water’s edge. This checklist does not assume that a cap keeps every strand dry.

After getting out

AAD recommends rinsing hair immediately after swimming, then washing with a swimmers’ shampoo and following with a deep conditioner.¹

• Know where you can rinse immediately after the swim.
• Pack the shampoo and conditioner you plan to use.
• Include time and a place for washing in the outing.

Read the directions on your own products. If the facility has no shower, work out where you can rinse before deciding that the washing routine will somehow fit later.

Make the next visit easier to pack for

Keep your pool hair-care items together. Before the next outing, check what needs replacing and whether the arrangement worked: did you have a place to rinse, the products you intended to use and enough time afterward?

A note about the routine can be brief. You do not need to turn every swim into a hair inspection. If you want advice about a separate scalp condition or an existing treatment, bring those questions to your clinician.

Hair, Everywhere includes a gentle-styling checklist and monthly Hair Log. Use them to organize your routine questions and observations alongside professional advice. See the book.