Combating Chlorine?

About a month ago, my family started swimming 3+ days per week. The pools at our local YMCAs are great, but heavily chlorinated, and it's started to take a toll on our hair, skin, nails and clothing. Soaking ourselves before getting in the pool and washing everything thoroughly after swimming is still leaving our nails peeling, skin and hair dry, and skin and clothing smelling like chlorine.

I know about UltraSwim products, and I've done a bit a research on the active ingredient (EDTA, which binds to the chlorine and allows it to be washed away), but honestly, that's not practical for all three of us to use on our bodies and suits so frequently because it's pricey. I've seen citric acid mentioned as a natural way to combat chlorine, though I haven't read reviews on how well it works, or info on adding it to shampoos and soaps.

Has anyone had this problem and found a good, cost-effective solution?

SweetErika said:

About a month ago, my family started swimming 3+ days per week. The pools at our local YMCAs are great, but heavily chlorinated, and it's started to take a toll on our hair, skin, nails and clothing.

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I don't know what your local and state health standards are, but several areas put a limit on the amount of chlorine that swimming pools are supposed to use. It might be worth alerting your local health department to see if your YMCA might be out of compliance, and so the health department can work with them to put them into compliance. Over-chlorination is a danger not only to your hair, skin, nails, and clothing, but your lungs as well.

The last time I used such a pool was back in the eighties, and I had to quit because the chlorine was inflaming my eyes unbearably, even with goggles. I didn't know then about the other dangers of chlorination, so I may have dodged a bullet.

I hope it works out for you, Sweet.

Washing with baking powder paste right after you come out of the pool might be a possibility, or oiling yourself before going into the pool. Neither baking soda nor vegetable oil are the cheapest things ever though.

I was a competitive swimmer when I was younger, 24 hours a week.

Precious little you can do about it, enjoy your blonde hair.

Wet your hair with un-chlorinated water before you get in the pool, that will keep your hair from absorbing a lot of the chlorine. My hairdresser turned me onto this—I collect rain water to rinse with before swimming.

Other than showering before and after, I doubt there is much else you can do.

If you're showering after swimming, try using a two-in-one body wash / shampoo product instead of plain soap. You can even get 3-in-1 body wash / shampoo / conditioner (oh brave new world); I know the suave brand is cheap.

Oh, that sounds bad. I used to use a mixture of water and baby oil for skin and hair, and baby cream for sensitive areas (around my eyes, mouth, and between my legs). It did work, but only to a degree - not to mention that all that oily stuff was difficult to wash out afterwards. I don't know of anything that can be smeared on to protect lungs though, and if the chlorine is doing that to your skin and hair - think what happens when you breathe it in or swallow some of the water.

Thanks for the great ideas!

I'm sure the Ys here are in compliance regarding chemical levels. They are very procedure- and standards- driven, at least in this area, and we see them test the water and implement protocols all the time. I won't generalize that to the YMCA system on the whole, but the Greater Seattle network is sufficiently funded, very clean and well-run. My husband and son haven't had as much chlorine damage, but then they're not swimming as much as I am.

I'll get a good swim cap tomorrow and maybe try coconut oil as a preventative measure for my skin and nails. I also put some strengthening polish on my nails last night, so hopefully that helps as well. I find baking soda drying as well, but I could certainly try adding that to our laundry. I have been wetting my hair before getting in the pool, although I'm not sure how much that's helped, considering the tap water is pretty chlorinated (and in this weather, I have no desire to go to the pool w/ hair that's been wet with purified water) and the scent of my shampoo and conditioner are all I smell after my post-swim shower.

I guess on the bright side, swimming is very therapeutic for our son and my clothes and rings were quite a bit looser today! We chose the Y (vs. a gym) because it's so family-oriented and the centers in this area have fantastic child care for typical AND special needs kids. So, overall it's a net gain for our family, even if we're suffering from a bit of chlorine overload! Plus, I don't plan on swimming this much forever; hopefully my body will allow me to start incorporating other workouts once I've built some more strength and had a few medical procedures.

Two things:

First, good for you for trying to get into better shape, along with your family! I have PCOS (google it if you care) and my doctor told me that if I lost a bunch of weight, the symptoms of this condition would improve drastically, if not disappear. I was 205lbs at that time in mid November. I'm now down to 165, aiming for 150-145 (based on doc's suggestion for my height, weight, bone density, breast size, etc). I know it's hard to get in gear, but keep it up!

Secondly, I don't know about clothes, but for your hair, get a nice thick conditioner. I mean REALLY thick. Try something like a cholesterol conditioner for African American/Black hair. Put a generous amount in your hair, then if it is long enough to do so, put it in a tight braid, then wrap the braid into a bun. If your hair is short, consider a swim cap. Either method will help keep the chlorine out, and when you get out of the pool, you basically just got a great deep conditioning treatment!

Plus, the stuff I've used in the past ran about $4 a jar... And it was a big jar!

Hope that helps ^^

SweetErika said:

About a month ago, my family started swimming 3+ days per week. The pools at our local YMCAs are great, but heavily chlorinated, and it's started to take a toll on our hair, skin, nails and clothing. Soaking ourselves before getting in the pool and washing everything thoroughly after swimming is still leaving our nails peeling, skin and hair dry, and skin and clothing smelling like chlorine.

I know about UltraSwim products, and I've done a bit a research on the active ingredient (EDTA, which binds to the chlorine and allows it to be washed away), but honestly, that's not practical for all three of us to use on our bodies and suits so frequently because it's pricey. I've seen citric acid mentioned as a natural way to combat chlorine, though I haven't read reviews on how well it works, or info on adding it to shampoos and soaps.

Has anyone had this problem and found a good, cost-effective solution?

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Apple Cider Vinegar should help. Add some to your laundry and also use as a rinse just before you shower after.

BB

you might also consider asking how they manage the pools at the Y. I've been to some that treat the pool at the same time each day and found the the chlorine seemed stronger right after the treatment. It also mattered if the pool was under direct sunlight because of the chlorine breakdown and chloramines. If it is bothersome enough to make you search elsewhere, you might find a pool that uses an electronic chlorinator system to feed the chlorine into the pool with a continuous programmed drip so that the pH is more constant.

my younger sister used to swim competitively. She would cut an orange in half and rub her limbs and hair after each swim/before her shower.

(laugh if you want.. but her skin was great and she didn't smell like a public pool)

erika, mightn't a y staffer have a few thoughts on this?

ed

LorraineRenee said:

First, good for you for trying to get into better shape, along with your family! I have PCOS (google it if you care) and my doctor told me that if I lost a bunch of weight, the symptoms of this condition would improve drastically, if not disappear. I was 205lbs at that time in mid November. I'm now down to 165, aiming for 150-145 (based on doc's suggestion for my height, weight, bone density, breast size, etc). I know it's hard to get in gear, but keep it up!

Secondly, I don't know about clothes, but for your hair, get a nice thick conditioner. I mean REALLY thick. Try something like a cholesterol conditioner for African American/Black hair. Put a generous amount in your hair, then if it is long enough to do so, put it in a tight braid, then wrap the braid into a bun. If your hair is short, consider a swim cap. Either method will help keep the chlorine out, and when you get out of the pool, you basically just got a great deep conditioning treatment!

Plus, the stuff I've used in the past ran about $4 a jar... And it was a big jar!

Hope that helps ^^

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Yep, I was diagnosed with PCOS about 15 years ago, so I'm very familiar with it. My symptoms really haven't changed with weight changes, but my hormones and metabolism are now even more screwed up after having my son, so I committed to exercising just to feel better in general.

Hair-wise, I think I will try what you're suggesting w/ the heavy conditioner and swim cap.

BonBon1976 said:

Apple Cider Vinegar should help. Add some to your laundry and also use as a rinse just before you shower after.

BB

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I'll give that a shot, thanks! I was shocked that a robe I washed with our swim gear this weekend also came out of the dryer smelling like I'd added bleach to the wash, so I've got to do something about that!

GiggLeGasm said:

you might also consider asking how they manage the pools at the Y. I've been to some that treat the pool at the same time each day and found the the chlorine seemed stronger right after the treatment. It also mattered if the pool was under direct sunlight because of the chlorine breakdown and chloramines. If it is bothersome enough to make you search elsewhere, you might find a pool that uses an electronic chlorinator system to feed the chlorine into the pool with a continuous programmed drip so that the pH is more constant.

my younger sister used to swim competitively. She would cut an orange in half and rub her limbs and hair after each swim/before her shower.

(laugh if you want.. but her skin was great and she didn't smell like a public pool)

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I believe our Y does use an automatic system for routine chemical dispersion, but we've also been there when a kid vomited in the activity pool and the staff had to shut it down to clean, shock and test the water to make sure the balance was correct. Anyhow, I'll investigate further, and while I don't think we'll give up the Y due to lots of chlorine while our son is young, I may consider other options in the future if I decide to stick with swimming regularly (like I said, my goal is to move my workouts to the gym/weights if/when I'm able to, because that's also less of a time commitment).

The orange thing is very interesting. I read citric acid is a good natural way to get rid of the chlorine residue, so I'll give your sister's technique a shot. Nothing ventured..., right?

silverwhisper said:

erika, mightn't a y staffer have a few thoughts on this?

ed

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Probably. They're usually busy when we're there, and we're busy with swimming and our kiddo, but I can ask at some point.

Munky was the first to troll. Query won the war. Putting that much effort into trolling just means you're pathetic in real life.

Using coconut oil can really help with the nails and skin over time to help prevent the drying out, as others have pointed out,applying coconut oil before swimming on nails and skin can help protect, then use it after you have showered. Taking a shower before going into the pool also helps a great deal with hair, though the best bet is a good swimming cap. Washing your hair with a gentle shampoo, like baby shampoo and then using a good conditioner can help as well.

Well, the swim cap I got yesterday was a disaster this afternoon, so I'm taking that one back and looking for one for "long hair" or a larger size online, even though my head is pretty small and my hair is only just past my shoulders.

I'm also going to buy a big bag of citric acid, since it has a lot of uses, including chlorine removal. I think I'll add some to our post-swim wash products and make a small spray bottle of solution for our skin, then try it in the washer with our suits and towels, as well.

Good luck with the workouts, Erika! Do you regularly use a moisturising lotion after you bathe at home? If not, it might be an idea to look for a cheapish lotion with humectants to keep your skin moist (most common here would be glycerin) and emollients (grapeseed oil, lanolin, etc.) to apply to your skin and nails after your showers at home. You could also just use the coconut oil here, but you might find that the humectant + emollient might give you a bigger punch than the coconut oil alone.

drinkz said:

Stupid question: How on earth did they get the chunks out?

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They cleared the pool of swimmers immediately and scooped any solids out with a fine mesh net that was cleaned in a bucket of something after every pass. I'm guessing there wasn't too much to clean because it was from a kid who had swallowed/choked on pool water and this happened between typical mealtimes. Then they shock the pool and test the water before letting people back in. At least that's what I got from watching from the lap pool and talking with my husband.

Ah the classic chlorine perfume of a swimmer. Definitely wear a cap, it will save your hair from turning the blonde/sliver-ish colour it can go, especially if you're spending a lot of time in there. As for after swimming, the girls who I used to swim with always covered ourselves with body moisturiser after training, helps to stop your skin from drying out too much. Although as others have mentioned about the lovely chlorine perfume not a lot you can do about it, just wash your hair and body thoroughly after each swim.

Munky was the first to troll. Query won the war. Putting that much effort into trolling just means you're pathetic in real life.

I bought a couple of small packets of citric acid at our local homebrewing supply store the other day. I just sprinkled some in with my shampoo and rubbed some all over my hands and arms (kind of like a salt scrub) because I was short on time, but it worked like a charm! I'm going to add a citric acid solution to my shampoo and make a spray for my skin and suit before I head to the pool today.

Just as a note of caution, citric acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid and can make your skin photosensitive.

The FDA recommends being extra-cautious with your sun protection for up to a week after using AHAs in skin-care products.

http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productandingredientsafety/selectedcosmeticingredients/ucm107940.htm

GrrlFriday said:

Just as a note of caution, citric acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid and can make your skin photosensitive.

The FDA recommends being extra-cautious with your sun protection for up to a week after using AHAs in skin-care products.

http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productandingredientsafety/selectedcosmeticingredients/ucm107940.htm

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There's no danger of that right now, as it's been cold and rainy nearly everyday for about a month!

It's absolutely a good point, though, and I'll keep an eye on it, even though we're super diligent about sun protection. and I can't see it being as much of an issue considering the citric acid shampoo and solution are only on my hair and skin for a minute or so before I wash it off vs. using an AHA cream/lotion that absorbs and remains on my skin, but it's worth being aware of as we head into spring/summer.

One of our local Y branches isn't quite as busy, has a larger aquatic center (so the air isn't as laden with fumes), and at least the lap pool seemed less chlorinated than the branch we've been frequenting. I'll start going to that one whenever I can, and play around with the citric acid to see how little I can get away with using.

SweetErika,

Not sure of your proximity to the ocean and loyalty to the Y, but you may want to look for a pool that is salt water, or uses an alternate means of water treatment.

Both our wee fish are involved with swim lessons, and we go swimming a few times a month as a family to one of two local pools. One is a salt water pool and the other (newer of the two) uses ozone to treat the water. I think the pool with the ozone treatment may still use chlorine, but it is so slight that it is hardly noticeable.

My wife can be irritated by chlorine if a pool is dosed strongly, and neither of the pools mentioned has ever given her any trouble.