Coloured hair for regular swimmers

So I've been getting a few questions in from various people and thought I should pop them up for you fine people.


"What advice would you give a regular swimmer with coloured hair?" - Liz Jefferson

There are a few answer to this depending what type of dye you have on or if it is bleached.

1 - Semi permanent colours, such as Directions or Stargazer, should really not be used if you are a regular swimmer as they run out very easily. In basic terms the colour coats the hair so is easier to come out and with the chlorine in the water acting as a mild bleach that will happen even quicker. Also you are likely to get in trouble or get concerned looks, especially if its red! No one wants to look like a shark attack victim. I would recommend a swimming cap for this.

2 - Permanent dark colours, such as dark reds, browns and blacks should be washed thoroughly at least two or three times and given at least 5 days to let the colour settle before you go into a treated swimming pool. This will ensure and natural oils that have been stripped have had chance to coat the hair in a protective sense and also reduce and running. A good rule of thumb is, if your shampoo comes out white when you wash it, you are good to go.
Its worth baring in mind that the lighter the hair colour the more it will be effected by the bleach, so for lighter auburn's or hair that has been dyed over bleach keep an eye on it and if you notice a change, follow advice below.

3 - Bleached hair. This is always the trickiest for swimmers and the one that causes the most anxiety. I have found a few old house wife tales that have helped me in the passed that I will share for you, but be prepared to get a bit messy.
 Because of the Chlorine in the water it will effect the bleached colour you have sometimes giving a green tint to your hair, but rest assured, this is a tint and not a colour change so can easily be rectified.

One way I found is using tomato ketchup. Yes, I am being serious. The water will oxidize the hair while the tomato sauce is an anti-oxidant so will neutralise the effects. Get about a third of a standard size bottle and run it through your hair, put under a cool tower and leave for half an hour. Do not put under a warm towel as the acid in it will have negative effects and possibly irritate the scalp. Wash it out with a colour care shampoo and condition as usual. I would say around once for every 6-8 swims should suffice to keep it the right colour and take out any horrible dirty discolouring.

My main advice would be to wear a swimming cap all the time, if you are a regular swimmer it will eventually strip the natural oils from your hair so even for undyed hair I would suggest its better to wear one.

If you really can't stand the egg head look, I have found this Boots sun and swim shampoo. I haven't used it personally but has great reviews and would be good for holiday swimming and the odd dip but probably not for prolonged use.

Thanks to Liz for that question, hope it helps!

Hope thats been useful, if anyone has any other suggestions please comment and I can add them to the post. And as always, if you like the post retweet, repost or follow, the more you follow the more I'll post.