Why not look into the swim caps that swimmers wear when they race? DD was on the swim team and we always had several caps laying around. They fit really without using a chin strap. Most of the swimmers would wet their hair first because it was easier to put the cap on.

Funny, we have a pool in our backyard and I thought I would use it all the time when we were planning it...and I don't. I sit under my shady patio and watch my boys swim and try to stay out of the sun.

Now your indoor pool with a water temperature of 95, on the other hand sounds heavenly. My boys might actually not be be complaining of being bored. Color me jealous.

My younger dd with her beautiful highlighted hair swims constantly in the summer. She puts conditioner in her hair before she goes outside, and leaves it in.. I've also heard her say that if your hair is wet (with non-chlorinated water) before you go into the pool, that it won't absorb as much of the chlorine.

I have no advice re: bathing caps.

Yes, the year round swimmers I know wear swim caps in the pool. There are special hair conditioners for swimmers who get exposed to a lot of chlorine on a daily basis. I've found it in Target before, but I would think that a specialty shop that caters to swimmers would sell it as well.

I know girls who wet their hair and put conditioner on it before they swim. I don't know if it would leave a film in your pool or not.

The female swimmers I know have beautiful hair, so I am guessing that the specialty conditioners do help.

Good luck with your swimming fitness routine!

I'd get a swim cap because that way you don't have to deal with blow-drying your hair everytime you swim.

I know my mom used to wear them all the time until her cap did some sort of suction thingy on her ear and caused her to lose hearing in that ear.

Here's a neat website, I suggest you buy the pink shark cap. Seriously!

Here is a link that might be useful: Swim Caps

My kids swim at a place that requires swim caps for girls with hair longer than shoulder length, because the hair can be bad for their pool filters/drains. The caps we have experience with do not keep the hair dry - she is currently using a latex style cap, and her hair is still completely wet when she gets out. There maybe kinds out there that do keep it dry that we have not used, but the swim caps we have experience with do nothing for keeping the chlorine away from the hair. I would definitely second red_lover's idea of conditioning and/or just wetting the hair before you get in the pool, it really seems to help along with washing and conditioning right when you get out too. This is just based on our experiences and different things we have tried. She swims in a highly-chlorinated pool.

Thanks, everyone. Since I tend to have fine hair, I think I would want to wet my hair before putting on or trying to take off a cap, which partly defeats the purpose. Plus, Oakley's pink shark aside, they are no more lovely then I recalled grandma's.

I think I will wet my hair in the shower before I go in, and then wash it immediately after, and see what happens.

Thanks again.

I never seen anyone in a bathing cap, but you are not the typical swimmer. Those I know that swim daily though, do not wear swim caps. I would think there would be some type conditioner you could use. As long as it is not oily, I wouldn't think there'd be a film in the pool. The cholorine should take care of that.

Here's to getting fit!!

tina

I'd check with a hairdresser about a good conditioner. My niece has started swimming competitively, and her hair started to feel like straw. Her mom took her to her own hairdresser, who recommended one or two conditioners to try. They work really well, her hair is much more manageable now. The big problem now is getting an 8 year old to condition her hair after every swim.

Right, a cap does not prevent it from getting wet. We don't have to wear caps at our campus pool. We also have low chlorine. I just tie mine back. I normally do not swim when my color is fresh. I'll do water aerobics instead.

Chlorine will strip your highlights and your color. My 15 yo is a competitive swimmer and swims up to nine practices a week. She uses a cap and heavily conditions after swimming. Her hair is in pretty good shape. All the females in the swim club, young and old, wear caps.

If your kids have any interest in competitive swimming, RUN! Just kidding, a bit. All kid's sports get crazy at the higher levels but our 5am before school swim practices are not fun.

Caps come in lycra, latex and silicone. Lycra caps feel like fabric. They are the most comfortable but are not as tight fighting. They have a tendency to creep off during races. Lycra might work best for your purposes. Silicone caps are the most expensive. The are thicker and harder to get on because they don't have much stretch. They last the longest. Latex caps are inexpensive, thin rubber.

BTW, when you go to the store, ask for a swim cap (not a bathing cap). You will seem much cooler. :)

This post was edited by deee on Sun, Jan 27, 13 at 20:26

Oakley, I want to build a pool just to be able to wear that pink princess tiara cap!

I didn't highlight or wear a cap back when I was a competitive swimmer-- but then I didnt need to because I highlighted naturally in the sun (I have dark swedish hair that goes blonde surprisingly quickly). I highlight now-- sometimes quite extensively and I don't do anything special when I swim. My unprofessional suggestion is to keep your hair conditioned and healthy (as I am sure you do) and that will go a long way towards preventing chlorine damage. I also recommend using a purple shampoo 1-2 times a week to prevent the highlights from going brassy.

Also run it past your hair stylist.

Incidentally, I also have very fine hair and the highlights go a long way towards adding body. When my hair feels flat (like it does now), I know it's time to hit the salon again!

Hmm, I knew that bathing caps, err swim caps must have improved. I will have to find someplace to check out the materials choices in person, if I need to go that route.

Hmm, purple shampoo? Makes sense. Who makes it?

We have well water and it is very hard, which is not great for my hair either. A lot of copper in it ... for that reason alone purple shampoo might be good.

When we lived in Tokyo, they even made the boys wear swim caps! My boys didn't think much of that rule.

I think many of the caps now (like the lycra) are made to contain your hair-- they don't protect it from the water. The latex would do a better job, but if your hair is as fine as mine, it will pull it/break it.

A number of the salon quality lines have a purple shampoo- I don't remember the name of mine but I don't think it's particularly special (I just pick it up at the salon). I know my drug store carries Aveda, Pureology, etc. so I'd imagine you could get it there if you aren't due a salon trip just yet. It is great for white and blonde hair-- takes that yellow, brassiness away. Just don't use it every day-- or if you do, use it with a really good conditioner because it can dry your hair out.

My son is a college swimmer and he often wears a cap-not for practice,but at swim meets. From experience, I don't think the specialized shampoo works at all.Chlorine is a harsh chemical on the skin and hair. A cap is a better option. if your hair is long, pull it into a high ponytail and then put the cap on. Prepare yourself for a battle, the stretchy quality is STRONG! Caps are available online and probably at Dick's Sporting Goods.

FYI - The "purple" shampoo is awesome for gray hair also! Prevents the gray from taking on the "brassy" or "yellowish" look. DH is gray and uses it frequently - I can always tell when he runs out. Most salons carry one brand or you can usually find one decent brand at the discount stores. Have also ordered from Avon - their's is one of the better ones.

If I had a pool at home and wanted to swim every day, I would convert it over from Chlorine to Saline. Way easier on your hair, skin and suit. They switched the pool at my gym over to saline, and I love it. The salinity is less than natural tears, so no burning of your eyes.

I don't know what all is involved or the cost to switch over, though.

Straitlover, that is brilliant!

Strait, before we moved in, I was certain we would do that. But this pool uses very little chlorine (again, it's just the five of us, and, unlike our other pool, no leaves or berries in it, no swimming ducks, no bird potty, etc etc etc), I don't smell it on my skin, for example and it doesn't burn the kids eyes. So I haven't wanted to do it.

If my hair turns the color of Oz, then I will have to see!

Thanks, all!

Here's a somewhat light but interesting article on what makes blonde hair turn green. I think you should be safe.

Still, as you know, highlights can fade (and that's what I thought you were referring to initially) so protecting your hair is still a good idea.

Here is a link that might be useful: Why Blonde Hair Goes Green

We put in an endless pool/spa almost two years ago, and started out with a bromine /low chemical system. I also have highlighted hair and don't like harsh chlorine smells. There were nothing but problems, always, for the first nine months. We've never had anything except salt water pools (in two previous homes) but those are not recommended for continuously heated water. Finally, the company came out and put in a regular chlorine system with an ozonator, and we've had no problems since. No harsh chlorine smell, no water quality problems. I swim regularly and wash my hair immediately afterwards, no caps, and no wetting beforehand, no color problems. Definitely no conditioner on my hair, I wouldn't want to introduce that into the water (only about 2100 gallons). If I am in just to enjoy the spa end or watch a movie--- we put a screen out there this past fall--- I don't get my hair wet but rather put it up in a turban, a la Emma Fellowes :-)

I wear a swim cap. I have trained regularly in the pool for triathlons. I recommend a silicone cap and not a latex. Latex caps yank your hair out, where as silicones are smoother and there is less pulling. I dye my hair and someone recommended to me to put a leave in conditioner in my hair to preserve the color, I've tried it a couple of times, but it's too time consuming. I'm lucky to have enough time to get into my suit, cap and goggles and swim for an hour after getting the kids ready for bed at home. I'm always rushing.

BTW, swimming for exercise in 95 degree water is like running in 95 degree weather. Feels great to relax in, but if you're really swimming, you're gonna feel it and you will need to hydrate.

Polly, How cool! A triathlon. Which sport is your best, or do you like them equally? Good point about the 95 degree water, I have noticed that. We usually keep it at 84, and it is almost back to that now that the weather is so much warmer again, and the furnace has sort of normalized.

KSWL,
I didn't know that about saline and continuously heated water. I think our pool qualifies as that, although in the summer we open all the french doors to get the breezes. The room that the pool and hot tub are in have drywall walls and ceiling, and lots of wood trim and wooden french doors, so there is this system that takes the humidity out, and in so doing it also heats the pool. Or vice versa. Sometimes DH shuts it off in the summer, but most of the year it is on. Even when the house was under construction, the pool had to be kept filled (otherwise it could heave up) and the Dectron kept running to keep the humidity low, which at the same time kept it heated. Kind of bizarre.

Do you like the endless pool? What's an ozonator?

Like it very, very much. I was afraid someone would ask what an ozonator is, since I don't know and am not sure I believe they actually exist or could work the way they purport. Ozone is a purifying agent that is pretty easy to manufacture. You can buy gadgets that produce ozone to clean and deoderize your refrigerator, for your HVAC system to purify the air, etc. They're also available for pools, spas, etc. After Pool Guy took off the brominator (and don't all these things sound like great names for Schwartzenegger movies?) he replaced it with an ozonator (which we use with regular chlorine treatments) and the water has been wonderful ever since.

My favorite part of the triathlon is swimming. With that said pool swimming is my favorite exercise, ocean swimming on a rainy day with an angry sea during a triathlon, not so much. And that's what we got during both triathlons I did. The first year I did ok, second it was so rough, I had a panic attack in the ocean and took a noodle and had to be guided back in with a swim angel.
Anyhow, I think my triathlon days are over, I had a knee replacement very young, and the cycling and running were too hard on it. I took off from training last year, but I'm still having issues. I live in NJ and I am just not comfortable cycling in traffic, I am too afraid to get hit. Running, is completely out for me, I sort of jogged and power walked because I can't train to run, and honestly I don't think I would enjoy running even if I hadn't had a knee replacement.
Those 2 triathlons were for my bucket list, next is a swim in the Navesink River race this June. Planning on starting training in Mid-February. I hope a river swim is kinder than the ocean!
I'm envious of your pool, I would be in it daily if I had one! Enjoy your workouts.

My favorite part of the triathlon is swimming. With that said pool swimming is my favorite exercise, ocean swimming on a rainy day with an angry sea during a triathlon, not so much. And that's what we got during both triathlons I did. The first year I did ok, second it was so rough, I had a panic attack in the ocean and took a noodle and had to be guided back in with a swim angel.
Anyhow, I think my triathlon days are over, I had a knee replacement very young, and the cycling and running were too hard on it. I took off from training last year, but I'm still having issues. I live in NJ and I am just not comfortable cycling in traffic, I am too afraid to get hit. Running, is completely out for me, I sort of jogged and power walked because I can't train to run, and honestly I don't think I would enjoy running even if I hadn't had a knee replacement.
Those 2 triathlons were for my bucket list, next is a swim in the Navesink River race this June. Planning on starting training in Mid-February. I hope a river swim is kinder than the ocean!
I'm envious of your pool, I would be in it daily if I had one! Enjoy your workouts.

Silicone, is suppose to be gentle on hair and waterproof. Theses were on ebay "aquatimax" and cheap.
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I'm a bit late to this thread, but I wear swim caps for my swim lessons. I haven't seen other women wear them, but it minimizes my hair's exposure to the chemicals. I have very thick, tightly curled hair, and before I get in the pool I put conditioner in my hair,pull it up into a high ponytail, and then put on the swim cap. I have both a silicone and latex swim cap (both purchased from a local sporting goods store), but the silicone slides off before I get in the pool (maybe I have too much hair?!), so I use the latex instead. My hair gets damp under the cap, but not wet like it would be if I swam without a cap.