Well, I was on my way to having extreemly long hair untill one day I went to the pool and did not realize that there was too much chlorine in it. This was at a health club. Not only did it destroy my new bathing suit, it burned my skin and frazzeled my hair to the point that chunks of it were falling out. On top of everything it was a heated pool so it did even more dammage than it would have in cold water.

I ended up having to go all the way back to about 3 inches of hair. Its finally long enough now that I can put it in a stubby at the back of my neck.

I will never go swimming in a pool again! In fact I have avoided it most of this summer since this happened.

Just wanted to warn folks, just do not trust chlorine. It was already wrecking havok on my hair before this happened but I was having to go to physical therepy in the pool 3 times a week at that point in time. At least I am done with that now as well and I hope that there is no reason that I ever, ever have to go back.

Shame of it all is that I used to enjoy swimming. Next time I think it will be a lake or a river or nothing.

Oh no!  That is really awful, RosaRL!!  I hope your hair grows quickly and super healthy now, and that you find a new form of excercise that you really enjoy and is hair friendly!!!!


Good Luck!!

That's horrible! I'm so sorry, Rosa. I know when I was swimming in a chlorinated pool, my hair was never in all that great condition... :\ Unfortunately, around here, lakes, ponds etc aren't an option, due to the high likelyhood of getting eaten by an alligator. So no swimming for me(If I'd been tempted to go to the pool, now I'm definately not!) until I find someplace with people I trust.

Oh my goodness! Considering the chlorine was strong enough to damage your skin and hair like that, that's pretty scary. I hope you never have to go through anything like that again.

Yikes. Yeah, public pools are not my bag. I really hope that you told an employee there what happened so maintenance may be apprised. If it happened to you, then it must have happened to other people.

Sorry that your hair had to pay the ultimate price for it.  :(  Should you ever dare to set foot in a pool again, make sure that it is personally owned. Also make sure that you've water logged your hair and skin with tap water before getting in, so you don't absorb as much of the chemicals.

As a kid growing up and a competitive swimmer, I  entered many pools that had their chemicals beyond acceptable limits.  This is sometimes done intentionally when they know if someone has cut themselves and bled into the pool, there was a significant rainfall when the pumps were not running (which would dilute the chemicals). they know a chld's diaper failed and feces entered the pool, or their chemical levels fell far below acceptable levels and they now need to shock the pool back up to the correct levels.  Guidelines say no one should use the pool when it is being shocked, but if it is a hot day and there are hundreds of people expecting to use the pool, they will sometimes allow it to be open and try to flush the water quickly by running the pumps faster.  About the only thing you can do is to ask when the levels were last tested (which should be at least twice a day) and are the levels in the middle range - not the high or low range.

As already mentioned, you should always pre-rinse your hair with tap/clean water before entering the pool.  I've been known to also add a bit of oil to my hair to protect it even more.

As for public verses privately owned pools - public pools have inspectors and rules to follow.  Privately owned pools do not have to follow those rules, so unless I know the owners and know that they are vigilant in mantaining the quality of the water, I avoild private pools.