How to Protect Hair from Chlorine

Chlorine keeps pool water clean, but it also strips the natural oils that protect your hair. A few minutes before and after each swim helps keep your strands soft and shiny all season.

By Babba Rivera, Founder, Ceremonia
Updated October 28, 2026 · 6 min read

Woman in the sun misting Guava Rescue Spray through her hair

TL;DR

Before you swim, wet your hair with clean water, coat your lengths with leave-in and wear a swim cap. After, rinse right away, wash with a gentle shampoo, condition and detangle, then mist on a protective spray. Green hair comes from copper in pool water, and the same steps help lower the chance of that too.

Few things feel better than a long swim on a hot day. Your hair may feel differently. After a summer of laps and pool parties, strands can feel dry and tangled, and light hair can even pick up a green tint.

You don't have to give up the pool. A simple routine on both sides of the swim takes only a few minutes, and your hair will thank you all season.

What does chlorine do to your hair?

Chlorine strips away the natural oils that protect your hair. That's the short answer to what does chlorine do to your hair, and it's why strands can turn dry, rough, dull and easier to break the more you swim. Dermatologist Taylor Bullock, MD, explains it well in this Cleveland Clinic chlorine advice.

So does chlorine damage hair after one swim? Usually not in a way you'd notice. Frequent swimmers are the ones who see it, which is why a routine matters if you're in the pool every week.

You'll know it when you feel it. Pool hair tends to feel squeaky right after a swim, then dry and stiff once it air dries, with tangles that gather at the ends and color that can start to look dull.

The green tint some swimmers notice comes from copper in pool water, often from pool algaecides. It shows up mostly on blond or highlighted hair, as a case report on green hair in the NIH's PubMed Central describes. Hair that's already highlighted or damaged is the most likely to turn.

You swim several times a week
Your hair is light, blond or highlighted
Your hair is color-treated or chemically processed
Your strands are already dry or damaged

If any of these sound like you, make all seven steps below part of every swim. If you only swim now and then, the rinse and the leave-in still go a long way.

The steps

How to protect hair from chlorine, before & after you swim

Step 1 of 7

Soak your hair in clean water first
Here's how to protect hair from chlorine before you dip a toe in. Think of these three steps as layers: clean water, then leave-in, then a cap. Each one takes about a minute, and they work best together.
Fill strands with fresh water
Rinse your hair under the pool shower before you get in. Hair that's already soaked with clean water takes in less of the chlorinated pool water.
Wash day matters too. We keep our Wash Duo for chlorine hair protection in the shower all swim season. The guava shampoo and conditioner are made to protect hair from summer stressors like chlorine, salt water and UV.
Tip Pack a full water bottle in your swim bag for pools without a shower.
2
Step 2 of 7

Coat your lengths with leave-in
Add a layer of protection
Smooth a leave-in conditioner over your damp lengths and ends. It adds an extra layer between your strands and the pool water, and it makes detangling easier later.
Our Guava Leave-In Conditioner is a deep hydration repair cream. Superfruit guava protects hair from UV, tamarind deep hydrates and avocado combats frizz. It's also the one we pack in our swim bag to nourish strands after chlorine, salt water and sun.
- Focus on mid-lengths & ends
- Work it through with your fingers
3
Step 3 of 7

Wear a swim cap
Cover up for longer swims
A well-fitted swim cap cuts down how much pool water reaches your hair. Nothing blocks chlorine completely, but a cap over wet, leave-in coated hair makes a real difference.
If you're wondering how to protect colored hair from chlorine, don't skip the cap. It helps most if you swim often or your hair is color-treated, highlighted or chemically processed, so wear it even on short swim days.
Bonus: hair that's already wet and coated with leave-in slides into a cap more easily, with less pulling at your hairline.
- Tuck long hair into a low bun first
- Snug fit around the hairline
Step 4 of 7

Rinse right away
The longer chlorine sits in your hair, the more damage it can do. Start as soon as you're out of the water, ideally before you even leave the pool. If you swim at a gym or hotel, pack a wide-tooth comb and a small bottle of leave-in so you can begin on the spot.
Fresh water before anything else
Head straight to the pool shower and rinse well with fresh water, working your fingers through to the scalp. It's the simplest part of how to get chlorine out of hair, and the one to do first.
Without a shower nearby, pour a water bottle over your head, gently squeeze out the extra and wash as soon as you're home. Try not to let pool water dry in your hair.
5
Step 5 of 7

Wash with a gentle shampoo
Clean without stripping
Once you're home, wash with a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo. Massage it into your scalp and let the lather run through your lengths. That's how to remove chlorine from hair without drying it out even more.
If you swim a lot, a clarifying or swimmers' shampoo now and then helps lift buildup. Keep it occasional, since using one every day can be drying.
- Shampoo on the scalp
- Lukewarm water
- Clarify once in a while, not daily
6
Step 6 of 7

Condition & detangle
Put the moisture back
Follow every wash with conditioner from mid-lengths to ends, and detangle while it's still in. Curls and coils do best with a wide-tooth comb on damp hair. Straight hair can wait until it's a little drier.
If you're working out how to fix chlorine damaged hair, a weekly deep conditioning mask helps put back lost moisture and reduce breakage. We reach for our Guava Repair Mask after a week of sun and swim: swap it in for your conditioner and leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes. It's clinically proven to reduce split ends by 60% after 2 uses, based on an instrumentation study.
- Conditioner from mid-lengths to ends
- Wide-tooth comb on damp curls
- Mask once a week
7
Step 7 of 7

Mist on a protective spray
Shield hair before sun & heat
Before you head back into the sun or reach for a blow dryer, mist damp hair with our Guava Rescue Spray. It detangles, protects against UV and heat, and prevents frizz, all in one spray. During swim season, go easy on heat styling and hold off on harsh chemical treatments when you can, so your hair has time to recover between swims.
The same idea works after the ocean. Salt water dries hair out in its own way, and our post-surf hair routine walks you through it.
- Mist on damp hair
- Before sun or hot tools

FAQ

Chlorine damaged hair questions

01 Is chlorine bad for your hair?

In small doses, not really. Chlorine keeps pool water safe, and an occasional swim rarely causes damage you can see. Frequent swimming is different. Chlorine strips your hair's natural oils, which can leave it dry, rough, dull and more likely to break. That's what chlorine damaged hair feels like, and the before and after steps above help prevent it.

02 How do you fix green hair from chlorine?

Green hair from chlorine is really caused by copper in the pool water, and it shows up mostly on light, blond or highlighted hair. A clarifying or swimmers' shampoo may help fade the tint. If it won't budge, see your colorist rather than trying a stronger fix at home. To keep it from coming back, wet your hair first, add leave-in and wear a cap.

03 Is colored hair more at risk in the pool?

Yes. Color-treated, highlighted and chemically processed hair needs extra care in the pool, and lighter shades are the most likely to pick up a green tint. Wear a well-fitted cap, coat your lengths with leave-in before you swim and wash with a color-safe shampoo after. Our Guava Protect & Repair Wash Duo is made for color-treated hair and summer stressors like chlorine.

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