By Amy Lawrenson
Inspired by all this Olympic swimming? I'm a little encouraged to seek out a local swimming pool, which got me thinking... that chlorine is not exactly kind to skin or hair. So here's my top recommendations for swimming with beauty confidence...
Swimcap
Chlorine can wreak havoc on hair, especially if it's colour-treated as it just leads to a straw-like texture. A swimming cap will protect your hair from the chlorine in the pool – John Lewis sell a great Speedo cap for just £4.
Clarifying Shampoo
Won’t wear a swim cap? No worries. Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three draws out all impurities in the hair including chlorine and is brilliant at preventing (and removing) that dreaded green hue that sometimes appears on coloured hair post-swim. Follow this with your usual conditioner or use a hair oil – Moroccanoil Treatment comes in a handy 25ml bottle, £12.85, that could live in your sports bag alongside a wide-tooth comb or Tangle Teezer.
All at lookfantastic.com
Water
According to Swimming.org (packed with useful information for swimmers) 'dehydration makes skin more likely to be damaged by chlorine... so ensure you drink plenty of water'. I've been drinking plenty of Willow Water lately, but any H2O will do.
Moisturiser
Swimming.org recommend E45 cream for anyone who suffers from dry, itchy skin post-swim - 'apply the cream liberally as soon as possible after the swim'.
E45 Cream, £3.89 at Boots
Body Wash
Enriched with glycerine this Kiehl’s All-Sport Swimmer’s Cleansing Rinse, £12.50, prevents the chlorine drying out your skin, while Sodium Thiosulfate neutralises that whiffy chlorine odour.
Swimsuit
Sweaty Betty Power Swimsuit, £75, is designed to be anti-chafe (tres important), chlorine resistant and quick-dry - great if you want to start swimming regularly. It looks smart too. If you do suffer from chaffing swimming.org recommends applying Vaseline over the areas to prevent this happening.
If you're tempted to take up swimming, use swimming.org's handy pool finder...
Don't fancy swimming? Read ELLE's Get Fit Like An Olympian feature for more tips...
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