I lost 8 inches of hair working as a pool operator – my vitamin C hack saved my strands from chlorine & grew them back
A POOL operator has shared a skincare trick that saved their hair after chlorine damage.
A vitamin C hack helped them revitalize their strands.
Redditor Reibish shared the hair growth tip in a post.
“[I’m a] former pool operator and lifeguard instructor. I’d spend upwards of 20 hours a week in pools and hot tubs,” they said.
“I lost like eight inches+ of growth and got it back.”
The trick, they explained, is to take preventative measures before going into the pool.
“Like others have said, ALWAYS rinse your hair and completely coat it in conditioner or oil before getting in,” they said.
“I would use gobs and gobs of coconut oil. (Also, take pool hygiene seriously; please do soap your body too!
“Lotion isn’t nearly as damaging to the pool as people say, but parasites are not fun to share!).”
A common mistake and unnecessary expense, they added, is swimmer shampoo.
“Don’t bother with swimmer shampoo. Just get powdered vitamin C from the grocery store,” they said.
“If you want to try mixing it in a spray bottle, you can, but in my experience, it just worked better to rinse with plain water, use a cup to mix powder in the shower, and then pour the vitamin water into my hair.
“Sometimes, I’d have to dip the ends into the cup or bowl, but not often.”
The trick, they explained, also helps protect your skin from chlorine.
“Do the vitamin C thing for the rest of your body and wash (you will feel the chlorine slough off of you,” they said.
It was a hassle but worth it. Saved my hair.
Redditor Reibish
“Chlorine isn’t ‘in’ your hair; it’s ‘on’ it, and vitamin C is an acid that releases its bond to the goopy oil on your hair. It will also eat the bacterial goodies on your skin. You cannot soap this off).
“Shampoo like normal. If your hair feels like it normally would after washing, you’re good. If not, use a vitamin C rinse again!”
They explained that the routine takes a few tries, but practice makes perfect.
“It takes a few tries to get the right concentration, but that’s how I did it,” they said.
“Do not condition until you know for sure the chlorine is out.
“Sometimes, I’d end up making a paste for my ends, but this was rare.
“Start with a very light dilution (like one to two teaspoons to 16 ounces of water), then work from there. It was a hassle but worth it. Saved my hair.”