Does Chlorine On Bleached Hair Cause Damage?

Especially during summer, there are many trips to swimming pools to take advantage of the vacation season and warm weather. One ingredient found in swimming pools is chlorine on bleached hair can be very damaging and even blonde hair turning green.

That’s why knowing the details about chlorine and avoiding it can help you keep your hair from drying out. Also if you have already been in contact with it several tips can help you.

Chlorine on bleached hair can damage the hair immediately if it is too weakened. Chlorine is made from salt and is used together with hypochlorite which reacts and creates a very powerful oxidizer. Because it is so oxidizing it can immediately remove the color from your hair and weaken it aggressively. That’s why it can be very aggressive to your hair when it comes in contact with it.

That’s why it’s important to have a hair care routine both during and after your stay in the salon. Just as the vacations are coming to an end you may start to notice how your hair is weakened and even breakage.

In this article, I will tell you why chlorine in hairspray damages your hair and more importantly how you can repair your hair when has been in contact with it.

How does chlorine on bleached hair impact?

Something that happens quite often is feeling dry hair after going on vacation. Even right after getting out of the pool is a very characteristic feeling. Whether you went out for pleasure or if you are a person who swims all the time for exercise it can happen to you.

The main reason why this happens to you is because of the water treatments inside the pools or in sports centers. They add chlorine to keep pools safe along with sodium and calcium hypochlorite which react when in contact with the water and produce the strong oxidant hypochlorous acid. They do this to kill bacteria so you can swim healthily.

The problem with these chemicals is that they are extremely aggressive to the hair especially chlorine on bleached hair. Bleached hair is already weakened by the alkaline agent in bleach. If you add these chemicals which are salts with a chemical reaction they make is oxidize the hair even more. Both the salts and the oxidation alter the Ph of the hair and dry it extremely.

Did you know that altering the Ph in the skin of the hair can even affect the natural bacteria of the head and scalp oils causing dandruff? That’s why immediately after swimming in the pool your hair feels very dry and stiff.

Also, this is why you need to remove these harsh agents from your hair immediately after you have been in the pool. When you can’t, do it as soon as you can.

Here I will show you the most effective solutions in my professional opinion. I have seen for many years different types of hair that are bleached and damaged by this.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU: Swimming With Bleached Hair [How To Avoid Green Hair]

Solutions for chlorine on bleached hair

To solve the sensations and damage caused by chlorine on bleached hair it is very important to stabilize the hair’s pH. The moisture, elasticity, and lubricating oils must be restored. The cuticles must also be resealed so that the hair feels soft and shiny again.

There are different levels of damage and sensitization that can occur depending on how much exposure has occurred. I will separate it into 3 categories:

1. Dryness
2. Frizz
3. Breakage

For each one, I will give you practical solutions to eliminate both the sensations to the touch and internally. You will be able to get your hair back in about 3 weeks if you follow the routines and habits I will tell you about.

I have seen with clients and even tested on myself how using the right products in a certain way repairs it. I will also share with you how you can prevent it from happening again so that when you go to the beach or any other pool you can keep your hair cared for.

#1 Dryness

The main sensation after chlorine on bleached hair is dryness. This can include the feeling of dryness after you get out of the shower even though your hair is wet. The feeling of scratchiness when you run your hand through it is very common. There is a hardness to it that also feels like it has no movement and stays frozen in the same position. Especially when combing it, the comb gets stuck and can’t seem to go down past where it starts to feel dry. I recommend that you do not force the comb through because it is possible to break.

To improve this it is important to understand what the hair needs and this is due to the salts and oxidizing agents that have touched it. That is why we must first restore balance to the hair. Hair needs to be in balance in its Ph and other nutrients to be soft and hydrated. That’s why you need to know how to help it the way it needs.

To regulate the Ph of your hair you should use a professional shampoo with an acidic Ph. This is because chlorine is alkaline and also the bleach from the color effects leaves the hair alkaline. The ideal for healthy hair is to stay neutral. That’s why we must give it acidity so that the Ph balance line returns to the middle.

This Kit of Redken shampoo, conditioner, and thermic is perfect to balance Ph with the acid bonding technology that has.

#2 Frizz

This is another effect that chlorine can have on bleached hair. Although it is a different symptom it comes from the same reason. This is because of the aggressiveness of chlorine. Chlorine causes the hair cuticles to lift and in doing so they become unable to absorb the water and oils they need to protect the hair. They also lose their ability to stay sealed and lubricated by dryness.

As the hair becomes more porous it starts to dry out and become coarse. This means that it stops being straight and starts to get stuck and spliced together progressively, making it look more and more unkempt and voluminous. This is what we know as frizz.

To eliminate it you must use the routine of washing with shampoo and conditioner that regulates your Ph again as I mentioned above. You should use it for at least 3 weeks to make sure your hair has absorbed the nutrients it needs. After that, you can use an anti-frizz routine if you are still struggling with frizz. You can read why my hair is frizzy. There you can see in detail how to get rid of it.

#3 Breakage

This is one of the effects that chlorine causes on bleached hair. Hair breakage can occur because this chemical weakens the hair so much. It is because it removes all the water and oils from the hair as well as alters the pH and leaves it alkaline which is not good for the hair.

Hair that has just been bleached is very weak and what you have to do is to recover it. This sensitization after bleaching can be very strong and when it comes in contact with these oxidizing and drying agents it can no longer resist and as soon as you handle it, it will break. Read more about Does Bleaching Your Hair Damage It?

The first thing that happens is that having split ends will split open or you will start to see small pieces of hair on your clothes and the floor. These hairs will be approximately 5 to 10cm long. They can break off or get so tangled that you can’t comb through them. During normal combing or brushing that breakage can happen. This is the clear result that you have weakened hair with breakage. That is Why You Can Have Split Ends.

To fix it it is very important that you follow these steps:

1. Don’t tie your hair tightly
2. Avoid hairstyles that involve tying your hair up as much as possible, especially at the ends.
3. Do not force the hairstyle if the comb gets stuck.
4. Apply a serum to the ends of your hair and wash and condition your hair with deep repair products.
5. Avoid adding heat from thermal tools such as a flat iron or curling iron.

My professional recommendation and my personal favorite is to use Kerastase Therapiste Serum which is great for split ends and repairs them and you can immediately feel the change in your hair texture and feel. As the days go by you will feel it getting better.

The way you should apply it is a small push to all ends. This is a repairing serum with a lot of protein to give strength and recover split ends. Only apply it on the ends which are the last 5cm of the hair. You can use it several times a day and daily on wet or dry hair.

Summary

If you follow the tips I have given you I know that you will be able to recover your hair from every single symptom and sensation that is in your hair when you touch chlorine. I have seen for many years different clients with this problem especially when summer comes.

You will see that after a few weeks of doing this you will be able to see your hair recovering.
And from the first day, you will see immediate changes when you touch your hair thanks to the technology and the right ingredients in the products.

I hope all this has helped you to know why your hair feels this way and that you have found a solution to what you feel when you touch it.

Until next time.