Can You Keep Your Hair Dry When Swimming? | Swim Cap Tips

Soaking your hair in chlorine every time you want to go for a swim is far from ideal - so much so that this puts a lot of people off swimming altogether! We are determined to find a solution so get ready to have a few giggles but hopefully, we’ll all learn how you can enjoy your next swim!

If you’ve got short hair we doubt you’ve ever even considered this a problem but soaking your hair in chlorine every time you want to do some water-based activity is far from ideal. So much so that this puts a lot of people off swimming altogether.

Having a swimming hat line, red rings around your eyes and wearing a distinct Eau de chlorine scent is bad enough but heading from the pool with wet bedraggled hair isn’t a great look. We know a lot of friends who even time their swims around hair washing days but this does limit you somewhat.

We do start with a disclaimer, as we begin making this video, we genuinely don’t know how to keep our hair dry whilst swimming but by the end of this we are determined to find a solution so get ready to have a few giggles but ultimately hopefully we’ll all learn how you can enjoy your next swim whenever you like without the worry of factoring in hair drying time.

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Do you have any swim cap hacks when you go swimming? Leave us a comment!

[jilliangeorge]

I'm black with thick natural hair down to my mid back. Layering up is the best thing that has worked for me. After I put my hair in a back bun, I use a thin cotton headband to catch the water at the edges, followed by a thin silk bonnet (sometimes two bonnets), then a clear shower cap, and finally, the silicone cap. It sounds like a lot more that it actually is. But it works every time. My hair may be a little wet around the edges if I go for a longer swim, but the majority of my hair is completely dry.

[janemarshall]

The challenge is real! I spend almost as much time trying to get my hair dry, after a swim before work, as I do in the pool - I would pay more money for a swimming cap that keeps long hair dry 👍

[therosko]

I came back to this video to share a successful attempt to keep my hair dry. I wanted to make sure that I do not get it wet when swimming in low temperatures outside. What worked best was to use a regular swim cap and a neoprene headband on top. It worked for crawling for about 30-40 minutes (haven't tried longer, as it is cold...). I do have long hair, so I made sure to keep it as compact as possible in a braid, the end of which I flipped from the back of my head up to the top. I did chose a right headband to make sure that it does not let any water go through around the ears and it overlaps with the swim cap, creating a good transition. Hope it works for others.
P.S. It would not make much sense on a hot day or in the pool, as it might be too hot.

[alexbishop]

So the method I’ve found is brushing conditioner through my dry hair before plaiting and putting under a cap. You still need to rinse the conditioner off, so not technically dry, but it blocks the chlorine and you don’t need to shampoo after. Good way of doing a deep condition.

[alexspencer]

As a guy with really short hair, I really enjoyed this video! I didn't even consider the struggle before seeing this!

[nonhlanhlamkumbuzi]

When you are a black person, this is even more complicated. Our hair is fragile already and prone to breakage on a good day. Add chlorine 3x a week and it's a disaster especially because washing and drying said hair is not as easy as Heather has it here, it's a whole production. This is all assuming you even get a cap that fits your braids or dreadlocks (If you do, you have to put them in a top knot which as Heather said is NOT aero at all). Otherwise, you have to change hairstyles and go for certain ones (which may not be the most flattering). Yeah, I really need to know how to keep my hair dry when I swim.

[trbeyond]

Never thought I’d find a full 20 minute long hair video on hair on GTN.

[PerfectPride]

With curly/ frizzy hair, if you can’t keep it 100% dry then there’s no point.... cuz you’ll need to fix the parts that get wet anyway. Really wish I had straight/ smooth hair that I didn’t have to fuss around with so much. DX

[Yriel]

Thanks Heather and GTN for making a video for helping women in the sport. Ponytails in a helmet next?

[burieddreamer]

I'm a guy, I have long hair and I have been putting off swimming because of this. Apparetly not many men with long hair swim. Such a small niche, isn't it?

[ChrisBosso]

While it won't keep your hair dry, getting your hair wet before the swim should keep most of the chlorinated water away.

[andrewmcalister]

All that sitting around in the sun waiting for your hair to dry. A tough day at the office, Heather. :-)

[nextlevelwellness]

Thanks for trying to figure this out! Exercising 6 days week (some multiple workouts) and trying to do so without washing and drying the hair every day is a BIG challenge!! I’ll try the bun and double cap. Good Job!

[garybc]

Oh man. I feel sorry for you Heather. All that waiting underneath the sun, with breeze running through your hair. Must have been a really tough day in the office/pool. 😂

[barefootcontessa]

I’ve tried everything, I’d settle for just being able to stop the swim cap from sliding off while I’m swimming.

[brittneyswanson]

I'm grateful for this video/discussion, this has been a long-time challenge, first started off with putting on conditioner and like you mentioned my cap kept falling off, now I pre-wet my hair with water so at least the chlorine isn't sucking into my hair as much.

[ghostlykelp]

I’ve got dyed hair and I’m worried about the colour being stripped out. I don’t want to wear a cap but it might be the only option.

[OVOCNYCHECK]

I would just point out that in water you are trying to by hydrodynamic not aerodynamic otherwise I appreciate the amonut of swims you had to do to shot this video :)

[hannahtadros]

you can put your hair in a plastic bag with an elastic around it and put your swim cap over it. that’s what I do to keep my hair dry