Summer and swimming go hand in hand. Whether you’re spending weekends by the pool, enjoying family vacations, or fitting in a few laps during your weekly routine, your hair is often exposed to one of summer’s biggest beauty challenges: chlorine.
While chlorine helps keep pools clean and safe, repeated exposure can leave hair feeling dry, tangled, brittle, and difficult to manage. Color-treated hair may experience faster fading, unwanted tone changes, or brassiness, while naturally healthy hair can lose its softness and shine over time.
The good news? With the right prevention, professional products, and salon care, you can enjoy every swim while keeping your hair healthy, vibrant, and beautiful all season long.
At Charles Ifergan, our stylists help clients protect their hair from summer stress with customized recommendations and professional treatments designed to maintain moisture, strength, and color.
Chlorine removes the natural oils that help protect and hydrate your hair. Over time, this can weaken the hair’s surface, leading to dryness, rough texture, increased tangling, and breakage.
For blonde, balayage, and color-treated hair, chlorine can be especially challenging. Pool chemicals combined with summer sun exposure can cause color to fade faster and leave hair looking dull or uneven.
Even healthy hair needs extra care when exposed to chlorine regularly.
Hair absorbs water much like a sponge. When your hair is already saturated with clean water, it absorbs less chlorinated water once you enter the pool.
Before swimming, rinse your hair thoroughly with fresh water to help minimize chlorine absorption.
A protective leave-in product can help create a barrier between your hair and pool water while maintaining moisture.
For swimmers, we recommend the Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Collection, specifically designed to help remove chlorine, copper, and other pool-related elements while keeping hair soft and manageable.
The collection includes:
Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Shampoo
A gentle cleansing shampoo that helps remove chlorine and impurities without stripping the hair.
Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Conditioner
Helps restore hydration, improve softness, and make hair easier to detangle after swimming.
Malibu C Leave-In Conditioner Mist
A lightweight leave-in spray that helps provide moisture and protection while improving manageability.
The steps you take after swimming are just as important as your preparation before entering the pool.
After leaving the pool, rinse your hair with fresh water as soon as possible. Removing chlorine residue quickly helps reduce its impact on your hair.
Regular shampoos may not always target the buildup caused by pool chemicals. Swimmer-focused products are formulated to address chlorine, copper, and mineral deposits while helping maintain healthy-looking hair.
For clients who swim frequently, the Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Collection is an ideal at-home routine to keep hair feeling refreshed throughout the summer.
Sometimes prevention and at-home care are not enough, especially after weeks of pool days, vacations, and summer activities.
At Charles Ifergan, we also offer the Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Remedy as a standalone service or as an add-on to your regular appointment.
This $30 treatment is designed for:
The treatment helps remove unwanted pool elements to reveal shinier, healthier, more vibrant-looking hair.
Whether you need a quick summer refresh or want to include it with your next color, cut, or conditioning service, our team can help customize the right solution for your hair.
Book your Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Remedy online or speak with our front desk team during your next visit.
Healthy summer hair doesn’t happen by accident. Protecting your hair before swimming, using professional products at home, and scheduling seasonal maintenance can make a major difference.
Whether you’re swimming every week or enjoying occasional pool days, our stylists can recommend the right products and treatments based on your hair type, color, and lifestyle.
Enjoy every summer moment, without sacrificing beautiful hair.
If you have invested in professional color, especially blonde, balayage, or dimensional color, protecting your hair before and after swimming is essential. It is much easier to prevent chlorine-related changes than to correct them later.
Chlorine itself isn’t the only concern for swimmers. Copper and other minerals found in pool water can attach to the hair and contribute to unwanted discoloration, especially in lighter hair shades.
Swimming season should be about making memories, not worrying about dry, damaged hair. With a little preparation, consistent aftercare, and professional support, you can keep your hair healthy, shiny, and strong all summer long.
If your hair is already showing signs of chlorine damage, don’t worry. We can help restore moisture, refresh color, and create a customized care plan that keeps your hair looking its absolute best from the first pool day to the last. To schedule an appointment with us, you can book online or download our free mobile app from iTunes or Google Play to browse our services, schedule appointments, and more. Come by one of our three convenient locations in Chicago Oak Street, Deerfield, and Oakbrook.
To ensure the best results for your makeup application, please arrive with a clean, makeup-free face (or makeup-free eyes for eye-makeup application only). If you arrive with makeup on, please plan to arrive 15 minutes earlier so we can professionally remove it for you. A $30 makeup removal fee will apply.
