Swimming is an excellent form of exercise, but all of the chlorine in traditional swimming pools can make your hair feel dry, brittle and even look green for those with lighter hair color. As much as we hate to admit it, this is one of the reasons many Black women avoid swimming as a form of exercise. But then Simone Manuel made history at the 2016 Olympics in Rio on August 11 when she became the first African American to win an individual gold medal, winning gold in the 100-meter freestyle. This has many of us taking a second look at swimming, for ourselves and our little girls too. The question is, what is Simone Manuel’s hair care routine as an avid swimmer? We know you want the answer to how to keep your hair healthy while swimming.

We’d love the opportunity to talk to Simone to find out what her hair care routine is, and we are on the hunt for her publicist to get an interview. If you’ve got the hook up, help us out! We even sent her this tweet, so feel free to retweet it and hopefully she’ll respond.

In the meantime, we did our own research on how to properly care for your hair if you swim on a regular basis. Whether your hair is naturally straight, naturally textured, or relaxed, these recommendations on preventing swimmers’ hair can work for you.

Will Chlorine Damage Hair?

Chlorine is a chemical disinfectant added to the water in many swimming pools to prevent bacteria from building up in pool water. Our scalps naturally produce oil, known as sebum, to protect hair from damage and daily wear. Since chlorine is a disinfectant, it also removes those natural oils from our hair. For most of us who are in the pool on occasion, and for short period of time, chlorinated water may cause some dryness but really won’t damage your hair. However, stripping the oil from your hair in a pool on a regular basis can cause over drying, increased porosity, and over time, it can result in significant damage.

Who is at Risk for Chlorine Damage?

Everyone that regularly exposes their hair to chlorinated water risks damage, but if your hair is already dry and porous, it will damage faster or more severely. Increased porosity can be caused by chemically lightened or highlighted hair, chemically treated hair (permed or relaxed), which makes your hair more likely to be damaged by chlorine exposure because it is more open to absorbing the chlorinated water. Thin or fine hair, or previously damaged hair is also more susceptible to chlorine damage.

How to Prevent Chlorine Damage Before You Swim

You can do a few things immediately before you even get in the pool to prevent chlorine damage:

Saturate Your Hair with Water. Before you enter the pool, rinse your hair with clean water to saturate your hair. Your hair is similar to a sponge; it can only absorb so much. If you saturate your hair with clean water, your hair will be less likely to absorb as much of the chlorinated water in the pool.

Coat your hair before you jump in. Coat your hair with oil or silicone-based products to help prevent your hair from absorbing as much of the chlorinated water. Coconut oil, applied liberally, is a great pre-swim option. Silicone can help calm frizziness and provide extra protection, so apply a conditioner or leave-in treatment with silicone polymers such as dimethicone or cyclomethicone.

Use a Swim Cap. If you’re doing a lot of swimming or are concerned about damage, a swim cap can make a world of difference. Silicon swim caps are lightweight, breathable, and won’t snag your hair. Manu makes a great one that comes in a variety of colors for adults, and even caps for kids. But be very careful taking it on and off, as the grip of the cap on your hair can easily pull strands out of your scalp. Wetting and coating your hair will also make it easier to put on a swim cap without damaging your hair. Be gentle adjusting and removing your cap. If repositioning, do so very gently. When removing, start at either the front or back edge, pull out and away from your head, and keep pulling out and away from your head as you rotate your hand around your head.

How to Prevent Chlorine Damage After You Swim

Rinse, rinse, rinse. After you exit the pool, a good clean rinse in the shower will start the process of removing the chlorine from your hair. Even if you plan to be in the pool all day and are just taking a break, it’s a good idea to rinse your hair to flush the chlorine and chemicals out.

Shampoo. Shampooing your hair immediately after chlorine exposure is the best way to remove the bulk of the chlorine and stop the damage it may be causing to your hair. Not co-washing, not water only washing – shampooing. Some shampoos are specially made to help remove chlorine and are a great idea for regular swimmers. You can also use a clarifying shampoo as an option to remove the chemicals from your hair.

Here are some options for shampoos that you can use regardless of your hair type, texture, and price point.

Restore moisture/protein balance. Now that you’ve removed the chlorine, you must replace the moisture and protein that the chlorine strips from your hair. Use a traditional rinse-out conditioner specially formulated for dry hair to moisture and detangle the hair. Start from the ends up and work the conditioner through your hair, using a detangling brush or a wide-toothed comb to distribute evenly and reduce snags. After rinsing, be sure to follow up with a leave-in conditioner as well. Using a leave-in conditioner that contains protein is a great option. This will help restore your hair’s moisture/protein balance, which is essential to prevent frizz, breakage and split ends.

Here are some leave-in conditioners that we’d recommend.

Weekly deep-conditioning treatments can give your hair an extra boost of moisture, and help maintain the strength of your hair as well. This will complement your daily hair care routine to ensure the moisture/protein balance is not thrown off.

These are some of our favorite deep conditioners and hair masques.

How to Repair Chlorine Damage

Chlorine damaged hair is very dry, frizzy (especially at the ends), and often feels a little like straw. It tangles and matts up easily. If you suspect that your hair is chlorine damaged hair, the best thing to do is talk to your hairstylist. Allow him/her assess you hair’s damage and recommend products or treatments to help. While you work with your haircare professional to repair your damaged hair, be patient. It takes time for your damaged hair to bounce back to life. They may recommend that you get a haircut or trim to remove the ends that are damaged. In some cases, the damage is so severe that repair is not an option, and a haircut is the only recourse.

While we patiently wait on our opportunity to interview Simone Manuel, we hope these hair care tips will get you and your family in the pool. Remember, you don’t have to be training for the Olympics to make swimming a part of your exercise routine. Even if you’re just in the pool for some family fun, or at a water park that has chlorinated water, using these tips for taking care to protect your hair from chlorine damage are vital. With a little time before and after, you can keep your hair healthy and damage free!