How Long Should You Wait To Swim After Dyeing Your Hair?

Hotter days are just around the corner, and nothing helps beat the heat more than a dive in your local pool. But what about your freshly dyed tresses? Can you swim after dyeing your hair? The short answer is, yes, but that doesn't mean you should do so immediately after leaving the hair salon. Depending on the hair dye used, you should wait a few days at least.

In most cases, hair dye disrupts the hair's natural pigment through harsh chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, which also unseal the hair cuticles, thus making them more susceptible to damage. If you use permanent or demi-permanent dye on your hair, you should wait at least one week before swimming. For semi-permanent dye (that typically consists of softer chemicals that are gentler on our hair strands), you can hit the pool in three to five days after coloring your hair. However, no matter what type of dye you use, chlorine in the pool will interact with your dye's chemicals, eventually leaving you with harsh, dehydrated strands and altered color.

"Chlorine is a bleach, and as a result, it can change the hair's natural melanin," trichologist and founder of Colour Collective Kerry Yates told Byrdie. "In addition, chlorine helps to push various metals and minerals found in the water into your hair shaft, creating a greenish-yellow cast. This color change is clearly evident on blondes, and people with color-treated hair are especially susceptible to a color change with repeated exposure to chlorine," Yates says.

Even if you swim in a saltwater pool (or the ocean if you are lucky enough to have a beach near you!), you still need to protect your hair. True, the absence of chlorine in these waters means less damage to your hair, but damage may still happen nonetheless (remember that dyeing your hair makes the hair cuticles more susceptible to outward agents and breakage!). So, what can you do to protect your tresses?

For starters, wet your hair. Celebrity colorist Lorri Goddard tells Glamour, "Head over to one of those rinse-off stations, and wet your hair with clean water before you get in the pool. This trick lets your hair absorb less chlorine or salt water if you're dipping in the ocean. Then give it another rinse after you're done swimming."

Much like our skin needs protection from UV rays, our hair needs protection, too. Owner of Urban Betty Salon Chelle Neff, shares with Healthline, "Using an SPF on your scalp and hair while in the sun can be as important as using an SPF for your skin." Hair products with UVA and UVB filters can protect hair from the sun and the pool's chlorine as well. Of course, to best protect your hair (and scalp), always use a hat when you are lounging by the pool and a swimming cap when you go in for a dip.

The chemical changes that occur on hair strands with repeated dyeing weaken them, making them prone to damage. Peroxide and ammonia found in hair dye dry our locks and can give them a straw-like appearance. This can only worsen once we add chlorinated water into the equation. However, giving our hair some much-needed TLC can help prevent further damage.

Coconut, argan, grapeseed, and jojoba oils are some of the best scalp oils you can buy for your healthiest hair ever. These oils are full of vitamins and antioxidants and will work wonders on your locks. Plus, pampering your hair with oils can help to keep it healthy following dye treatment, and also protects it from chlorine. "Try coating your hair in coconut oil or olive oil before jumping into the pool. It creates a slippery barrier between your strands and harmful chlorine," Lorri Goddard tells Glamour. Similarly, you may use a leave-in-conditioner spray. According to Kerry Yates, "The liquid emulsion will form a protective layer keeping the cuticle closed down, helping to eliminate the total absorption of any chlorinated water," (via Byrdie).

Of course, you must always thoroughly wash your hair following your swimming session to remove any chlorine residue. Opt for a clarifying shampoo to give your hair a reset and a deep conditioner for highly hydrated locks. If you can, try to keep your head outside the water and your hair pulled up in a bun when you hit the pool so that it absorbs as little chlorine as possible.