Combating Chlorine: What’s in That Pool, Anyway?
Issue No. 24
Combating Chlorine: What’s in the Pool, Anyway?
The dreamy pool at Passalaqua, Lake Como. Credit due to my friend Missy who clued us into Passalaqua in 2022 before it hit everyone’s radar. It was just voted Best Hotel in the World this year. ☀️
Happy Sunday of the July Fourth weekend! I’m a firm believer in soaking up summer Sundays, so I hope you’re too busy watching Wimbledon, buried in a beach read, or relaxing poolside with a spritz in hand to read this. Don’t worry, it’ll be relevant before and after the holiday weekend, depending on when you feel like reading. :)
I’ve always been a beach-over-pool kind of person, but we were recently in DC where it was 90 degrees and humid AF, and I’ve never wanted to jump in the pool more. It had me wondering - what’s in a chlorine pool anyway? Is it ok for six-month-old Elsie? A quick note to my pediatrician reassured me that it was perfectly fine (as long as it’s a well-maintained pool at a very comfortable temperature), but down the rabbit whole I went. I thought I’d share what I found (spoiler: too much exposure isn’t the best) along with a few quick tips to keep your hair, skin, and the little ones protected from the downsides of chlorine.
Chlorine
Chlorine is essentially a form of bleach. When administered at appropriate levels, it’s absolutely safe to swim in. In fact, chlorine is a critical ingredient in a safe swimming pool – making sure it’s free of germs and bacteria like salmonella and E. coli (no thank you!). Contrary to popular belief, salt water pools do have chlorine, though at much smaller levels. And yes, while chlorine is a key ingredient, it isn’t always balanced perfectly, especially in community pools where higher concentrations are often administered to offset the higher risk of germs.The downside of this can manifest as skin or eye irritation, respiratory infections, and even, on the extreme end, visits to the emergency room. Another fun stat? 51% of pool-goers treat the pool like a bathtub. Translation: they pee, jump in sweaty or dirty, rinse off deodorant, lotion, et cetera. Chlorine then interacts with said “organic compounds,” creating toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are even more heavily concentrated when absorbed through the skin. Evidence suggests that DBPs can be hazardous to human health. They can impact the heart, nervous system, and possibly even lead to cancer. Ugh.
I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer, I promise! Here’s what we can we do to optimize our pool exposure for the healthiest summer ahead.
Clean Pool Hacks
Rinse with clean water. This means before getting in and out of the pool. The popular Jolie Filtered Showerhead is the perfect tool for the job. Canopy now makes one too. Depending on where in the world you’re showering, minerals in your bath water differ. You might’ve heard the terms “hard” or “soft water,” referring to the mineral content (i.e. calcium and magnesium) in your water. A quality shower filter can help reduce the effects of imbalanced minerals, rinsing you clean of pool chemicals (and also preventing imbalanced water from wreaking havoc on your hair texture and color).
2. Neutralize the chlorine. Another hot tip from @MiaRigden – this pool spray and bath powder by Rowe Casa Organics. It contains sodium ascorbate (a form of vitamin C) that neutralizes chlorine into a gentler compound, allowing it to be more easily rinsed from our skin and hair. Sidenote: I recently had my first bout of eczema (another fun postpartum perk!), which can be exacerbated by chlorine. So, you better believe I’ll be bathing in this stuff following any dips in the pool.
The Swim Spray and Bath Powder from Rowe Casa Organics
3. Don’t drink the pool water. Sounds obvious, feels worth noting anyway.
The Milk Hair Serum and Treatment Oil by RŌZ Hair
4. Hydrate your hair and skin. For shiny, healthy, color-lasting locks, we should be protecting our hair just as we do our skin. Chlorine, salt, and prolonged sun exposure are a combination that can rapidly dry out hair. Celebrity hair colorist Tracy Cunningham (and author of True Color: The Essential Hair Color Handbook) recommends applying leave-in conditioner or hydrating oil to dry hair before spending the day by (and in) the pool. If you’ve read this, you know I love RŌZ Hair and their Treatment Oil is perfect for exactly this. The Milk Hair serum acts as a leave-in conditioner (Crown Affair’s leave-in conditioner would work well for this too). I just bought RŌZ Hair’s discovery kit for my beach locker and the minis are insanely cute. If you’re new to the brand, they’re a great introduction. Applying a body oil on top of our sunscreen is a great way to keep summer skin from drying out. This from C & the Moon, this from Jao, and this from Osea all work beautifully (and pass the clean ingredient test with flying colors!).
Jao’s Goē Oil, C & the Moon Glow Oil, not pictured: Osea Body Oil
5. Test with strips. If you’re really anxious about what’s in your pool water (ahem, like me as I think about whether or not to take Elsie in it!), you can test with strips to see how the concentration stacks up.
As with anything, a little awareness goes a long way and these five easy-to-execute tips will help us mitigate any negative effects of a pool-soaked summer. Another alternative? More ocean swims :) With that - happy summer Sunday and see you next week!
