Chlorine is necessary to keep the water safe and hygienic for you to swim in. Just imagine the thousands of people with their sweat, body adour and body grime washing off into the pool, or little kids (an maybe even big big kids) peeing and leaving their human feces silently and unnoticeably in the waters. Without the chlorine, you’ll be swimming in a bacteria fungus trap.

Chlorine is helpful to minimize the bacteria build up in water, but the downside is the potential damage it can cause to your skin. Chlorine is caustic, meaning that it can strip and damage ones skin layers causing your skin to age faster.  If you are suffering from eczema or acne like conditions, the chlorine will most likely agitate the problem making it a lot worse. I’ve come across many cases of kids developing skin rashes as a result of constant exposure to chlorinated swimming pools.

You may have experienced the same feelings yourself. Ever noticed that after drying your body after a swim, your skin is left with an uncomfortable tightness and your hair becoming extremely dry and brittle? For those that suffer from skin dryness, you may notice your skin becoming extremely tight and flaky. The chlorine with its caustic effect has stripped away all the natural oils from your skin and hair.  If you suffer from eczema like skin conditions, I highly recommend staying out of swimming pools that are heavily chlorinated.

But I like swimming. What can I do?

If you can avoid it. Stay away from public swimming pools that use chlorine. Go to a rock pool at the beach instead. The sea salt has many beneficial effects to your skin including killing bacteria……… plus you won’t get the same unbearable drying effect from a chlorinated swimming pool. If you have your own private swimming pool, use salt to keep your pool bacteria free. It’s extremely easy to manage, just add 2 – 3 bags of sea salt once every 1 – 2 months and let the salt do all the work. After swimming in a sea salt pool, you skin won’t be dry, your hair will be soft and your eyes will actually have white (not red).

If you must swim in a public chlorinated swimming pool, try to reduce the amount of time per session. Remember to shower off the chlorine immediately using cold water (do not use hot water) each time using a good natural soap before drying your body. Remember to moisturize your body and face immediately after your shower. A good cream and lotion should bring back the body’s hydration to replenish any skin moisture stripped away from the chlorine.

For me personally, I try my best to stay out of public swimming pools. I imagine a swimming pool as a 50m bath tub with an orgy of people using it at the same time…. a bit too repulsive for my liking. If I’m in the mood for a bit of a dip, I’d head to a rock pool at the beach or go to one of my friend’s private swimming pools that are cleansed with pure sea salt and NOT CHLORINE. No more blood shot eyes, not more skin tightness after swimming, no more skin rashes.