Ah, that chlorine smell. It sticks to you stubbornly after a dip, sometimes for up to a day or two, and it’s the bane of swimmers everywhere. If you’re a regular swimmer, you’ve probably even had some comments from friends, family, or co-workers about the lingering, highly noticeable odor. But it doesn’t have to be this way, thanks to the following tips on how not to smell like chlorine after swimming in a pool.
FYI, the reason you have to contend with this issue is simple: Your skin and hair absorb chlorine and other pool chemicals while you’re in the water. So, the solution lies mostly in minimizing absorption as much as possible, and then eliminating the chlorine afterwards.
So, here are some simple ideas for how not to smell like chlorine after swimming in your own pool or a public one.
Tips to Not Smell Like Chlorine
- Take a quick shower before you swim, thoroughly wetting you hair; if your skin and hair are already saturated when you get in the pool, they absorb much less chlorinated water
- Wear a swim cap to keep your hair from soaking up the chlorinated water
- Make sure you pick the right swim cap so it’s snug enough to help, and also make sure you take proper care of your swim cap to avoid holes or tears that defeat the purpose
- Dry off with a clean towel, and don’t reuse it
- Shower right after swimming, using hot water and a specially formulated chlorine-neutralizing soap like Soap+ or chlorine-neutralizing body wash like Swimmer’s Own
- Also, wash your hair with a chlorine-neutralizing shampoo and conditioner like One Step
- If you can’t shower right after you get out of the pool, use chlorine-neutralizing Swim Wipes instead as a quick, convenient option for not smelling like chlorine after swimming
- Take a weekly bath in a full tub of hot water with about 2 cups of Epsom salt and 1 cup of baking soda; the Epsom salt helps pull chemical and mineral buildup out of your skin, and the baking soda neutralizes it so you don’t just soak it back up
