Look for moisturizing ingredients
Because your hair can feel stripped after swimming in chlorine and sudsing up with a chlorine removal shampoo, make sure the formula you’re using has some moisturizing properties too, says Harper. Look for shampoos that contain moisturizing butters (like cocoa butter and shea butter) and protective oils (like jojoba, argan, and coconut oils).
And if your chlorine removal shampoo still isn’t moisturizing enough, try this trick: Massage and rinse conditioner through your hair first, roots to tips, then suds up with your shampoo. The conditioner will help create a tiny buffer so your hair doesn’t feel quite as stripped. Just make sure to condition your ends as normal, too, after rinsing out your shampoo.
Consider how often you swim
The amount of time you spend in the pool should dictate what type of chlorine removal shampoo you use and how often you use it. If you’re a regular swimmer who’s in the pool daily, you’ll need a shampoo with a strong, EDTA-based cleanser once or twice a week to remove built-up chlorine. On the days you don’t suds up with a chlorine removal shampoo, you’ll still need to clean your hair with more than just water to dissolve chlorine. Look for a sulfate-free cleanser containing apple cider vinegar or vitamin C, both of which can help neutralize chlorine without feeling too stripping.
If you only hop in the pool once a week (or once a month) max, don’t worry about alternating between two different chelating shampoos. Just rinse with an EDTA-filled chlorine removal shampoo after each swim session to get your hair back to a clean, neutral state, then continue shampooing and conditioning as usual until your next swim.