Summer Suds - Chlorine Shampoo Reviews

My grandma put in a swimming pool the year I was born. All of us grandkids grew up in that pool; it was where we had all the family barbecues, Fourth of July parties, and summer birthdays. I spent many of my summer days there, even during college.

Of all the grandmas with pools, my grandma's was the best. That's not my opinion, it's just a fact. She had a 8 foot tall high-dive (sort of a death dive), a low-dive, and a really deep deep-end. She had every inflatable toy you could want, and the coveted old black mask that provided the best view when we were playing Mermaid  (our names were always Sandy and Shelly). The pool was huge, and had plenty of space around it to sit and eat her famous peanut butter hot fudge sundaes.

On top of swimming at my grandma's most days in the summer, all of us kids were forced onto swim team. Every summer morning it was a 7am start at the club pool, which was always freezing cold. The minute the whistle blew to tell us practice was over, we all ran to the locker room and stood under the hot showers in our swimsuits until someone yelled that our rides were leaving.

All of this leads to the battle between chlorine and my hair. I was chlorine-y from head to toe. Still now, every summer I find myself trying a few chlorine removing shampoos.

A couple of people have asked me about them, so here are three that I've used recently. Outta 5 stars.

• Aveda Sun Care Hair & Body Cleanser
  4 stars from me.
  8.5oz, $21
  This stuff is great. It's safe for color treated hair, which is a total bonus when you're trying to get rid of chlorine and salt, because you don't want something that is too harsh and will strip your color. It also gets rid of product buildup if you have that issue (I sometimes spray sunscreen directly on my scalp and this stuff gets rid of it). It smells really earthly, like Aveda does, and the lather is rich. $21 for even a good shampoo is a little steep, but I do like it.
• Ion Color Defense Clarifying Shampoo
  4 stars from me.
  12oz, $6
  First, it's six bucks. If you need me to go on, let me tell you that this stuff is great for colored hair, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and 100% vegan (huh?). It'll get rid of the crap in your hair, won't overdry, and also smells delish. I find myself using this on days I don't swim; and when I just want my scalp to feel really good.
• Malibu C Swim & Sport
  3-ish stars from me.
  8oz, $6
  Okay in a pinch. Probably not really meant for color treated hair, but definitely good for getting the chlorine smell out of your hair and off your skin. Super great for washing your swimsuits (for reals) and not damaging the fabric. Smells delish, kinda like citrus. You'll want a heavy conditioner after this one.

So if your hair has turned green or is getting there, or you've gunked it up, or you spent some time in chlorine, it's probably a good idea to give your hair the once over with one of these. For me, the bottles have lasted longer than I'd like, but that's because summers seem to have skipped Portland the last couple of years. Hopefully we'll be making up for that this fall...