I have a spray bottle and fill it about 1/3 way with cheap Suave brand conditioner and fill the rest with water. Spray on my hair when I get out, comb through. As I am in and out a lot during the day, I don't wash it until night so the spray works (and it's cheaper than buying an already made detangler)
My daughters don't want to use our pool-Tangles!
- Thread starter guisandov
- Start date
guisandov said:
You can just wait for it to go down. Don't let it get too far down, though. You might need to check with an OTO test to be sure there is some FC to ward off any problems while awaiting your new test kit. I can't recall if you told us your CYA -- check the Pool School CYA//Chlorine chart and keep the FC above that minimum and you'll be fine until you get your test kit.
I can't but wonder if they do something different being at home vs. somewhere else swimming.
Longer time in pool?
More/less time spent with hair in the water?
Showering just after getting out or not?
Drying hair with towel/ blow dryer?
Etc.
Ike
Longer time in pool?
More/less time spent with hair in the water?
Showering just after getting out or not?
Drying hair with towel/ blow dryer?
Etc.
Ike
Isaac-1 said:
a difference in chemical balance....
Jason hit it right on the mark.....
correct the high chlorine and low ph levels and I bet the problem is resolved....borates are always a great addition but I would resolve those two issues first.
I'd be curious of what a water sample from the school and other pools they swim in reveals.
Mr. Ed said:
a difference in chemical balance....
Jason hit it right on the mark.....
correct the high chlorine and low ph levels and I bet the problem is resolved....borates are always a great addition but I would resolve those two issues first.
I'd be curious of what a water sample from the school and other pools they swim in reveals.[/quote:csjos0qn]
My bet would be low FC levels. IIRC, aren't the industry-recommended levels 1-3 ppm, regardless of CYA level? So, better for your hair, worse for your health.
The "industry-recommended levels 1-3 ppm" assume no CYA at all. Adding CYA changes the picture substantially. Hair damage starts to occur when the HOCl level reaches somewhere about 2.5. That HOCl level happens to correspond to an FC a little above shock level for your CYA level. That means there can be hair problems when CYA is around 50 and FC is around 18 to 20, or higher.
JasonLion said:
and conversely, if someone kept their FC around 1 -3 ppm but paid no attention to their CYA level and used some type of stabilized chlorine (which seems to be the predominant method of pool maintenance for the TFP-less masses) then the girls' hair would fare much better, but the water wouldn't be sanitary. That was the gist of what I was trying to say.
- Apr 8, 2007
- 1,616
- Pool Size
- 17450
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I have long hair and always braid it or put it in a pony tail before getting in the pool. This may be a route you will need to go - but having said that, the salt water pool IS way better on my hair, by FAR
TF-100 test kit results:
FC-23
CC-0
TC-23
pH-7.4
TA-250
CH-500
CYA->>100
Leslie's results on same water sample:
FC- 5
CC- 0
TC- 5
pH-7.4
TA-140
CH-280
CYA-50
Well, I'll definitely believe my TF-100 results but what a discrepancy!
My CYA results were significantly higher than 100ppm. I think my only option is to drain and refill. Right?
FC-23
CC-0
TC-23
pH-7.4
TA-250
CH-500
CYA->>100
Leslie's results on same water sample:
FC- 5
CC- 0
TC- 5
pH-7.4
TA-140
CH-280
CYA-50
Well, I'll definitely believe my TF-100 results but what a discrepancy!
My CYA results were significantly higher than 100ppm. I think my only option is to drain and refill. Right?
mamasproject said:
You might try coconut oil as a less expensive substitute, that is most likely the main ingredient. It costs anywhere from $8 to $15 for a 15 oz jar, online vs grocery or vitamin store.
I prefer Nutiva brand coconut oil. It smells so wonderful when you open the jar, fresh and coconutty and just a bit sweet. Other brands may smell more like Crisco and this means they are not fresh.
I use it as a general after-shower moisturizer -- my skin just says "Ahhhhh" when I put it on, then I wipe the leftover into my hair. It tames frizz and adds a great shine. I suspect it would seal the hair against damage from chlorine and ease tangles but my hair is too short to verify that.
I go through quite a lot of it and get it online. I cook with it as well. There are some times that olive oil is just not right or will smoke at high temps and coconut fits the bill in those times. It melts at 76 degrees so don't worry if it is sometimes liquid (coconut oil) and sometimes solid (coco butter), it changes back and forth.
But, for general skin use, remember that it has no sunscreen at all.
I have long thick curly hair, I wear my hair up in a bun when I go into the pool, I also do a baking soda rinse when I shampoo it. This has been working really well this year. Normally my haor is a hinghtmare after swimming
Hard water is worse for tangles than softer water. If the other pools have a lower CH, that could be the difference. Can you steal a water sample from the school and friends pools and test? I'm not sure how low you can safely go with a plaster pool (mine is vinyl), but softer water would improve the tangling.
I can also speak from experience that borates make a BIG difference in hair tangling, though that probably isn't the difference between your pool and others since the school's pool is not likely borated. Borating your pool would cost about $100, but I think the benefits are worth every penny and will also help the hair problem.
I can also speak from experience that borates make a BIG difference in hair tangling, though that probably isn't the difference between your pool and others since the school's pool is not likely borated. Borating your pool would cost about $100, but I think the benefits are worth every penny and will also help the hair problem.
The 2 options to lower high CYA are drain and replace or Professional Reverse Osmosis treatment (which would also help with the high CH) available in some areas.
Ike
Ike
Yes, R/O or the drain and refill dance are your only option. It's also possible your CYA is higher than 100. You may have to do a partial drain/refill a couple times to bring it down.
How do you chlorinate daily (How did it get so high, tablet use?)
When you do the TA test, wipe the tip of the R-0009 dropper bottle in between each drop with a damp cloth. I expect you will get much lower TA results.
How do you chlorinate daily (How did it get so high, tablet use?)
When you do the TA test, wipe the tip of the R-0009 dropper bottle in between each drop with a damp cloth. I expect you will get much lower TA results.
Yup - drain and refill. You'll likely have to do a couple of rounds of it.
Draining/refilling should also bring that Calcium level down. With it being 500, and your TA at 250, I'm surprised that your water isn't really, really cloudy.
I believe that once you get your water chemical levels in a good range (now that you can know what they are), your tangling issues will go away.
Wow! What a difference between your test and the pool store! I think Leslie's has some 'splainin to do. At my pool store they test right in front of you and are pretty accurate. Nevertheless, its easier to just do it myself, then I don't have to listen to their product "recommendations". Something tells me at your Leslies they do the tests "in the back"...which could mean "not at all"
Wondering if you've had any luck with improving the tangling situation. Hoping that you have and that you can share your solutions.
Last year I had no trouble with it at all. I used BBB last year and also this year. Both daughters have long hair. One (E) has very thick, wavy hair that goes past her bum. The other's (K) hair is finer and straighter and a little shorter. E's hair has been approaching dread locks when she gets out of the pool. I truly thought I'd have to cut a foot off of it one evening. Took over 45 minutes with the rat-tail part of a teasing comb to get all the knots out. Back again the next evening. K gets dread-like mats too, but not as many.
Couple thoughts to account for differences from last year: 1. hair longer; 2. hair down in pool now (last year often kept in bun on top of head and they didn't put heads under last year; 3. use an inflatable ring that goes around chest this year -- wondering if hair is getting rubbed between their backs and the tube and creating these awful mats - although I've tried to watch to see if that is happening and it always look like there is a big gap in back and that hair is flowing freely.
I really only test FC, CC, pH, and CYA, so don't know if other things like TA or CH would matter in this equation. FC is always within or at most 1 or 2 FC over target range. CC always 0 to .5. pH always 7.5ish (hard for me to distinguish well on the color match tests). CYA is about 35.
It is impractical to rinse their hair after getting out of the pool each time because they don't like showers or rinsing their hair and also because we are in and out of the pool all day. Personally I don't rinse my hair either -- I just wait til next morning's shower. My hair, which is only shoulder length, does not have tangles at all. I did braid E's hair yesterday and that seemed to help, but I haven't given that a full test since we only swam a short time (and only once) yesterday so I haven't tried it over the course of a long swimming day. I will braid it again, however, and also start spraying down with conditioner/water as suggested in this thread to see if that helps. If not, might try to buy some of the neutralizing shampoos (and conditioners?) that are mentioned on other threads on TFP. Yesterday I added salt to the pool to see if that helps, but it has been raining ever since so not able to test it yet.
Thanks for starting this topic -- until it started happening to my girls, I couldn't have imagined such terrible knots just from swimming!
Last year I had no trouble with it at all. I used BBB last year and also this year. Both daughters have long hair. One (E) has very thick, wavy hair that goes past her bum. The other's (K) hair is finer and straighter and a little shorter. E's hair has been approaching dread locks when she gets out of the pool. I truly thought I'd have to cut a foot off of it one evening. Took over 45 minutes with the rat-tail part of a teasing comb to get all the knots out. Back again the next evening. K gets dread-like mats too, but not as many.
Couple thoughts to account for differences from last year: 1. hair longer; 2. hair down in pool now (last year often kept in bun on top of head and they didn't put heads under last year; 3. use an inflatable ring that goes around chest this year -- wondering if hair is getting rubbed between their backs and the tube and creating these awful mats - although I've tried to watch to see if that is happening and it always look like there is a big gap in back and that hair is flowing freely.
I really only test FC, CC, pH, and CYA, so don't know if other things like TA or CH would matter in this equation. FC is always within or at most 1 or 2 FC over target range. CC always 0 to .5. pH always 7.5ish (hard for me to distinguish well on the color match tests). CYA is about 35.
It is impractical to rinse their hair after getting out of the pool each time because they don't like showers or rinsing their hair and also because we are in and out of the pool all day. Personally I don't rinse my hair either -- I just wait til next morning's shower. My hair, which is only shoulder length, does not have tangles at all. I did braid E's hair yesterday and that seemed to help, but I haven't given that a full test since we only swam a short time (and only once) yesterday so I haven't tried it over the course of a long swimming day. I will braid it again, however, and also start spraying down with conditioner/water as suggested in this thread to see if that helps. If not, might try to buy some of the neutralizing shampoos (and conditioners?) that are mentioned on other threads on TFP. Yesterday I added salt to the pool to see if that helps, but it has been raining ever since so not able to test it yet.
Thanks for starting this topic -- until it started happening to my girls, I couldn't have imagined such terrible knots just from swimming!
Borates...best money I ever spent. My long hair feels so good when I get out of the pool sometimes I don't even bother to rinse OR wash it before styling (keep in mind my pool is filled with soft water too, but there was still a big difference in tangles/hair/skin feel before and after adding borates).
What really convinced me it was worthwhile was winter algae abatement. In North Florida, I don't "close" my pool or cover it. It is too cold to swim in the winter, but I keep up minimal chlorination and filtration to keep the water clear and algae from forming. Ever since I added borates, I can make it through most of the winter WITHOUT algae and WITHOUT adding chlorine, other than when we have an unseasonably hot spell. It really does make a difference. I don't know what impact it is making on my summer chlorine use, because I haven't kept track, but this is proof to me that it helps keep the algae away.
What really convinced me it was worthwhile was winter algae abatement. In North Florida, I don't "close" my pool or cover it. It is too cold to swim in the winter, but I keep up minimal chlorination and filtration to keep the water clear and algae from forming. Ever since I added borates, I can make it through most of the winter WITHOUT algae and WITHOUT adding chlorine, other than when we have an unseasonably hot spell. It really does make a difference. I don't know what impact it is making on my summer chlorine use, because I haven't kept track, but this is proof to me that it helps keep the algae away.
I hate when there is no ending to a story.
Bumping this thread, hoping to hear what happened...
Bumping this thread, hoping to hear what happened...