BPAL vs. chlorine and the swimming pool

[March]

Hi all,

 

I've recently taking up swimming in the morning, and with the chlorinated water I find that the BPALs I tried don't start smelling normal until late in the evening - no matter how much I scrub myself after swimming, the stuff just sticks in my pores!

 

Of course, this is a waste of the time I could spend smelling good.

 

So, which BPALs smell good with chlorine? Or at least smell like themselves, despite the chlorine?

 

Thanks a bunch!

Maartje

[ivyandpeony]

Off the top of my head I don't know the answer - but I wonder if there's any kind of chlorine-neutralizing soap or bodywash on the market these days? My husband likes to swim and he uses some kind of chlorine-neutralizing shampoo but I can't remember what it is called. You might even want to try the shampoo as a bodywash if you can't find one. It might be that getting rid of the chlorine altogether would work better than trying to find something that offsets the smell, and it might be better for your skin (and health - since you can absorb chlorine into your body!) in the long run.

 

ETA: a comment from my swimming husband! Are you using noseplugs in the pool? When he doesn't, he feels like he smells chlorine for much longer because pool water gets up his nose.

Edited February 26, 2009 by ivyandpeony

[Lethran]

You need clarifying sha,poo. Leave in conditioner also helps, as it coats the hairs so the chlorine has a harder time soaking in after. My BPAls are mostly fine, but I mostly use androgynous or masculine scents.

[Neveah]

Hello everyone! Summer is here, and that means my local pool is open again. I swim pretty much every day and although the chemicals that are put into the pool are not strong, it does get into my skin and presumably also alters the pH balance. I usually wash down afterwards with 'normal' water, and use a moisturiser to protect my skin, but a faint smell remains. I don't mind this, but it's messing with my bpals!

 

Does anyone else have experience with this, and any recommendations of things to wear that will not react with (or amp!) eau de outdoor pool. The aquatic notes I've tried bring up the chemicals even more. Vanilla scents seem to be okay, dragon's blood (my usual favourite) gets eaten by the chemicals and anything vaguely patchouli related just smells of really nasty strong patchouli and nothing else.

 

Any advice?

[halation]

Not a BPAL suggestion, admittedly, but: I used to spend about 12 hours a week teaching in a super-chlorinated public pool, and I found switching to soap-free body wash did really good things for my skin. I was getting really itchy and scaly and miserable until I did, and just a week of using a different body wash made a huge difference -- and as a bonus, it seemed to do a better job of reducing chlorine-reek. This was my favorite; it worked really well for me.

 

I wasn't into BPAL at the time, but I remember that resiny/incensy scents -- sandalwood, spices, opium -- worked better than florals or citrus, and tended to go wonky less often.

Edited June 4, 2011 by halation

[blktauna]

Ultraswim soaps and shampoo take the chlorine right out for me.

[Neveah]

thank-you, that's really useful. I use olive oil soap, so it both is and isn't soap, and again it's very moisturising. It does have a smell but it's natural. If I use this in the winter it just blocks up my pores, so clearly something is going on there.

 

I love the inscency / sandalwood smells. Haven't tried any opium notes yet...

[ljaylh]

Try the bath oils - a little bit in the shower or bath will deal with the chlorine smell.. I find Snake Oil bath oil works the best

[Neveah]

thank you to the forum mod who put these posts together! The bath oil idea is a really good one - I know when I use waterproof suntan cream it forms a really strong barrier. Have to be careful as some oils make burning worse though (pool is outside); I know citruses do this.

[Lethran]

 

I wasn't into BPAL at the time, but I remember that resiny/incensy scents -- sandalwood, spices, opium -- worked better than florals or citrus, and tended to go wonky less often.

 

This would explain why a lot of my scents still work.