Swimming is a great low-impact, and total body workout.
It’s fun, relaxing, and keeps you fit. But the chlorine used to keep out harmful bacteria from the pool water can also strip your hair and skin of its natural oils. This can cause dry and brittle hair.
Avoid swimming in the first month when you get new dreadlocks. After the first month, your dreads are no longer delicate. At this later stage, swimming causes your hair to become loose. Twisting the straight hair at the roots into knots is much easier after the first month.
Plan Your Swimming
Ideally, you would swim on the days when you already planned to wash your locs. In general, avoid getting your dreads wet on numerous occasions.
When you are planning to swim in a pool, shower before and after you enter the swimming pool.
Showering before you enter the pool allows the water to enter the pores of your dreads and minimizes the effects of chlorine and other chemicals in the pool water. The same applies to showering after your swim. Additionally, use a good conditioner to put back moisture in your locs and repair the damage caused by the exposure to low-grade chemicals in the pool.
Failing to dry your dreads completely can lead to odd-smelling locs. Ensure that your dreadlocks are completely dry after a rigorous workout in a pool.
What about swimming in the ocean or sea?
We already answered a similar question, will swimming in the sea help my dreadlocks.