Swimming Healthy This Summer

My son and I are both pretty sensitive to chemicals so swimming poses a challenge for us. I don't have too much trouble swimming in a public pool that is chlorinated but my son gets pretty sick if the pool is overly chlorinated. Unfortunately most pools around here are. My son is six and he has not yet learned how to swim so this year we decided we needed to figure out a way to get him in the water and get him learning. We came up with a few options that other people can use to swim healthy this summer. If you do have to venture out to a public pool there are some other ways you can stay healthy as well.

Backyard Pool

If you want to invest in a pool for your own yard then you can control what kind of chemicals are or are not used in the pool. You can invest in an in-ground pool, above ground pool or easy set pool. Easy set pools are gaining popularity because they can be removed at the end of the season and are far cheaper than a regular pool. We attempted to purchase an easy set pool and set it up but your yard needs to be perfectly level to get it just right and it just wasn't working for us.

You can choose to minimally chlorinate your pool when you are in control. You can also purchase a salt water system that keeps your water clean without the use of harsh chemicals. There are also UV light systems that clean a pool with UV light rather than chemicals. The pool we chose to go to locally used UV light along with very minimal levels of chlorine. This is the only pool in the area that has this kind of technology so we were lucky to find it and get my son into lessons there.

Swim Spray

Because the pool we are attending uses chlorine in minimal amounts we still wanted to be safe and wash our son off immediately after exiting the pool. Soap normally won't cut it when you have chlorine on your skin. I discovered Swim Spray and was immediately intrigued. Swim Spray is simply a vitamin C spray that you spray onto your skin when you get out of the pool. It neutralizes the chlorine on your skin and you can immediately wash up using your normal soap and products. You can spray it on your hair, skin, face, etc. It could burn a bit if you get it into your nose or eyes so steer clear of those areas. You could even get this product in your mouth and all you'll notice is a sour taste. It isn't harmful at all. We tried this product out and it works beautifully. My son used it while mu husband did not. My son didn't have any traces of chlorine smell on his skin after showering and my husband did have a bit. My son never suffered any reaction to the pool so this is a great product to keep on hand for the summer.

J.R. Watkins Foaming Soap

Public pool and water areas can be pretty germy especially by the end of the season. There are plenty of people passing through and this moist environment is the perfect place for bacteria to grow. Even if you are stopping by the beach for some swimming you'll want to clean up before snacking or having a meal. J.R. Watkins has a great lemon scented foaming soap that is perfect to keep in your summertime bag. You can use it wherever you may be to clean yourself and the family up before heading to your next summertime adventure.

Alaffia

Public pools, beaches and more can all leave your skin and hair feeling dry and gross. After a long day of summertime fun you should keep some good quality products on hand to shower with and freshen up. Alaffia makes a great Virgin Coconut & Shea daily shampoo and conditioner that will get rid of the effects of the sun, salt, chlorine and more; leaving your hair feeling hydrated, clean and fresh without the use of harsh chemicals. I like to keep a bottle of their Authentic African Black Soap in my big swim bag so we can wash up after the pool. It smells great and lathers up beautifully. Alaffia's products are pretty affordable considering they are very high quality.