Why are swimming caps not designed to keep your hair dry?
- 18 Feb 2022
A big misconception people have is that caps are purely designed to keep your hair dry. So why does everyone think they are designed for this? Though some caps do keep your hair dry, it’s an added bonus as opposed to its primary purpose. This essentially leaves the burning question…
So, what are swim caps for?
Swim caps are made for a number of reasons, listed below are the key reasons to wear a swimming cap.
- For Aerodynamics
A swim cap will reduce water drag and keep your hair out of your face so that you can see as you swim. This is important for competitions and racing as it will lessen the hydrodynamic drag whilst in the water and will make your swimming more efficient, and consequently faster.
- To be hygienic
Those who tend to swim without a cap lose hair in the pool, resulting in hair floating in the water and clogging up pond filters. To help keep ponds clean, wear a cap that will stop any stray hairs from getting in your, or your fellow swimmers, way.
- To keep your hair in good condition
Even though your hair can still get wet, caps prevent the chlorinated water from saturating your hair, preventing dry or damaged hair. It is especially important for those who swim more regularly to wear a cap to avoid any damage caused by the chlorinated pool.
- To be visible in the water
Whether you swim at a pool or in open water, caps help you be seen by lifeguards and bystanders to identify a swimmer in the water. In addition, competitive swimmers wear caps to represent their team and be able to keep track of their laps!
- To keep you warm
If you swim in open water, a neoprene cap will help you to retain heat in your head whilst you’re in the cold water. It works similarly to wearing a woolly hat on a cold day!
- And for fun!
Sometimes, you just have to wear a cap that is fun, stylish, and bright! Sometimes you just have to unleash your personality with a quirky design or crazy pattern. Caps are supposed to be fun for training, leisurely swimming, and open water swimming, so have fun picking out the right cap for you!
If you are looking for a cap to keep your hair dry, then the best advice is to ensure you have a tight-fitting cap such as a silicone cap. You can even wear two caps, such as a lycra cap underneath the silicone cap.
Lycra and polyester swim caps are also great for children learning to swim who are discouraged by the usual swimming caps.
At Proswimwear we stock SoCozy, which is a haircare brand focussed on protecting swimmer’s hair. The SoCozy Swim Leave-In Treatment + Detangler 8oz, this spray is specially formulated to smoothen, detangle and defend hair from harmful pool chemicals, it is also infused with Beeswax and Jojoba to prevent chlorine and salts from damaging hair. The SoCozy 3 in 1 (Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash)
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