Worried about exposure to chlorine in chlorinated pools this Summer but don’t want to skip out on the fun? These tools help you make the pool a safer experiences and detox this Summer. 

How to Detox Chlorine from Kid's Bodies

Worried About Chlorine in Chlorinated Pools? How to Detox Chlorine from Kid’s Bodies

In the summer months, time at the pool hits an all-time high which means exposure to the chemical, chlorine does too.

Chlorine can be effective in small doses at killing harmful bacteria, but it can also disrupt the natural PH balance of your skin, hair, gut and body. It’s also a toxin can be harmful when it comes into contact with eyes, throat, and lungs (per the CDC.)

Chlorine can react to other compounds already in the water and on the body (sunscreen, shampoo, bug spray, perfume, personal products, etc.) which no one knows the exact biological reaction that can cause uniquely to each person.

What we know is that harmful toxins can be absorbed through the skin, through soft tissues and swallowed, possibly contributing to health risks that effect various your body.

I grew up a competitive swimmer and for 10 years, I swam 2 – 4 hours every day in a chlorinated pool, then sat in the stands at indoor swim meets inhaling the smell of chlorine on weekends. Chlorine became my own kind of perfume as it wafted off my skin as if it was my own “scent.”

Now my kids are on the neighborhood summer swim league and love going to the pool with their friends. We’ve seen some reactions to chlorine over the years such as itchy eyes, rashes, coughing, nausea, runny nose and allergy-like symptoms that we don’t experience at nature sources of water or with salt-water pools.

Maybe this sounds familiar or you’re here because you’re curious about how to detox your child or have a safer experience at the pool. I’ll cover various different tools you can easily find and implement.

 

Finding a Health Balance This Summer 

It’s true that while I’m a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Integrative Health Specialist, who tries to live as non-toxic as possible, I still let my kids swim in chlorinated pools. The holistic community has become very fearful about the amount of toxins present in our lives and for awhile I went down that fear-based rabbit hole too.

In my opinion, exposure to toxins is inevitable, and stressing about all your kids come in contact with day-to-day, can actually do more harm than the toxins themselves.

Fear is a catalyst for dis-ease and my philosophy is that we need to do our best to live a balanced life (within reason), even if that means we swim in chlorinated pools.

My kids love to swim and play with their friends at the pool, but there are ways to swim safter and assist their bodies in purging chlorine after they’ve been at the pool.

We’re at the pool regularly in the Summer, so make a concerted effort to support my kids’ bodies in detoxing, but we do have a few tools at home to ensure we keep their exposure to toxins low. This means, that during the Summer, I don’t worry as much about pool time.

Chlorine exposure can also happen at home too if you’re drinking and bathing in unfiltered tap water.

Over time, this exposure can build up and impact children’s ability to properly detox, especially since their body mass is smaller than adults, and they’re more vulnerable.

This is why I advocate for making smart choices outside the pool such as eating a nutrient-rich diet, drinking filtered water and bathing in filtered water at home, and supplement where needed.

And live your life, knowing you’re finding a balance at home.

How to Detox Chlorine from Kid's Bodies

Picture This….

Think about your body as a rain barrel, collecting substances, toxins, pathogens, and more. You want to keep your rain barrel as drained as possible so that when you have exposures to these kinds of things like chlorine or bromine, your body doesn’t become overwhelmed and flow over (when you see symptoms.) When the rain barrel is low, your body possess the natural ability to detox itself.

Learn about how to prep for swimming in a chlorine pool and supportive tools to help detox afterwards.

 

Prep Before Getting in Chlorinated Water

Before you get into the pool, quickly shower. Your skin will absorb chlorine directly into the blood stream and tissues but showering before you enter the water will cut exposure.

 

Use Vitamin C Spray

Vitamin C has been shown to reduce residual chlorine (Pub Med PMID: 11256708). You can buy this online here or you can make your own. Here’s how to do this:

  • You’ll need one spray bottle
  • Use ½ tsp Sodium Ascorbate (vitamin c)
  • Mix it with ½ cup filtered water
  • Spray the skin and all over the body before and after swimming.
  • Note: This loses its effectiveness after 3-4 days. Make a fresh bottle every couple of days.

 

Lather on Coconut Oil

Using coconut oil on your skin before swimming creates a protective barrier so you don’t absorb as much chlorine.

 

Post-Swimming Tips 

Always shower or bathe after swimming at the pool. You can use these tools to help purge chlorine from the body system and support your body’s natural detox abilities.

 

Chlorine Removing Shampoo and Soaps

 

Take an Epsom Salt or Magnesium Bath

After the pool, take an Epsom salt or magnesium flake bath to spur detox in the body. This draws out chlorine. You can add one cup of Epsom salt (without fragrance) or magnesium flakes to a tub full of water.

If you want to remove chlorine from bath water, these Vitamin C bath drops will do this.

You can also add a dropper of iodine to the water for detox as well.

 

Don’t Shower in Chlorine at Home (but do shower after swimming always)

Using a shower head, or whole house water filter with a Vitamin C filter (we have this vitamin c filtering shower head in our home), will remove chlorine exposure so that when you rinse off at home, you aren’t adding to the problem.

How to Detox Chlorine from Kid's Bodies

Drink Water to Help Remove From the System

Figi water which is naturally high in silica content, helps gently remove impurities from the body.

As long as your water source isn’t tap water, and you’re using filtered or distilled water, this helps the body cleanse itself without additional toxin exposures.

 

Supplements
*This is not medical advice. 

Supplement with taurine (we like taurine pure encapsulations brand) and vitamin c (we like Mary Ruth’s vitamin C for kids and body bio liposomal vitamin c.)

Take a binder to capture toxins in the system, properly bind them and remove them from tissues, organs and structures. (we like Takesumi Supreme from Supreme Nutrition, Smilax from Supreme Nutrition.) I do not recommend activated charcoal for this use or any long-term use due to mineral depletion and because it does not cross the blood-brain barrier to properly detox.)

Note: Binders don’t taste very good but can easily be mixed with honey, applesauce, or a smoothie to hide the taste.

 

Eat Skin Protecting Foods

  • Cruciferous foods
  • Leafy greens
  • Carrots and sweet potatoes
  • Avocados, nuts and seeds
  • Grapes
  • Tomatoes
  • Watermelon
  • Berries
  • Green tea and matcha

 

Homepathic Remedies for Chlorine Reactions
*This is not medical advice. 

Chlorinum Homepathy Remedy

I am always getting asked about homeopathic remedies for issues after swimming in chlorine pools, and the remedy for this (not medical advice) is Chlorinum 30c! You can get it on amazon in 30c here.

Consider 3 pellets under the tongue (away from food, drink and mint substances) after swimming and every hour for up to 3 hours.

 

Silica Homepathy Remedy

Silicia cell salt or silica 30c will help the body naturally purge toxins and is a gentle detoxify. 3 pellets after swimming (away from food, drink and mint.)

 

Seek Out Alternatives to Chlorine Pools

Search for a salt water pool in your town or hit up naturally occurring water sources like lakes, rivers, streams, hot springs and the ocean where you won’t experience reactions because chemicals aren’t present in these places.

 

 

More Summer Resources for Healthy Kids:

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