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More often than not, you will always find a swim cap in a seasoned swimmers swim gear. A swim cap and a good set of goggles is part and parcel of swimming gear. It plays a large factor in allowing you to feel comfortable in the water while keeping your hair out of the way and it keeps your goggles set in place.
If you are still debating if a swim cap is right for you or not, you might want to consider why it can make all the difference.
What Are the Perks of Using a Swimming Cap?
Besides the obvious reason of keeping your hair dry, swimming caps offer so much more than just that. A good fitting cap will protect your hair from the harsh chemicals inside of the water that can cause your hair to dry out or even change color. Swimming on a regular basis without a swim cap can cause serious damage to your hair.
While a swim cap might not keep your hair one hundred percent dry, it will lessen the impact of the water and keep your hair out of your face and goggles while swimming. This will automatically help you lessen the drag effect as you practice to increase your speed and shield your head from the sun’s direct rays.
Not All Swim Caps Are Equal
You have a choice of three main different kinds of caps – latex, silicone and lycra.
Latex caps are the least expensive but are known to be fragile, allowing them to tear easily and sometimes cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to latex. While silicone caps are thicker and more robust, they tend to be a bit more expensive than the latex caps.
The lycra caps are made more for leisure swimming and are not meant for serious swimmers, as they are not as tight around the head as you would need for moving at fast speeds through water.
Find Your Perfect Swim Cap
There are a few things to keep in mind when you are buying your swim cap. If you have longer hair that you need to cover, a lycra or latex cap will be your best bet. This is because they are tighter and will keep your hair up better than a silicon cap could. A lycra cap is also less likely to crease or snag your hair.
When picking out your cap, make sure that it is fairly tight on your head so that it will keep your hair fast while you swim. You might want to try on your goggles as well as cap at the same time to get a good idea of how it feels on, especially if you will be swimming competitively.
If you will be swimming only for fun, a silicone cap would be ideal for you. With its thicker material and softer fit, it won’t snag your hair like the other caps and will give a more comfortable fit.
Pro-Tip: Professional swimmers use two swim caps to keep their goggles
in place. Place your goggles over the first cap and place the second cap
over the top for maximum best fit.
