If you are here to find the answer to every swimmer’s primary concern; No, swim caps do not keep water out of ears.
Swimming is an incredibly helpful activity for people looking for ways to stay energetic and healthy. While you can enjoy swimming benefits as much as you want, you must care for a few factors like not getting water into your ears. Sometimes water may get entrapped in your ear during swimming and not come out for days. And if left untreated, it might result in the swimmer’s ears causing a bacterial infection.
Swim caps do not help prevent water from getting into your ears. Yet, it can be helpful combined with others like using earplugs. Let’s tell you how to use swim caps to keep water out of your ears.
How Swim Caps Keep Water Out of Ears
Find the Right Swim Cap
The first step to saving yourself from getting water in your ears is to find a suitable swim cap. Most swim caps are made of water-resistant material that helps save your hair from getting wet. If you want to protect your ears from water, choose a swim cap with ear flaps. It is even better to pick one with a chin strap to ensure your gear stays covered.
Wear the Cap Properly
The next step is to wear the cap properly. If you do not wear the cap properly, it will not prevent water from wetting your ears and hair. Place one end of the cap on your forehead and eventually draw it back down your head. Stretch it well to make sure that all your hair is covered from the front to the back.
Use Ear Plugs
If you thought earplugs are only good to keep the noise away, there’s more!
Earplugs are excellent to keep your ears safe from pool water. Just plug them into your ears before diving into the pool. You may wear them with a cap or without it. Earplugs come in disposable and reusable choices. It is recommended to use disposable earplugs unless you are latex allergic.
Wear an Ear Band
Besides swim caps and earplugs, you can use swimming ear bands to keep water out of the ear. These are bands that have flaps to cover your ears entirely. As they fix across your head tightly, water is very unlikely to enter your ears. However, they do not protect your hair from the water.
Benefits of Wearing a Swim Cap
Wearing a swimming cap is not only attributed to keeping your hair dry but also performs a few other functions like:
- It helps keep the hair out of the water and offers you a better head hydrodynamic to move faster in the water.
- While they were not initially meant to be used to keep the hair dry, silicone or latex-based swim caps perform that function well.
- They save your hair from chlorinated water.
- It makes sure that hair does not get stuck in the filtration system.
- Swim caps also help keep your head warm in a cold environment.
- It may not seem significant, but they make you more visible. It is of great importance in open water for safety measures.
FAQs
Which swim caps are the best?
It is better to choose swimming caps made of latex or silicone as they are waterproof and can help keep your hair and ears dry. It also helps keep water away from getting into the ear during showering. Lycra swim caps are not a good choice because they are not waterproof.
How long can water stay in the ear?
Water can stay for around 1 to 2 days in the ear. However, rush to the doctor if it doesn’t come out and cause pain or swelling.
How to tell if you have water in your ears?
Some of the common signs and symptoms of water in the ears include redness and swelling, pain, fluid coming out of the ear, etc.
Meet me; I am Paulina Zaniewska, who’s more hooked on providing the best health blog. I’ve always been so determined to compete as a nutritionist, and here I am, done with a Master’s in food technology. My brilliant performance throughout encouraged me to help people.