The fingers tap on a hard and shiny surface, a delight for all ASMR lovers; then, with confident movements, they begin to remove piece by piece the gelatin layer that envelops the hair as if it were a helmet. This is not some obscure beauty ritual that exploits one of the most famous trends on TikTok, ASMR, but rather the procedure that all synchronized swimming athletes perform after a competition: the one that allows them to remove the layer of gelatin used to fix the strands during a race.
On TikTok, there are hundreds of videos posted by champions of this sport – who will debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics starting August 5 – in which athletes showcase tricks and secrets related to managing their hair during and after performances. The videos of Daniella Ramirez, who will compete with the U.S. artistic swimming team at Paris 2024, are the most viral of all, averaging 200 million views per post.
The layer that synchronized swimmers apply to their scalp to prevent some strands from escaping the bun (the most traditional hairstyle of synchronized swimmers) during the performance, which could jeopardize the outcome or the concentration of the swimmers, is simply food gelatin. The type commonly known in cooking as fish glue, to be precise. This was revealed by some American champions in an interview with Vogue to address one of the most common curiosities surrounding this sport. The product is dissolved in boiling water before covering the hair: as it dries, the mixture becomes solid, providing athletes not only with a flawless hairstyle in the water but also protection from chlorine in pool water, a substance that, over time, can become the number one enemy of hair health.
The problem is how to remove the gelatin helmet after the competition: Ramirez, along with several of her colleagues, have posted various tutorial videos on TikTok to explain the post-competition and the painful ritual that sees them engaged in completely removing the hardened gelatin from their scalp. The most commonly used method is warm water, which, albeit very slowly, can dissolve the mixture with the help of a fine-toothed comb.
The artistic swimming competitions at Paris 2024 will start on August 5 and will continue, including qualifying rounds and decisive matches, until August 1 at the Paris Aquatics Centre. The Italian team has two opportunities to take home a medal: the women’s duo event and the team event, where, for the first time, men will also be able to compete.