Hi Sirick, baking soda and chlorine do not mix well together. Also, I suggest you wet your dreads before using the pool and then rinse the chlorine out well when finished.
My drying time has been cut down dramatically by using a micro fiber towel, like a Shamwow, to absorb a ton of water out of the hair, Great for rainy days too. Those towels literally suck the water right out. They can be found in most auto sections in most stores. My other towel tip is to use a regular towel that is the same color as your own hair, that way any towel lint will not be noticeable when it stick to your dreads, dreads love to swallow towel lint.
When using the blowdryer, besides using it on low and cool heat, make sure to constantly move it around so that you do not damage your dreads. Even do it for only a few minutes, stop for a couple of minutes to cool down your dreads, then do it again etc...blowdryers over time can damage the hair, whether it is dreaded or not, so just use with caution.
You may pay a bit for shipping, but I really do recommend the shampoos from Dreadlocks Shampoo. Vicky makes the best ones that can be found, and they were made with hard water in mind, which many of us have, they rinse out perfectly and leave no residues. I used baking soda for my first year, now I use her shampoos and they are just the cats meow.
Have fun swimming.....Peace
