Swimming is great exercise for me--it doesn't take very long, and it doesn't require much ability (except what I learned in swimming lessons and required swimming classes in H.S. Phys. Ed. classes). It gets me fit, yet lean--and nicely adds a bit of bulk to my mostly-stick arms :-)I don't need to get together with a team, and here in Cedar Rapids, at least, there are lap lanes available most times of the day at the Y, so I can squeeze in a swim just about any time.
Still, there are some aspects of swimming I just dislike. Luckily I've found some ways of dealing with them.
One is the hair issue. That chlorine really does a number on one's hair, especially if it is, ahem, highlighted. And in summer, my hair is pretty challenged already--what with the high humidity that makes it frizz.
I always use a swim cap, and that helps a lot. I bought one of those silicone swim caps a few years ago, and it's WAY better than the old latex ones: softer and much more durable (usually the latex ones only last a year or less).
Recently, I've also been putting conditioner on my wet hair before I put on the cap. This works great. It keeps the chlorine out and gives my hair a spa treatment!
Of course, I also need layers of "product" once I shampoo after the swim: moisturizing shampoo, more conditioner, silicone serum, gel. . . .
Another thing I always hated was goggle eyes--the ugly indentations goggles left around my eyes after a swim. If you swim early in the day, people all day will be asking you if you're not feeling well!
Solution: new goggles. Look at these! 
I'm sure I look very scary or weird in them, but they do NOT leave goggle marks, so I wear them. A friend who does triathlons also got some, so I am in good company.
It's possible I'll swim laps at the outdoor pools this summer. The pool near us has lap swim 12-1. But probably I'll just go to the Y because that's where all my problem-solving gear is!
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