How to Protect Your Hair at the Beach and Pool During the Summer

A summer spent at the beach and by the pool can spell disaster for your hair. However, there are a few very simple steps you can take to protect your hair from the sun, chlorine, and salt water.

How to Protect Your Hair in the Sun

Every time you go outside in the summer, you expose your hair to the harsh rays of the sun. Most people know to protect their skin in the summer by applying sunscreen, but very few people think to protect their hair. Too much exposure to heat and sunlight can leave your hair dry, dull, and lifeless.

The best way to protect your hair is to keep it covered up if you will be spending a long time in direct sunlight. A headscarf, a baseball cap, or any cute hat will do. Covering your hair also does you the favor of keeping your scalp and the tops of your ears from getting sunburned.

If you don't want to cover your hair, then treat it the same way you treat your skin; cover your hair in sunscreen. If you have long hair, it is a good idea to pull your hair back into a braid and coat it in a layer of sunscreen.

In the summer, I like to create my own hair protection concoction and keep it in a spray bottle to carry with me and spray on my hair every time I go outside. I mix equal parts sunscreen and conditioner with a bit of water and a squirt of lemon juice. The sunscreen protects my hair and the conditioner makes it soft as the sun helps it soak in. The lemon juice adds natural looking highlights to my hair that give it a great beachy, California look. If you have dark hair or do not want to add any highlights, you can just skip the lemon juice and the mixture will still work great.

How to Protect Your Hair at the Pool

The chlorine in pool water protects you from bacteria, but can wreak havoc on your hair. The best way to protect your skin and your hair is to rinse off in fresh water as soon as you get out of the pool. If you can't rinse off, Malibu Wellness sells a product that can be added to wet hair after swimming to remove the chemicals and protect your hair. Sometimes, after a summer of swimming at the pool, blonde hair starts to turn a shade of green. If that happens to you, don't freak out. Many brands sell chlorine removal shampoos that will return your hair to its normal shade. TRISWIM has a whole line of hair products formulated specifically for swimmers.

How to Protect Your Hair at the Beach

Swimming in salt water is bad for both your hair and skin. After a swim in the ocean, try to locate the nearest shower and rinse off immediately. If you cannot find any shower nearby, the next best thing is to find a water bottle and pour some clean water over your hair and face. If you plan on spending more time in the sun after swimming, coat your hair in a sunscreen and conditioner mixture to protect it from the harsh rays.

Summer is great time for fun and relaxation, but it can also lead to a lot of damage to your hair. As long as you take a few steps to protect your hair from the elements, you won't find yourself needing to cut off your lovely locks at summer's end.

Sources:

http://www.malibuwellness.com/content/CN_Product_Detail.aspx?Product_Catalog_Number=5915

http://www.tri-swim.com/