Ah, summer. With it comes multiple opportunities to spend time outside. Time at the beach, either lounging on the sand or playing in the water.
Yes, relaxed ladies. I said playing in the water. Just because you have relaxed hair, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself, get some sun, or get your hair wet.
When it comes to taking a dip in the ocean, it’s not about getting your hair wet; it’s what the saltwater, sun, and wind can do to your hair and how you can minimize that impact.
While water can add moisture to the hair, saltwater combined with the sun can wreak havoc. Saltwater and UV rays from the sun can dry out the hair and raise the hair cuticle. This can cause dryness and frizziness. And when the hair is wet, it’s more likely to tangle.
Related read: How To Protect Your Hair This Summer
A day at the beach can be fun, but it could also be the start of a setback in your quest for healthy hair. Don't let it! Take action and do some prep for your hair before you head out into the sun and sand. Here are my key tips for prepping relaxed hair for a day at the beach.
Before the beach
My prepping tips start before your feet even touch the sand. These tips are all about the various ways to keep your hair protected throughout the day from the sun, wind, and water.
Saturate hair with fresh water
Before taking your first dip into the ocean, get your hair thoroughly wet with fresh, clean water. Hair is porous, so when it’s already saturated with fresh water, it absorbs less salt water and chlorine. Getting it saturated before getting into the ocean can help reduce dryness, brittleness, and tangling afterward.
You can do this by using a nearby beach shower or bringing your own bottle of water.
This is one of the easiest beach hair prep steps, but it can make a huge difference in how your relaxed hair feels later that day and acts later on in the week.
Apply conditioner or leave-in
This tip can be in place of the fresh water one or in addition to. If you don’t want to wet your hair before taking a swim, you can use a rinse-out conditioner instead. The conditioner will coat your strands and help keep them from absorbing too much of the saltwater.
If you want an extra protective buffer for your hair, you can wet it with the fresh water and then apply a rinse-out conditioner over top.
Additionally, the conditioner can help with reducing tangles, keep the hair feeling soft, and limit the amount of moisture the hair loses throughout the day.
I usually like using a cheap but moisturizing rinse-out conditioner for this because I don’t feel bad about using a generous amount before the beach. A lightweight leave-in also works well if you don’t want your hair to feel heavy.
Use UV protection
Yep, sunscreen. We usually think about sunscreen as something only for our skin, but our hair and scalp need to be protected just like the rest of our body. Prolonged sun exposure can wear down the hair cuticle, leaving hair feeling rough, dull, brittle, and more prone to split ends.
You can get this protection from a a couple of sources:
- A leave-in with UV protection: This could also double as the leave-in mentioned above that helps protect your hair from the saltwater
- Lightweight oils: Some natural oils, like sunflower oil, have some UV-blocking power
You can also protect your scalp and strands by wearing a hat or scarf for added coverage.
Wear protective style
Loose hair and beach wind are not a good combination. Wind creates friction, friction creates tangles, and tangles often lead to breakage.
Instead of wearing your hair down, try styles such as:
- flat twists
- braids
- a low bun using a satin scrunchie
- updo using a flat claw clip
- braided buns
Protective styles help keep your ends tucked away and prevent wet hair from knotting up.
Personally, I’ve found that buns are one of the easiest beach hairstyles because they keep my ends protected while also helping my hair stay moisturized longer. I typically use a satin scrunchie to put my hair up in a bun.
On beach days, I put my hair in a bun after I’ve wet it and applied a rinse-out conditioner.
During the beach day
Just like with sunscreen for our body, the protection we use for our hair needs to be maintained. It’s not just a set-and-forget-it type of thing. Here are things to do while you’re enjoying your time on the beach.
Refresh and reapply moisture to your hair
If you’re spending several hours outside, your hair may start feeling dry from the combination of sun, wind, and saltwater. There are a couple of things you can do to help with this.
The first is to rinse your hair with fresh water. No, you’re not having deja vu. While the first water rinse and conditioner application help to keep the hair from absorbing a lot of the saltwater, some is going to get absorbed. So starting over, kinda like with sunscreen, can be helpful.
The second is to reapply the conditioner. This is a really good idea if you’re in and out of the water multiple times. You don’t have to do this each time you’re about to go into the ocean, but it can be helpful to do it a couple of times.
You can make this easier by keeping small spray bottles with fresh water and leave-in conditioner in your beach bag. After swimming, lightly mist your strands and smooth a little conditioner over your hair if it starts feeling rough or tangled.
Wear a satin-lined hat or scarf
Sunscreen can help protect your hair from the sun's rays, but a hat is even better. It not only protects your hair, but it also keeps your scalp covered and protected from sunburn. Additionally, hats help to keep your hair safe from friction caused by sea breezes or wind.
If possible, wear:
- Satin-lined hats because the softness of the satin creates less friction against the hair than rough fabrics, helping reduce dryness and tangling
- Wide-brimmed hats are especially nice for beach days, because they protect both your hair and your face from constant sun exposure
After the beach
There are a few things you can and should do to your hair after leaving the beach.
Rinse ASAP
After swimming, rinse your hair with clean water as soon as possible. Don’t let salt water or chlorine sit on your hair for hours, baking in the sun. This is really important if you're not going to be able to shampoo your hair soon after. Such as you decide to eat somewhere, or have a long trip back to where you're staying.
Even a quick rinse at the beach shower can help start removing drying minerals, chlorine, salt, and sand before you properly wash your hair later.
If I know I won’t be able to shampoo immediately, I still try to at least rinse and apply a little conditioner to keep my hair from drying out on the ride home.
Shampoo and clean your hair
As soon as you’re able, give your hair a nice deep clean with a clarifying or chelating shampoo. This not only removes the saltwater but also sunscreen, sweat, and sand.
If you’re hitting the beach again the next day, a clarifying or chelating shampoo may be a bit too much to do back to back, so a good sulfate shampoo could do the trick.
Related read: 8 Great Shampoos For Summer Relaxed Hair Care
Deep condition
Beach days can leave relaxed hair feeling dry, rough, or stiff, so following up with a moisturizing deep conditioner is important.
A good deep conditioning session helps to
- restore moisture
- soften the hair
- improve elasticity
- reduce breakage
- improve manageability
This is one of those times where I’d definitely leave the deep conditioner on a little longer than usual, especially if your hair spent a lot of time in the ocean or sun. If you can, use heat to help the deep conditioner penetrate more deeply.
Great tips, I didn't know there was sunscreen for you hair, I am going to have to remember that for the future!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keoshia. Hair sunscreen was a new thing for me, but I discovered last summer when I was preparing for a trip to the Dominican Republic.
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