Do you love to swim? Are you afraid of getting your hair wet? Regardless of the texture of your hair, you CAN get in the water…and get your hair wet…you just need to do some prep work before you do.

Here are your do’s and don’t for your Summer Hair

Nothing crazy…but maybe some things you didn’t know, or no one taught you, or you might not have considered. We will talk about water, moisturizing, and styling…styling for comfort…styling for simplicity…and styling for protection. And, yes! These tips work for your littles, as well!

The number one thing you need to be doing, regardless of your hair length, texture etc.:

If you plan to get your head in the water…put your head in the water first.

Say what? Yep! Soak that mane, darlin! Fill it up with water. I’d even recommend some conditioner or leave in, as well. Now, wherever you are swimming…be considerate…if you’re going to swim with ANY product in your hair…make sure those are natural, and water soluble. No need to add more stuff to the pools and beaches. So, here are the basics of what and why, and then we will step by step the process. – don’t worry…this is a short post. I like simple hair care. Don’t you?

1. It doesn’t matter so much where you wet it…as long as it’s clean water. You can wet your hair at home, at the shower by the pool, from a hose pipe…what ever works. Just wet it.
2. The GOAL is to fill the hair shaft with water. Or conditioner. Or both. What does this do? This fills the hair. Now the water you don’t want in your hair can’t get in. See where this is heading?
3. Chlorine. Do I even have to say it? It will dry out your hair, potentially fade your color…and potentially change the actually color of your hair. As a child, I walked around with hair almost as green as the Incredible Hulk’s. I wish I had a photo to show you.
4. Salt water. Whether from the pool or the ocean, can be drying and damaging to your hair. As much as we all love some good, authentic beach waves, let’s not over do it and expect that we can get that all the time without paying a price. Salt loves moisture. It will take it from your hair. We often actually USE Sea Salt Spray to add texture and volume to our hair…so it can’t be bad, right? If you’re just spending a day at the beach, or in a salt water pool – no worries…swim on. It’s when you will have frequent swims that you might want to take care with salt water.
5. Lake/River water. Well, it’s just gross and smelly. Unless your lucky enough to have a super clean spot…that’s all.

Alright, here’s what to do:

1. Wet your hair with warm water. This will open up the hair shaft to let the water in.
2. Soak it. I don’t mean just wet it…I mean REALLY get it wet. The are techniques called ‘roping’, ‘pulsing’, ‘raking’, etc…that will help get the water in. Here is a great resource for styling strategies: https://www.consciouslycurly.com/ Yes, it’s intended for curly hair. Yes, it works for any hair type. You want to see good wet hair, ‘clumps’ we call them, without those random strings/strands of unmoisturized hair. You can gently squeeze out or use your favorite hair towel or a cotton t-shirt to soak up the excess water. My favorite is my Bamboo Hair Towel. It is currently out of stock. Let me know if you’d me to let you know when it’s back in stock.
3. Optional: Add some conditioner or a leave-in conditioner. This just gives you a little extra moisturizing boost and, also, fills the hair with good stuff. Now theirs no room for the bad stuff.
4. Give it a cool water blast. This will close the hair shaft and lock in the water and conditioner. You don’t want to rinse out the conditioner. And you can add a little extra conditioner after this step, for good measure.
5. Make a bun, or braid. This will keep your hair up, out of the water to a point, and bundled together to keep in that water and conditioner you added. I generally go with a bun on top of my head. I don’t recommend rubber bands/hair ties if you will be swimming…you’re going to end up with a tangled mess, especially if you have fine hair.
6. Rinse it out when you’re done! Once your day in the sun and surf is complete, take a moment to rinse out your hair or shower. This will get out any yuck that managed to sneak in their. It’s ok if you wanna chill for a bit, or have an after sun nap…but, you really don’t want to skip this step, especially if chlorine is involved.

But what if you’re NOT planning to get your hair wet and will just be at the pool, beach, or other outdoor venue this summer?

How to protect your hair from the heat:

1. A hat! Yep, a good old fashioned straw hat is your bestie.
2. Protective styles. Braids, buns, twists, even a simple pony tail.
3. Thermal protection. There are many thermal sprays on the market, and they aren’t just for heat styling. You can also use these to protect your hair and your color from the sun and excessive exposure to heat and environmental pollutants.

When you’re all finished, give your hair a good clean rinse, a co-wash, and clarify if needed.

Now, go enjoy your day in the sun…get your hair wet…or don’t! I’d love to hear from you and what your hair texture and length is so I can bring you information you need. I don’t pretend to be an expert by any means, but I’ve done LOTS of reading, reviewing and asking of the questions, and am happy to do more for you!

Subscribers to this series will be entered to win a hair care package from me! Details coming soon!

Much Love to you and yours!

Cindi

^{Self proclaimed Godmother of the Messy Bun Mafia.}

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