Swimming is a great joy of summer but can leave your hair dry and spent with exposure to saltwater and chlorine. Continuous exposure to ocean and pool water can wreak havoc on your hair, and damage hair cuticles. Here are a few tips for enjoying the pool and beach without over-exposing yourself to the elements.
1- Use Hair & Scalp Serum to Coat Your Locks Before Swimming
How can you protect your hair if you’re a frequent swimmer? Water and oil! (Yes, they mix in this case). Completely soaking your hair to fill it will fresh water before jumping in a chlorinated pool or salt water is a tried and true swimmer's trick. For extra protection, douse your wet hair in a natural oil like our Hair & Scalp Serum (formerly Mermaid Hair Oil). The oil will lessen the contact chlorine and salt water make with your hair. Oil will also protect against the drying effects of the sun. A few drops will go a long way to softer, less frizzy hair. We have recently increased the size of this product from 1oz to 2oz so you can douse your hair more frequently, while reducing packaging.
2- Avoid Heat Styling
Summer is a great time to put down the styling tools and adjust to an effortless hair care routine. Air drying your hair is the best option in the summer, so finding the right products to tame frizz and shape curls is key. Our Hair & Scalp Serum can be used as a light serum to tame flyaways, and applied to the ends of hair to keep it looking healthy. Sea Salt Spray works best with medium to fine hair that needs a little extra help maintaining curl and texture. Experiment with air drying, and try to get comfortable with your natural hair texture to prevent damage from heat styling.
3. Try a Scalp Oil Massage
Head over to our recent blog to learn how to use our Hair & Scalp Serum as a nourishing scalp treatment. Caring for your scalp is important year-round, but chlorine exposure in the summertime can make your hair more porous, resulting in frizz and breakage. Some people are also very sensitive to chlorine and it can irritate the scalp.
4. Wear a Hat
Wearing a hat in the sun is one of the best ways to protect your hair. It also protects your scalp and shades your upper body, so even though we know you’re using SPF, a hat will ensure that the most precious skin on your body isn’t over-exposed.
5. Stay Hydrated
Keeping hydrated is so important every day, but even more so when it’s 90 degrees and sunny. For an electrolyte-rich hydrating drink that is as beautiful as it is tasty, try our Captain, Jana’s Mer-Made Recipe from her book, Wild Beauty.
6. Deep Condition
That same oil you used before your dip, you can use again to make your conditioner into a deep conditioning treatment. Add a drop or two to a rich, natural butter- based conditioner, like our Hydrate Conditioner with Aloe & Shea. Coat just the ends of your hair (the oil may be too rich for roots depending on your hair type) and leave in for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
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