Beach vacation hair tips?

[shoosie]

Hi I'll be going on a beach vacation end of this month. A bit of background info. My hair was bleached before 5 months ago but is currently dyed a dark colour to nurse it back to health. And I've been taking care of it, not blowdrying and using oils and masks etc.

My hair is damaged so I'm trimming it an inch every 2 to 3 months because I am trying to grow it out. My hair is apl and my goal is bsl.

1) Do you recommend that I trim it before or after the trip? I'm thinking of babying it during the trip and then get it cut end of next month but not sure if it's feasible as it depends on whether my hair got worse after the vacation.

2) I'm thinking of going to a salon to get a hair treatment as well. Should I do it before or after the trip?

3) Any tips to prevent further damage during the trip?

[Kellylee]

I would get a trim and a treatment after. Putting coconut oil in your hair and putting it in a French braid would probably help. You could wear a hat if it is really sunny. Just wash and condition it if you get saltwater in it.

[Wildcat Diva]

If it's windy, WEAR IT UP. Mucho tangles in the wind. Last time I thought I be all cute on a date with my husband at the beach, but it was unnecessary to wear it down, really. I had to cut a dreaded part out afterwards.

[hypersensitive]

Baby it before, during and after. Salt water and wind are the worst! (stupid nature). Make sure to take precautions- wear it protected, keep it moisturized, wash out the salt asap, and be extra gentle with it.

[shoosie]

Thanks all!! Any protective styles to recommend? :)

[Ophidian]

I second coconut oil (heavily, if you don't mind the wet look), and a french braid (or double french braids) with your length.

Also, a totally unrelated question--are you trimming an inch off every 2-3 months and still seeing growth? If so, your hair grows fast!

[spidermom]

I've tried 3 ways to protect my hair during beach vacations (my favorite): 1) Wet hair, add conditioner, braid. 2) Wet hair, apply oil, braid. 3) Wet hair, apply coney serum, braid. #3 worked the best by far. Oh, and at the end of each day, I'd wash and condition my hair.

[sarahthegemini]

Tbh if your hair is that damaged anyway, I'd just put it up, forget about it and enjoy your holiday.

[emptyque]

A few people have already mentioned coconut oil, but I wanted to say that some people put coconut oil on their hair before swimming because it makes the hair more water resistant. I haven't tried it, but I plan on doing so when I visit the beach this summer.

[Mrstran]

My only tip would be to avoid putting anything in your hair that is food related or sweet smelling. Stick to products with more of a bland or perfume smell. Lol. Unless you like bugs.

[Deborah]

For me the key thing is to keep it up and contained in a secure bun, protected from wind and most everything else.

[DweamGoiL]

I just got back from 5 days at the beach in the Caribbean sun, and I highly recommend coconut oil. I love to snorkel and swim so I braided it and the mask's elastic was less catchy that way. After swimming, I washed with sulfates, which I don't normally do and conditioned it well. It was totally fine!

On the last day, when I didn't feel like swimming, I just did more coconut oil and wore a sun hat.