How do you keep your hair safe at the beach?

[Pear Martini]

Summer is just around the corner and I am the biggest beach bum you will ever meet. I love being by the ocean, swimming, finding shells, and being followed by schools of tiny fish.

I am sure I am not the only long hair or long hair wannabe who is wondering what to do with his/her hair at the beach to keep it safe from drying out and damage.

I'm pretty sure a swim cap is the best option but I am too vain to wear one here in Miami Beach :o

[Kaileida]

Oil it! I believe that would help quite a lot.

[Misery]

I tend to run around like a feral and then spend an hour untangling...
=P

I find if I get it into a tight bun it doesn't get tangled while swimming.

[jera]

You're more humid down in FL than we are up here, but I find herbal hair rinses keep my hair soft. It's the salt in the air and sea that causes all the drying to our hair at the beach. :(

If the day is windy my hair has to go up because it would take forever to comb through all the snarls and I'd never escape without losing a bunch of hair. Blah.

[JamieLeigh]

Definitely oil first, or apply conditioner right before you go into the water - that way your hair will already have soaked those things in and will not soak up as much salt water or chlorine. :)

I hate swim caps too, so I just do a braided bun and secure with pins. If your hair is still too short for that, most updos - if you oil them first - should stay secure pretty well through swimming. :D When you're out in the sun and not swimming, I'd suggest a hat or scarf :)

[Arctic_Mama]

Even something as simple as wetting it down well before going in will help - your won't get your dry cuticle sucking in the briny water. I agree that oiling and conditioning is also a great idea, but a swim cap is indeed best.

[Purdy Bear]

I think the salt will be a major problem, I know it was when I spent a lot of time in the sea. There was something you can do for the salt prewash after dipping in the sea, but I cant for the life of me remember it (it was a cross channel swimmer who told me), I think it may have been a ACV rinse before shampooing.

Anyhow, remember to give yourself a really good rinse down every time your in the water, and once you get home, as the salt in the air will affect you.

[cira]

Wich kind of oil is better for you to oil the hair at the sea? You use it only on the lenght or you oil the scalp too? And finally, it's better oil the hair wet or dry?
Sorry for so much questions and for my terrible english... :(

[JenniferNoel]

Wich kind of oil is better for you to oil the hair at the sea? You use it only on the lenght or you oil the scalp too? And finally, it's better oil the hair wet or dry?
Sorry for so much questions and for my terrible english... :(

My vote (because I do this myself) would be to just oil the whole thing. Your hair will be thanking you for it!
I actually oil my hair, and put it in a braid... or under a bandanna or scarf. But for loose hair, oil all over works for me the best. And because I don't swim frequently, I can't say which oil is the best, but every time I hit the beach I use EVOO. :)

[Torrin Paige]

I've found that coating my hair in the same sunscreen I use on my body really helps to protect my hair. It's so oily anyway and I figure the SPF has to be a good thing. It also has the benefit of making your hair look all cool and beachy like the Hollywood starlets who pay good money for a professional stylist to make it look that way. I use Banana Boat Sport Performance SPF 85 (I'm ultra caucasian and burn like the dickens) and I love it because it's a clear spray and it's not greasy. It also has the added benefit of being very water and sweat resistant so I don't have to reapply so often.

[Amraann]

I just recently moved from the Keys were I lived on the beach for many years.
I usually put some coconut oil in it before going to the beach.
Sometimes I would bring some shea butter with me to put on periodically while there.

[spidermom]

I saturate mine with oil or conditioner and then do 2 snug dutch-style braids to keep it contained as much as possible.

[Beets]

I tend to run around like a feral and then spend an hour untangling...

Ha! Me, too.


I've found that coating my hair in the same sunscreen I use on my body really helps to protect my hair.

Now this is an interesting idea!

This year, I'm planning on shea butter slathers and then a single braid down the back. When I was a swimmer in high school, I used Cholesterol cream and then tucked it into a swim cap (of which there are many cutesy ones nowadays!), but it's mineral oil-based and has lots of other chemicals I don't recognize, so while it worked, I'd probably choose something more natural for myself now.

[Nera]

Am I the only one with hair that loves seawater?
Seriously, I spend months in Spain on the beach every year.
Within those months I hardly ever have to wash or condition my hair!?
It's in the most amazing condition when I swim in the ocean. I don't understand it...

[Liss]

Am I the only one with hair that loves seawater?
Seriously, I spend months in Spain on the beach every year.
Within those months I hardly ever have to wash or condition my hair!?
It's in the most amazing condition when I swim in the ocean. I don't understand it...

I have a friend that swears by sea water for keeping her hair nice, but it doesn't work for me! I love the idea of wearing my hair down at the beach, but the wind, sand, sweat and salt water just turn it into a giant birds nest. For that reason, it gets tied up.

My flatmate gave me a bottle of Kerastase Huile Généreuse UV protection oil spray for the pool and beach. I tried it out and really don't see how it would be much different from using my regular hair oils. Although, it did give my hair the most amazing blinging shine, so I've decided to rename it Flashlight in a Bottle. :p

[Tangerine]

Nera, I had a friend in high school who had similar curls to yours. He lived close to the beach (in Katwijk) and in summer would often dip in the sea instead of the shower in the mornings, as it did wonders for his hair! Really defined his curls even more.

So maybe your texture is better suited to it than other hair types?