The Beach....

[Amber_Maiden]

Going to the beach/ocean in August... I need a game plan to protect my hair. I'll most likely be in the water a lot, but I'll be staying out of pools. Will the salt destroy my hair? I'm going to wear a big floppy hat to protect it as much as possible, but is there anything else I can do???

Thank you!!!

[UltraBella]

I just spent two weeks on a sailboat and I was in the water several hours each day. My hair honestly is not any worse for wear. I braided it before going in the water and I washed it or at least rinsed it each evening if I had been in the ocean. I conditioned well and used aloe vera as a leave in. I spent a bunch of time worrying for nothing !

[Scarlet_Heart]

I have heard a few people say here that it's a good idea to oil your hair before you leave the house and then get it soaked with regular water before you get in the ocean. It keeps the hair from soaking up so much of the salt water if it's already wet.

[Vespertine]

When I swim, I wet my hair in the shower, apply a leave in conditioner then put a swim cap on. After, I wash right away. I have often wondered, though, if the friction from the swim cap is worse than the chlorinated (in my case) water. I'll be curious to see what others say.

[Safira]

Oiling helps. It helped me. I don´t believe that the salt makes any difference in week or two.
Funny thing was that I noticed that if I swam at ocean with my hair loose, I didn´t need shampoo at all. Of course I shampooed my hair, but I believe that good rinsing made the same job.
And clarifying after vacation, I found that good thing.