I'm going to the beach... Help me!

[HairySherry]

Hey, ladies (and gents)! I'm hoping you can help me out. In a couple of weeks I'll be going to the beach for about a week. I have no clue about what to do for my hair while I'm there or what to pack. We're driving so I can pack whatever I'd like and I'll have a cooler as well, if that might make any difference (plus, there's a fridge at the house). I was thinking of bringing a small jar of coconut oil, a pre-mixed mister bottle (what should it contain?) and an assortment of hair toys/flexi-8/various elastics. What would you recommend for me given these circumstances: It will be very hot, I'll be in the water probably every day (more than likely getting my hair wet - even when I try not to get it wet, I always do), I'll be washing my hair more than normal because of swimming and I'm planning on not blow drying my hair the entire time we're there.

Any advice on what to do with my hair before/after swimming as well as what to pack would be much appreciated!

[Falcore]

I'd take a coney condish with me and fingercomb a little through everytime I come out of the water. If you don't plan on going back in the water for a while normally they will have showers that you could rinse the salt water out (salt can be very drying). I also find putting a little sunscreen in my hair doesn't hurt either.

But most importantly.. have fun!!!

[hyettf16]

If you must get your hair wet, try to rinse your hair (and oil it if you want) and do a tight braid (not to tight! make sure you're comfortable) before swimming and rinse after too. If you're going to sit by the beach try to wear a white head covering or hat to protect from the wind and sun. (Personally I'd wait until maybe it's not so windy to take my hair down and luxuriously show it off.)

[sunflower_daze]

try to rinse your hair (and oil it if you want) and do a tight braid (not to tight! make sure you're comfortable) before swimming and rinse after too. If you're going to sit by the beach try to wear a white head covering or hat to protect from the wind and sun.
This was recommened to me when I darkened my hair for my wedding/honeymoon. If you soak your hair in tap water first then sea water or pool water are less likely to soak in. Oil or sunscreen is whatever you prefer.
Have a great vacation!

[SoulOfTheSea]

Definitely bring the coconut oil, but you don't really need all the extra hair toys, unless you are planning to go on a night on the town after a day at the beach and you want your hair to look nice. I honestly recommend the oil, a light and heavy conditioner for CO washing (no shampoo), some hair elastics so you can braid your hair (the best style for the beach, in my opinion), and that'll about do it. Oh and a sunhat never hurts!

Enjoy yourself, the beach is a lovely place and don't spend TOO much time worrying about your hair. It will fix itself later on. :)

[afu]

I'd recommend CO washing to try and keep your hair moisturised after the drying salt water, and plenty of conditioner/oil leave in when you swim. Try to keep it simple with the hair toys, if you have acrylic sticks use those as they are water safe

[Madora]

Seconding the white head covering..either cotton or a straw hat. Sunburn on your scalp is not a good thing!

[heidi w.]

Sunscreen. Isn't that what the supposed commencement speech recommended above all recommendations?...

Loads of Coconut Oil, and put it on before your hair hits the water.

Consider braiding the hair before swimming in a long ponytail or it can be useful if you're waterskiing and going at higher rates of speed.

Wash your hair as quickly as possible after a given outing, and condition well.

And most of all have a load of fun!!

I'm not clear if the beach is salt water or fresh water.

heidi w.

[HairySherry]

Wow, thanks so much for all of the awesome responses! You guys are great! :)

I'm trying to formulate a hair game-plan. This is what I'm thinking so far:

I'll definitely wet (possibly oil, we'll see how that goes) my hair and braid before swimming
I'll shower after getting out, or at least rinse my hair out well with clean water
When I'm just sitting on the beach, reading or what-not, I'll have a hat on to protect my hair and face, plus we're usually sitting under an umbrella as well
I'll wash my hair with just conditioner after getting back from the beach daily
I'd like to spritz something on my hair after getting out of the shower as well
I'll more than likely braid my hair while it's still wet/damp

My husband and I go to the beach with his family every year, and we all usually go out to dinner together in the evenings. The hair toys are in case I decide I want to do something more elaborate with my hair other than some braiding. I've been working on my braided seashell bun (woop, woop!) so hopefully that will be a nice dinner-out option. In all honesty, the hair toys will more than likely sit in my bag all week. But I know that if I DON'T take them, I'll wish I had them (isn't that always how those things work?).

I'm very intrigued about the sunscreen in my hair - since my dark hair lightens quite considerably in the sun (which I don't like) I think that's a great option. How should I go about getting it into my hair - just put some on my hands and rub/comb it through my hair (wet or dry?) or should I mix it with something and spritz it on my hair?

All in all, I'm not too worried about doing irreparable damage to my hair in the span of a week, but I figure it never hurts to be safe. And yes, I'll be in salt water. :) Thanks again!!

[Chromis]

I find a rinse with even just plain water gets the salt out just fine. I like braided buns for beach styles. Even if the bun comes undone from a sneaky big wave, it is still contained that way and I use a swim cap if I am actually swimming rather than splashing around up to my knees. Sure it looks funny, but they do a great job protecting your hair!

I do put in some extra oil to protect it, but I don't bother getting it wet beforehand. All that washing would make my hair more dry than just a simple rinse at the end of the day.

[littlestarface]

Oooh I love when my hair gets a soak in salt water,,makes my hair and skin so soft and my hair super curly:cloud9: your so lucky to be going. have fun

[Carolyn]

What I would do is oil my hair and braid it before hitting the beach. I'd wear my big straw hat as much as possible. I like to soak my hair with fresh water before getting into salt water or chlorinated water. I don't swim with my head in the water but I sometimes still get it wet. When done at the beach for the day I do a CO wash or I use some Aveda products made for sun and beach time. One other thing I do is make sure my hair is combed straight back. This eliminates a part in my hair where I could get a sunburn. Have you ever sunburned your part? Ouchie! When I'm on vacation I like my hair to look nice and I like having fun with it. I'm not into putting it up and forgetting it at special times like vacation times. I have no problem with doing some kind of a wash every day. It's only for a week.

[HairySherry]

What I would do is oil my hair and braid it before hitting the beach. I'd wear my big straw hat as much as possible. I like to soak my hair with fresh water before getting into salt water or chlorinated water. I don't swim with my head in the water but I sometimes still get it wet. When done at the beach for the day I do a CO wash or I use some Aveda products made for sun and beach time. One other thing I do is make sure my hair is combed straight back. This eliminates a part in my hair where I could get a sunburn. Have you ever sunburned your part? Ouchie! When I'm on vacation I like my hair to look nice and I like having fun with it. I'm not into putting it up and forgetting it at special times like vacation times. I have no problem with doing some kind of a wash every day. It's only for a week.

I have sunburned my part before, and it does hurt! I'll definitely be sure not to part it when I'll be out in the sun.

I've never done a CO "wash" (?) before so I may just end up sticking with washing with shampoo. I'll play it by ear. I'm not too concerned with over-washing it since it'll only be a week.

I'll have plenty of time on my hands to do fun hairdos, so I'm definitely planning on playing with my hair a lot. :)

[SurferB]

I basically live at the beach when I'm home. I do braids to avoid the trouble of my hair flying all over my face and getting in the way when I surf. The ocean tends to make my hair feel healthier longterm when I go to the beach often. It may be the sun, too.

[based goddess]

Soak your hair in cold water, then when it's soaking wet, put in a leave-in, then you could put it in a braid to make it even easier for you.

[HairySherry]

Falcore & heidi w. How would you recommend applying sunscreen to my hair? Just put a little in my palms and smooth it over my hair or would it be better to dilute it and spray it on my hair?

based goddess that's a good idea about the leave-in. I was leaning more towards oil but my hair is pretty fine/thin and I worry about over-oiling, even though I'll be washing every day due to the salt water.

Thanks again, guys! Anyone have any good ideas about a mix to put in a mister bottle and use after showers so my hair will be nice and soft without being weighed down by copious amounts of conditioner? Should I just stick with something like Kimberlily's defrizz spray?

[Vanilla]

I love the Palmer's Cocoa Butter sunscreen SPF 15 gel oil for both my hair and skin. It protects the scalp well as well as the hair. I have really dry skin, and I showered twice a day as it kept my hair and skin moisturized well.

I did mostly CO with the hotel conditioner, with shampoos only twice a week when I was there.

[HairySherry]

I love the Palmer's Cocoa Butter sunscreen SPF 15 gel oil for both my hair and skin. It protects the scalp well as well as the hair.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep an eye out for it! :D Do you remember where you purchased yours?

[Vanilla]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep an eye out for it! :D Do you remember where you purchased yours?

Walgreens normally has it with either the lotions or the sunscreens. It could be in either place. It's a little greasy, but I wore my hair wavy that whole trip. I only CO-ed it out when we were going to dinner with my in laws.

[HairySherry]

Any other suggestions for applying sunscreen to your hair?

I really appreciate all the responses so far, even the ones that just say how great the beach is! :) I feel very lucky that we are able to go every year and spend time with family.

[SoulOfTheSea]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it already (I just woke up, too tired to read through posts!) but some hair serums that you can find at drugstores have sunscreens in them. One of the Citre Shine has SPF 15 in it. I don't know if they sell that particular one at the store anymore, but doesn't hurt to check for it and for others!

[HairySherry]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it already (I just woke up, too tired to read through posts!) but some hair serums that you can find at drugstores have sunscreens in them. One of the Citre Shine has SPF 15 in it. I don't know if they sell that particular one at the store anymore, but doesn't hurt to check for it and for others!

I have to check CVS or Walgreen's tomorrow for some FOTE aloe so I'll check that out. I'd really like to avoid buying yet another hair oil though, so I was hoping I could just put regular sunscreen in my hair. Maybe that's not possible? :(

[dwell_in_safety]

I just got back from a week near the ocean! :D

LOTS of coconut oil throughout your hair before swimming each day and CO-washing to remove it whenever you need to look good for perhaps eating a nice dinner, etc. and feel like either wearing your hair down or wearing it up in such a way that exposes its oiled nature. This worked wonderfully for me; in fact, my hair is ridiculously soft after spending hours in the ocean.

[Hollyfire3]

I have to check CVS or Walgreen's tomorrow for some FOTE aloe so I'll check that out. I'd really like to avoid buying yet another hair oil though, so I was hoping I could just put regular sunscreen in my hair. Maybe that's not possible? :(

I've slathered my hair in sunscreen, makes it very oily. Maybe put some sunscreen and condtioner in the mister bottle, thin with some water and spray every so often? I plan to do this when I next go to the beach. I would say soem oil, but I would be worried of the sun frying the oil in your hair. You don't have to buy another product, regualr sunscreen should work, just be sure to clarify when you get home.

[HairySherry]

I just got back from a week near the ocean! :D

LOTS of coconut oil throughout your hair before swimming each day and CO-washing to remove it whenever you need to look good for perhaps eating a nice dinner, etc. and feel like either wearing your hair down or wearing it up in such a way that exposes its oiled nature. This worked wonderfully for me; in fact, my hair is ridiculously soft after spending hours in the ocean.

You know what, I feel so dumb right now. I was worried about over-oiling my hair, completely forgetting that I will be washing it every day due to the salt water so I guess it doesn't really matter how much I oil it since it'll be washed out daily. :o Hope you had a great vacay!


I've slathered my hair in sunscreen, makes it very oily. Maybe put some sunscreen and condtioner in the mister bottle, thin with some water and spray every so often? I plan to do this when I next go to the beach. I would say soem oil, but I would be worried of the sun frying the oil in your hair. You don't have to buy another product, regualr sunscreen should work, just be sure to clarify when you get home.

I will try adding it to the mister bottle with some conditioner, thanks!! I wasn't sure if diluting it with water would void the effects.

[Hollyfire3]

You know what, I feel so dumb right now. I was worried about over-oiling my hair, completely forgetting that I will be washing it every day due to the salt water so I guess it doesn't really matter how much I oil it since it'll be washed out daily. :o Hope you had a great vacay!



I will try adding it to the mister bottle with some conditioner, thanks!! I wasn't sure if diluting it with water would void the effects.

I don't think it would dilute the effects too much, hair needs less strength protection from the sun then skin does, and if you want, after dampening hair with the mister bottle, take a palmful of regualr sunscreen and work it through your hair. I just say be sure to add conditioner to the mister bottle with the sunscreen because although sunscreen is greasy, it seemed to dry my hair out when I used it straight. Have fun too! Even if you don't do everything to your hair every day, it will survive, I have gone to the beach and not put anything on my hair, it was fine with a little TLC when I got home, but some protection is always good.:)

[helloimgia]

I just came back from the beach a couple of days ago! Since my hair is so sensitive I had to be careful with it when it came to exposing it to the salt water, and sun (I skipped the pool to save myself the trouble).

First I dilute like 2 tablespoons of spf 50 w some water and sprayed some at my ends and scalp(to protect from burning since I burn like bacon in the sun). Then I would put it in a loose braid until I get to the beach because I love to show off my hair hehe :p

BUT right before I get into the water I would drench my hair in conditioner and tie my hair into a bun to protect it from those awful waves! When I get back I just CO with a dime of shampoo! thankful I came back from vacation with healthy and non-fried hair

Hope this helped <3

[SpinDance]

When I'm going to be in the ocean I wet my hair with fresh water, oil my hair, applying it as I braid it up, then usually bun it with spin pins. My hair is too long to leave loose. It will attempt to strangle me, or pull itself by wrapping around my arms. I CO the oil out and just don't worry if it has a lot more oil on it than I usually like. Anything to protect it from the dryness of the salt.

I suggest hats to keep sun off. Some of my favorites are like these: http://www.ifactoryoutlet.com/catalog/foldable-sun-hats

They travel well, can be washed in the little bag they come in then hung to dry, and take up almost no space, so I always take several colors. I don't want to put sunscreen on my hair, so these keep that from being needed. Oh, and the last time I was there I added a new thing to my routine. When I swim I put on a swim cap, right over top of my bun. It is a fabric cap which stretches and fits well. Keeps off sun, and keeps my hair from loosening. No lost pins, either. ;)

[HairySherry]

I just came back from the beach a couple of days ago! Since my hair is so sensitive I had to be careful with it when it came to exposing it to the salt water, and sun (I skipped the pool to save myself the trouble).

First I dilute like 2 tablespoons of spf 50 w some water and sprayed some at my ends and scalp(to protect from burning since I burn like bacon in the sun). Then I would put it in a loose braid until I get to the beach because I love to show off my hair hehe :p

BUT right before I get into the water I would drench my hair in conditioner and tie my hair into a bun to protect it from those awful waves! When I get back I just CO with a dime of shampoo! thankful I came back from vacation with healthy and non-fried hair

Hope this helped <3

Glad to know I can dilute the sunscreen and spray it on! I'll definitely be mixing it with some conditioner as well. I'm so happy I don't have to buy another hair oil! :D


When I'm going to be in the ocean I wet my hair with fresh water, oil my hair, applying it as I braid it up, then usually bun it with spin pins. My hair is too long to leave loose. It will attempt to strangle me, or pull itself by wrapping around my arms. I CO the oil out and just don't worry if it has a lot more oil on it than I usually like. Anything to protect it from the dryness of the salt.

I suggest hats to keep sun off. Some of my favorites are like these: http://www.ifactoryoutlet.com/catalog/foldable-sun-hats

They travel well, can be washed in the little bag they come in then hung to dry, and take up almost no space, so I always take several colors. I don't want to put sunscreen on my hair, so these keep that from being needed. Oh, and the last time I was there I added a new thing to my routine. When I swim I put on a swim cap, right over top of my bun. It is a fabric cap which stretches and fits well. Keeps off sun, and keeps my hair from loosening. No lost pins, either. ;)

Thanks for the suggestions! Now I have to dig out my big hat from the back of my closet. Is there any particular reason you don't like to put sunscreen on your hair? Mine lightens considerably when I'm in in the sun for a long time and I'd love to avoid that. I'm just curious if there's any reason in particular you don't like it, other than putting "unnecessary" chemicals on your hair which I'm not 100% thrilled about myself. I'm hoping that it won't hurt too much since it'll just be a week.