Sun, Sea & Sand…..Beach Beauty Essentials & Tips for Hair

It’s not news that the sun and salt water of the ocean causes damage to hair and skin….yet we still love it so much!  I refuse to give up my trip to the beach each summer in the name of keeping my locks from drying out (and I am sure a lot of you out there feel the same way!) so I’ve decided to share some of my favorite beach beauty products as well as beach beauty tips that I follow and have found.

Hair

Yes, the beach is the absolute perfect place to get sexy tousled beach wavy hair but it’s also the place that can leave hair ending up super dry and knotty (especially for those that swim!).

I’ve learned the hard way (unfortunately on more than one occasion) that the way you wear your hair when swimming in the waves makes all the difference between coming out of the ocean with manageable locks and coming out of the ocean with knotty disastrous locks.

I’m a big fan of the lazy messy bun on top of the head look but have found that this is absolutely NOT a winner for swimming in the ocean.  This has personally caused me the biggest and knottiest mess out of all the ways I’ve ever warn my hair while swimming.  The beating of the waves and the drying salt water just wreak havoc on my hair when I wear it like this and I always end up with a big knotty mess (and that’s after fighting to get my hair tie out).  I will never wear my hair like this to swim ever again….ever.

There’s always the option of wearing your hair down too.   This one isn’t my favorite but it is certainly doable.  The only downside for this one for me is that I find you can still end up with knotty/tangled hair if you have longer hair (especially nearer to the bottom of my hair).  I can usually remedy this problem though by applying detangling conditioner to my hair after getting out of the ocean.

My favorite way to wear my hair when swimming and the one that causes the least disastrous results is the braid.  I’ve worn my hair in one big braid down my back or in two side braids (the more childish/cute look of the two) and have always been able to swim without exiting the ocean with a big rat’s nest coming out of my head.

Recipe for Fool Proof Ocean Braid/Braids

• Prior to hitting the beach, brush your hair
• Apply a generous coating of conditioner or leave in conditioner to your hair (wet or dry) (my favorite is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner)
• Braid your hair as desired and hit the beach and swim
• Upon exiting the ocean, gently squeeze excess water from your braid/braids
• Remove the hair tie(s) and gently separate hair from the your braid(s)
• Apply more conditioner or leave in conditioner and gently finger comb through your hair which should be tangle and knot free!

*I normally tote a little spray bottle of either leave in conditioner or a little bottle with some Aussie conditioner in it that I use for my hair after swimming in my beach bag.  I swear by the Aussie conditioner for after swimming because if there is any bit of tangle in my hair it instantly banishes it.  I also always shower after a day on the beach so between swimming and sitting on the beach and actually making my way to the shower it gives the conditioner plenty of time to soak into my hair leaving it super soft and smooth when I wash it out in the shower.

*If you don’t plan on showering right after the beach, apply less conditioner so your hair doesn’t look dull and overly weighed down when it dries.  I apply a lot but that’s because I wash it out before going out.

Here are some more tips for caring for your hair after spending a day (or two, or three or four, or more) at the beach:

• Apply olive oil to the tips of hair (which gets the driest) and sleep in it – wash it out the next morning (or the next time you take a dip in the ocean) and you’ll have lusciously soft locks (this also helps to prevent split ends)
• Apply a mashed avocado for a nourishing hair treatment, leave on for 15-20 minutes, rinse
• Always wash hair (with shampoo, not just a rinse) after swimming in the ocean before you go to bed (the longer you leave the salt water on your hair the more it dries it out)
• Whipped Shea butter acts as a natural sunscreen for hair….apply it to the ends or all over while sitting on the beach
• NEVER blow dry hair after swimming (this just adds to the damage and causes it to dry out even more)
• Hot Oil treatments are a great treat for hair after a day at the beach

My Favorite Beach Hair Products

Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner

Alterna Bamboo Color Care UV+ Fade-Proof Fluide

 

 

Oscar Blandi Pronto Invisible Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray

I’m not a big fan of washing my hair everyday but I hate when it starts to look like it needs to be washed.  I started hearing a lot about dry shampoos and figured I would give it a try.

I ordered this small 0.75 oz. can of Oscar Blandi dry shampoo for $5.00 from Sephora.  Since this would be my first time using this product I decided to go with the smallest and cheapest option in the event that it didn’t work out and I didn’t like it.

I’ve used this quite a few times now and have to say that I like it.  It’s easy to use and does a great job at concealing any oils or grease that are present in your hair.  It says that it is volumizing and I think it is to an extent.  You can expect a mild increase in volume but not significant.

I apply this to the roots of my hair, let it sit for a few minutes and then brush or comb through it.  It’s a great product for traveling or when your rushing out the door and don’t have time to wash your hair and need a quick fix.

Pros:

• Conceals grease and oils
• Great for when your are in a rush or traveling
• Different size options

Cons:

• Still doesn’t beat the feeling of clean washed hair

John Frieda Beach Blonde Ocean Waves Sea Spray

This was by far my favorite beach waves hair spray that I’ve ever tried and used.  Why this product was discontinued I will never know or understand :(

This spray had the most amazing smell.  I remember anytime I used it people around me would constantly ask me what I was wearing that smelled so good.  It didn’t just smell good – it worked!

This product gave me beautiful beachy hair without feeling gross, dirty and like there was a pound of product build up on my hair.  It also added shine to it and didn’t dull out my hair (like the bumble and bumble surf spray does to me).

Oh how I wish this would return…..I would buy it in bulk!

 

Pros:

• Smells amazing
• Gives hair beachy waves
• Adds shine
• Doesn’t dry out hair
• Doesn’t weigh down hair

Cons:

• Discontinued

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

I think most people agree, sexy beach wavy hair always look good and can never be achieved at home quite like it can on the beach.  So when I saw this product, I was excited to try it out thinking that it wouldn’t turn out too far from the sexy beach wavy hair look that so many of us love.

Well, I was wrong (and out $25.00).

Unfortunately, this product was just one big all around let down for me.  It didn’t give me sexy beach hair at all.  What it gave me instead was a nice big knotty mess of hair that felt like it was wearing 5 pounds of filthy hair product.  After a day of wearing this all I wanted to do was run home and jump into my shower to wash it all off.

This can be applied to wet, dry or damp hair.  I’ve tried all three ways and every time the results are bad for me.  I’m thinking that after reading other reviews of this product, it is best for people with hair that is more on the straight side.  My hair is naturally wavy and I’ve read other negative reviews (like mine) and most of them state that they have wavy hair similar to mine.

I was told when I got this product to not go overboard when spraying it because over using it will not yield great results.  So I followed this rule and have tried using a very minimal amount to using a ton.  Of course, neither (and anything I tried in between) worked for me.

For starters, I feel like the most it did was accentuate the waves I already had in my hair.  It didn’t really create a new beachy waves for me….it just really made my waves more prominent.

I understand that this product is also supposed to give hair more of a textured feel and isn’t supposed to end up looking super shiny and soft but what it did to my hair just wasn’t very pleasing to me.  I feel like it made my hair look incredibly dull and blah-it just sucked any shine right out from it.  (Yes-I know this isn’t a shine spray but this just seemed to take the life right out of my hair….)

I didn’t fuss with my hair after applying it aside from doing what the instructions said.  Well over the coarse of the say, I swear it just got worse.  My hair seemed to get somewhat matted together.  (Not literally matted but you get the idea).  And when I touched it–icky–the product felt like it left the thickest layer of residue filth all over my hair.  (Yes, I know it’s supposed to have the beachy feeling which normally involves salt water but this just felt really gross.)

Every time I use this, I end up pulling my hair into a ponytail by mid day to avoid the gross feeling and the forthcoming knotty mess that always seems to come for my hair.

Luckily to my surprise, the stuff washes out really nicely!  I was afraid that washing it out could be a bit of a task being that it made my hair feel so gross.  I thought for sure I was going to have to get a really good clarifying shampoo to get the stuff off but my normal shampoo washed it right out.  After showering and washing my hair, my hair went back to normal and there wasn’t any of this product remaining in my hair.

I feel like this is one of those products that you will either love or hate and it’ll either work for you or it won’t.  In my case it’s just an all around fail and it just seems to be one that’s never going to work for me :(

 

Pros:

• Nice scent (not too strong)
• Washes out easily

Cons:

• Didn’t work
• Left my hair feeling knotty
• Made my hair look very dull
• Felt heavy and like there was a ton of product buildup on my hair after one use

Alterna Bamboo Color Care UV+ Fade-Proof Fluide

I purchased this product prior to going on vacation where I knew I would be spending a lot of time out in the sun and swimming in the salty ocean.  Swimming and being out in the sun always takes a toll on my already fragile hair that is color treated.  I wanted to do my best at protecting it while keeping the color from fading.

This product seemed to do the trick for me!  I applied it every day prior to venturing out into the sun and swimming in the ocean and then re-applied it after I swam and after I showered.  It’s not a product that I actually “felt” working (like a good conditioner that you can instantly feel and notice your hair being softer from).  However, I did notice it worked though because after vacation my hair color remained and my hair was not all dried out from the sun and salt.

I still use this product even when I am not vacationing, swimming or spending a lot of time out in the sun.  I find that adding a little bit to my hair on a regular basis acts as a styling product because it leaves it nice and smooth and shiny.

It’s also very lightweight and doesn’t leave my hair looking and feeling weighed down or greasy looking.  For a 2.5 oz. bottle it’s $25.00 so it’s not the cheapest product out there but a little goes a long way and it really does work!

 

Pros:

• Protects hair
• Prevents hair color from fading
• Adds shine and smoothness to hair
• A little goes a long way

Cons:

• Somewhat pricey

Alterna Bamboo Silk-Sleek Brilliance Cream

Ok, so I’ve been spending a lot of time reviewing beauty products and haven’t really spent any time on hair products (which I am also obsessed with) so I figured I would spend some time today reviewing some hair products as well.

This product is amazing!  It lives up to its name and really does give you silky and frizz-free locks of hair!

I had originally gotten a small sample packet of this and decided to give it a try.  I figured that it probably wouldn’t end up being anything special that I felt the need to purchase in the full size version.  Boy was I wrong!  I rubbed a small dollop of the cream between my fingers and applied it to my hair.  It glided on so smoothly and effortlessly and my hair actually felt like silk while I was applying it.  It also worked to detangle and smooth my hair, banishing any signs of frizz.

Something else that I really love about this product is that it is very lightweight.  A lot of hair products state that they are lightweight and won’t weigh hair down, but I find that few actually live up to that.  This product actually does.  My hair doesn’t feel the slightest bit weighed down or heavy.  It also doesn’t feel like there is a layer of product buildup either.

The tube is 4.2 oz. and retails for $24.00.  Somewhat pricey, but, it lasts a long time because you really only need a very small amount each time you use it.  I’ve had mine for a couple of months now and still have plenty left.

This definitely ranks as my favorite day to day hair styling cream!

 

Pros:

• Leaves hair feeling silky and smooth
• Tames frizz
• Doesn’t weigh hair down
• Doesn’t leave hair with a layer of product buildup
• Long lasting

Cons:

• Somewhat pricey