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
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Prior to hitting the beach, brush your hair
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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)
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Braid your hair as desired and hit the beach and swim
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Upon exiting the ocean, gently squeeze excess water from your braid/braids
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Remove the hair tie(s) and gently separate hair from the your braid(s)
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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
beautyblunders 