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Hey guys, while a lot of you are facing winter, down here in New Zealand, summer is burning in full force.
I love the beach and I go swimming most days. But I now wonder what effects -if any- salt water has on hair? I never considered it until I found this forum, so I now have an appreciation for hair care.
I know pools are dodgey because of chlorine, so I avoid them. Surely salt water is far less harsh? I usually just rinse my hair once I get home with fresh water, and comb it to get rid of any grit and sand.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Hopefully I haven't unknowingly been ravaging my hair!
Hello there!
I can relate to going to the beach, and believe me, you should be more carefull with your hair...
It also depends on the lenght you have right now, but if you are past the 10 months mark, you should start taking really good care of your long locks... You know that chlorine is really bad on hair, but salt has the exact same effect. Salt actually burns your hair, like it also burns your skin (the Sun has a similar effect, but for other reasons), therefore, it is also really harsh on your hair. Anyways, you won't stop swimming because of that. Has there are protectors that you can use in your skin when you go to the beach, there are also protectors you can use on your hair =) Last Summer I used one from Elvive, that worked really good on my hair as well as on my sister's hair! It had a tripple action: it protected from the Sun, from the salt, and also helped to take all the kots out. Those products should be use like a regular skin protector: apply several times during beach time, and then after you take your bath.
I don't think it would be a good idea just to rinse your hair after you come from the beach. To treat your skin and your hair properly, have a nice cleansing bath, where you'll remove all the salt and sand from your body. Then use some sort of cream (I personally like Johnson's Baby cream, which is really soft) and then use the protector on your hair. That should keep you with a healthy skin and a healthy hair =) And don't forget to use a lot of conditioner!!
Another property of that Elive protector, is that is also preseres your hair colour, preenting it from geting lightened up by the sun (those blond shades are cool but they mean damage!)...
I wish you a good Summer time, and have fun at the beach! Hope I helped... see ya!
Hey David, thanks for the reply! Its good to here from a fellow longhair and beach enthusiast.
I will have exactly 1 year of growth on the 15th of January, started from a buzzcut, so I'm starting to get considerable length. Luckily I've actually been avoiding getting my hair wet at the beach until I knew more, so now you've put my mind at rest :)
No shops here stock Elvive but I found something that does the same thing, that I'll use every time I hit the beach. I forgot to mention that I also use a leave-in conditioner each day, so hopefully that will also help protect my hair.
Its a shame about the damage from the sun, I like the blond streaks that the hardcore surfers get. At least I know better!
Thanks again!
"... but I found something that does the same thing, that I'll use every time I hit the beach."
Can you tell us what you bought? I'll be going to Hawaii in a few weeks and I plan on doing some snorkeling while I'm there and with my hair [mid back length], I want to protect it big time! :) Thanks, Chad
--Rick