Beach Hair Dos for Your Straight-from-the-Beach Salty Hair
A catamaran sails across the setting sun. The salty sea breeze fills your lungs and blows your damp hair across your face. Your hand feels the salt in your hair as you brush it back.
You feel alive…graceful…irresistibly romantic…effortlessly beautiful… as you gaze longingly at the catamaran sailing away.
You wish you could sail with it. But alas, summer is over. And it’s time to go home.
You start gathering up the beach toys, floaties, towels, chairs, umbrellas, and, oh yeah! Don’t forget the children. Lugging all the things back to the condo you rented, you laugh at how you're anything but graceful right now.
Once you get the kids rinsed off, fed, and in bed, you finally get the chance to look in the mirror. And…well let’s just say this week-long vacation – while relaxing and fun – has taken its toll on your hair.
But don’t worry. There’s hope!
Yes, salt in your hair is bad. But only when it stays that way for long or routine periods of time. Simple after beach hair care allows you to enjoy those beachy waves without worrying about the consequences.
If It’s Bad, then Why Does Saltwater Make My Hair Look Good?
Okay let’s tackle the whale in the saltwater pool real quick. If salt in my hair is bad, then why does my hair look sooo good at the beach? Why does saltwater actually make my hair look good?
Yes, salt – particularly that fine salty sea spray – does a lot of good for your beachy styled curls. It gets in all those small spaces within your hair cuticle, and makes your hair look super full. It also acts as a “stay put” styling product. So hair that’s naturally slippery will actually hold that beachy wind-blown goddess of the sea effect longer.
Okay, that’s why it looks good. And honestly, for that weekend at the beach, just rock it!
But…here’s why it’s bad…
Why Salt in Your Hair Is Bad
Like all things God put on this Earth, saltwater has a pH level. As we’ve already gone over here, the natural pH of your hair, skin, and nails is 4.5-5.5. That’s where your hair is healthiest because the cuticle (not the texture) is smooth.
The pH of saltwater is around 8.1 if we’re talking about the beach. If you have a saltwater swimming pool, then you’re a little better off with a pH between 7.2-7.9. But I’m sure you’ve noticed, that’s 3 points removed from where your hair likes to live on the pH scale.
Add to that, the drying effects of salt, and you could wind up with some seriously dry brittle hair. Think about it. We use salt to cure meats because it pulls out the moisture. Well, ladies, salt does the same thing with your hair. It absorbs the moisture.
Like I said, one trip to the beach isn’t going to kill your curls, but when you’re going to be there while or if you live on the coast, here are some tips to keep the salt on the table and out of your hair.
Simple After Beach Hair Care Tips
It’s all about the little habits, ladies. And yes, you will hear me preach on this until I’m blue in the face. Because consistent haircare leads to healthy hair. And healthy hair is gorgeous! No matter what length, texture or color, healthy hair beats dry, brittle, frizzy hair any day.
So here’s your after-beach hair care tips!
Pre-condition
Okay so this one actually comes before the beach...
It’s nothing new or expensive. It’s not sexy – I mean not unless it smells like Heaven-in-Hair. ‘Cause, girl, that stuff smells good!
But let me say this a little louder for those in the back: PRE-CONDITION!
It can be a spray bottle with a water and conditioner mix. Or it can be a leave-in spray you buy at the store. Just please use conditioner on your hair before you go out in the morning. This seals the cuticle and keeps the salt from drying out your hair by giving it something to soak up.
Pretend it’s like sunscreen (or rash guard) for your hair. You put on sunscreen, and you spray your hair. Boom done!
Now because we’re talking saltwater, if you have porous hair, I want your pre-condition to be something with an oil (yes, I’ve done straight coconut oil before with great results. But I wouldn’t recommend that here.)
The reason for the oil is that I want to give the salt something to absorb. We don’t want it stealing the moisture from your hair. So, let’s give it some oil.
Rinse or Co-wash Your Hair after the Beach
After you’ve had your beach fun, make sure you take two minutes to rinse or co-wash your hair. You just want to stop the salt from absorbing the moisture.
If you have hair that dries out easily or gets really frizzy after a breezy day at the beach, then do a quick co-wash and run some leave-in conditioner through your hair after you rinse it.
Is Your Hair Still Super Dry?
Here’s where you break out the Heaven-in-Hair, or your favorite deep conditioner. Do a good solid co-wash after your beach day, then rank in the deep conditioner of your choice, and let it chill there. You can even sleep with it on your hair if the product doesn’t recommend otherwise.
Remember, when you’re choosing a deep conditioner for the beach, you’re wanting something that will help you retain moisture but not a lot of protein.
By the end of the summer, you might need something with protein, but if you have virgin hair (that means you’ve never used chemicals on it) then protein deep conditioners aren’t for you. They can actually overload your hair with protein because they’re meant for hair that needs rebuilding.
At the beach, you just need to focus on the moisture.
Salt in Your Hair at the Beach? No problem.
Now, if you’ve done all these things, and you still feel like there’s something off about your hair, then you need to come visit me. Your hair and I need to have a good talk, so we can figure out what’s going on and get you both on the same page.
Realistically, getting salt in your hair at the beach is unavoidable. But a little self-care goes a long way to enjoying your time there.
So don’t stress, relax, have a good time, and go be gorgeous!
留言