Protect Your Natural Hair While Swimming
Summer has officially arrived, the pool is open and the beach is calling. Before you put on your sexy swimwear take a few moments to protect your hair from the chlorine or salt water. It doesn't matter if your hair long, short, kinky, curly, color treated or in a protective style you need to follow these steps when you swim.
Wet Your Curls
Start by wetting your hair with warm water. Your hair absorbs water easily and soaking it with water before swimming allows it to absorb clean water instead of chlorinated or beach water. Use warm water to open your cuticles so your hair can absorb as much water as possible. Gently shake off any excess water to keep it from dripping, and don't squeeze the water from your hair.
Saturate with Oil
Wait 5 - 10 minutes after wetting your hair (so it can absorb as much as possible) and apply a layer of oil to your wet hair and don't rinse it out. The Flower Bomb Hair Growth Oil is perfect because it has Coconut Oil which seals in moisture and Castor Oil which makes it hard for chlorine and salt to pass through. The oil creates a barrier that serves two purposes. First the oil will prevent the clean water you applied from escaping your hair. Second, the oil will reduce and prevent the chlorine or salt water from entering the cuticles of your hair.
Apply Conditioner
Apply a generous amount of conditioner to your hair to protect it from chlorine and salt water. Coat your strands from root to tip focusing on the ends and do not rinse it out. The conditioner is an additional layer of protection to keep the moisture from the clean water in your hair and the chlorinated and salt water out.
Cover Your Hair
Wear a swimming cap to keep water out. If you don't like swim caps you can wear a plastic shower cap then tie a scarf around your shower cap. If you don't want to wear anything on your head twist or braid your hair down instead of leaving it loose to prevent tangling.
Clean & Condition
Immediately after exiting the water thoroughly rinse your strands for 5 minutes so the chlorine and salt don't bond to your hair. Follow up with a clarifying cleanser and a moisturizing conditioner to remove the chlorine or salt and to soften your hair. To make this step easier apply the Dirty Curl Cleansing & Conditioning Clay and cover with a plastic cap for 30 minutes then rinse. This will clarify, condition, and repair your hair to it's normal state in a single step.
Moisturize
Swimming can cause your hair to loose oil and get dry and brittle. Replace the sebum lost from chlorine and salt water by using oils and butters that moisturize and reduce dryness. Layer your moisturizing products using the L.O.C. Method and style as normal. Don't forget to oil your scalp because it was also exposed to chlorine and salt water.
Style
Swimming can cause your hair to be more fragile than normal so be gentle with it when styling. Use a wide tooth comb to detangle and prevent breakage. Wear a low manipulation style like twist out o. Choose a low or no heat style and let your hair air dry in the summer sun.
Following these steps every time you take a dip in the water will keep your hair healthy and sultry in and out of the pool.
Comments
1 Comments
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Posted by Regina | December 13, 2021
Leave a CommentThanks for tips! By the way, would it be better if I converted my chlorine pool into a salt one? I know that both contain chlorine, but I read that there is less of it in salt pools and that there are no chloramines, side chemicals harmful to the skin and hair (here’s a great article on it: https://www.discountsaltpool.com/saltwater-versus-chlorine-pools). Or is it still better to protect hair while swimming there?