Here's How To Prep Your Hair For The Beach

When packing a beach bag, we likely bring all sorts of things to prepare our bodies for the surf, sand, sun, and maybe even chlorine if there's a pool. Sunscreen and sunhat to protect our skin, sunglasses to protect our eyes, plenty of water to stay hydrated, and aloe and lotion to ensure proper after-sun care. But there's one major part of our bodies that we might be leaving out in the cold (well, the heat): our hair. 

Chlorine, salt water, and sun are a pretty harrowing combination for our lovely locks; dryness, brittleness, color-fade, tangles, and breakage are all potential effects our warm-weather adventures can have on our hair (via Health). Color-treated and chemically-treated hair is even more prone to breakage, split ends, and other damage, not to mention all the money you stand to lose if your dye job fades right out or your perm falls flat (via The Chicago Tribune). In order to protect it, there are several steps you can take pre-fun and post-fun to help keep your hair healthy and luxurious all year long. 

New York City-based hairstylist Nathan Rosenkranz tells Health that there are a few crucial steps to take to protect your hair in the summer. First, he suggests wearing a wide-brimmed had while lying on the beach to protect your tresses from direct sunlight. Did you know there are also sun-blocking products for your hair, just like there are for your skin? Rosenkranz suggests something like Bamboo Beach Summer Sun Recovery Spray from Alterna Haircare. You can also create a shield for your hair before swimming in chlorine or seawater: he recommends wetting your hair and applying a generous amount of leave-in conditioner before dipping into the water. Why? "Your hair will absorb the conditioner instead of the chlorine or salt water," he explains. 

Another way to stave off damage is to cut back on the heat styling for the summer (via Be Beautiful). You are already exposing your hair to a lot of drying heat or frizz-inducing humidity; don't double down by using that flat iron every day or blow drying before your beach day. If you are noticing some damage, try a deep conditioning masque that you leave on for at least twenty-minutes (via Health). If needed, salons also offer multi-step deep-conditioning treatments to help heal your hair that has had a little too much fun in the sun.