How to Protect Your Hair from the Effects of Saltwater

Swimming at the beach is a great way to spend a hot summer day, but the saltwater can damage your hair. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to protect it from damage so you can enjoy swimming at the beach.

Hair's water content makes it stretchy, elastic, and moisturized. If too much water is lost to evaporation, hair can become dehydrated just like skin.

Since the ocean has a high salt content, it is osmotic. That means that it removes water from hair and makes it become dry and brittle. Saltwater can make hair dull, tangled, and rough and can affect colored hair. It can also cause split ends and breakage.

To prevent saltwater from damaging your hair, wash it before you go in the water with a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment or a pre-sun and swim product. This will reduce the likelihood of damage and keep your color from fading.

Applying a leave-in conditioner before you go swimming in the ocean can keep your hair moist and soft and help it resist damage from saltwater. Choose a spray product that you can take to the beach and reapply throughout the day.

Your scalp can become sunburned from UV rays. Use a protective hair cream that contains SPF on your hair and part. You can also saturate a Q-tip with a broad-spectrum sunscreen and apply it to your part. Do this before you go to the beach so it will have time to be absorbed and give you the best protection.

You can also treat your hair after you get home from the beach to reduce the effects of saltwater. Make a DIY hair mask out of lukewarm honey and buttermilk. The honey will restore your hair’s moisture and shine, and the buttermilk will soothe dry hair and make it silky smooth.

If your ends are dry and split, you can give your hair extra moisture by creating a treatment with two eggs, a few tablespoons of olive oil, half of a ripe avocado, and two ounces of purified water. Use your fingertips to work the mixture into your hair, leave it on for 10 minutes, and then rinse it out.