Rachel's Recommendation for Swimmers Hair

As summer approaches here in the Northwest, two things come to mind, long warm summer days and spending time in the pool. Swimming was always one of my favorite pass times as a kid. I spent most of my summer days in my grandparents pool and, boy did it take a toll on my hair! By September it was tangled and green and I would have to get a bunch cut off to make it healthy again. Now, as a stylist, I have found there are a few easy things we can do to help prevent the chlorine from damaging our children's hair. 

First, get their hair completely wet in the shower. The hair will soak up the clean, unchlorinated water, and will not soak up as much chlorinated pool water.

Second, when they are done swimming it is best to shampoo with a swimmers shampoo before the hair has a chance to dry. Once the chlorine dries in the hair it is much harder to get out. My two favorite brands of swimmer shampoos are: So Cozy and California Baby. The So Cozy smells great, like fresh apple, and many clients have told me the California Baby has helped their child's hair to return to it's original beauty.

[left to right: California Baby Swimmers Condition, California Baby Swimmer Shampoo, 

So Cozy Swimmers Shampoo, Surf's Up Zero Knots Detanger]

Last, but maybe the most important, CONDITION! I know it can be hard to get an extra step done on a child, but swimmers shampoo opens up the outer layer of the hair (the cuticle) and you need to use a good conditioner to smooth it back down. If you don't, you won't be able to get a comb through it! My favorite is the Surfs Up Zero Knots detangler. This conditioner is lightweight but slick. It won't weight th hair down and get the tangles right out. A spray detangler is great for getting tangles out on non-washing days, but is not enough to smooth the cuticle down after a swimmers shampoo. Just a quick wipe of conditioner through the ends and a rinse, can save you a lot of tangles and tears in the end.

I hope with these tips, your little darlings will have beautiful, chlorine free hair all summer long.

-Rachel

 To help you get ready for swimmers season, for the 
 month of June all swimmers hair care products are  
 20% off!