Swimming and Sunning While Natural

A reader asked…
I’ve been natural since February. I like to go swimming in my pool and I like to go to the beach — a lot. I have Type 4 hair, what do I do?

Mane & Chic replies...
Wear a swimming cap. If it's your own pool, you don't have to worry too much about looking cute. Salt water and chlorine are very damaging to hair it's better to keep it as protected as possible. Some people even double up on swim caps to make sure that water doesn’t get in, but you need to be super careful when using swim caps because if you aren’t, you can rip your hair out. I don't swim, but someone I trust with healthy long hair told me her process: before swimming, wet your hair in the shower, apply a good conditioner, slick your hair back (or if long enough, slick it into a bun) and apply the swimcap. Now, if being fly is more important to you than protecting your hair at any given moment (I get that), you can do all of the aforementioned tasks except just don’t use the swim cap. When you get home be sure to use a cleanser that gets rid of chlorine (Aubrey Organic’s has a product called Swimmer's Normalizing Shampoo for Active Lifestyles), do a deep treatment with an amazing deep conditioner, rinse and style as usual. Do this every time you go swimming! For a list of good deep conditioners, see the list from other Mane & Chic readers: Dopest Hair Products of 2009. By the way, some of the same rules apply to all of you sunbathers. When I lived in Miami Beach, I was on the beach or out by the pool nearly everyday. I would always try to wear a hat and I would drench my hair with copious amounts of conditioner and slick it into a bun, making sure to protect my ends. Because I had on so much conditioner, it was like I was doing a deep treatment while sunbathing. I hardly ever had to sit under a heat cap during the warmer months. The sun can wreak serious havoc on your hair the same way it can to your skin if it's overexposed and unprotected. Find cute hats and scarves and rock them hard on the beach and by the pool this spring/summer.