Swimmers know just how quickly their hair can dry out after finishing practice – it can feel like it’s turning into pieces of straw. This dry, brittle hair stems from hours of chlorine exposure in the water. When the hair shafts absorb chlorine, the hair is stripped of its natural protective oil. Repeated exposure to chlorine in practice can cause your hair to crack and eventually split at the ends.

While chlorine is unavoidable as a swimmer, a few good options exist to preserve the health of your hair!

Hair Break-Down

Although your hair can begin to split, chlorine has not been found to cause hair loss among swimmers. Waiting too long to wash your hair, however, can result in hair discoloration – notably a silvery tint.

Discoloration stems from oxidized metal (mostly copper) finding its way into the cracks of the hair cuticles. Once the hair cuticles become severely damaged, more space is available for the metals to settle in your hair.

Because chlorine can damage your hair so quickly, it is necessary to wash out your hair soon after exiting the pool. It is essential to protect your hair after each practice and meet. Here are five shampoos that are perfect to use to avoid “swimmer’s hair.”

1. TRISWIM

TRISWIM is one of the top chlorine-defense shampoos on the market. Its formula includes ingredients such as Organic Aloe Vera, Vitamin A and E, and ProVitamin B5 to truly hydrate your hair. It removes chlorine, salt water, and any green tint your hair may be building up. Not only will it leave your hair clean, healthy and soft, but it will also leave your skin moisturized.

2. dpHUE

This clarifying shampoo works best for swimmers with color-treated hair. Some shampoos contain sulfate which can lead to premature fading, but dpHUEswaps sulfate for Vitamins A and E for optimal hair cleansing. It will leave your hair soft and won’t fade away your awesome color.

3. Ultra Swim

This shampoo uses the same classic hair cleansing ingredients to leave your hair more voluminous and shinier than before. It eliminates all chlorine, copper, and oxidized metal build up to leave your hair clean and damage-free. Another perk is that this can be used in any type of hair: colored, permed, chemically treated or relaxed.

4. Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three

This shampoo is the “stylist” option. It is very good smelling shampoo to leave your hair smelling fresh. To ensure that this product works best, it is recommended to leave the shampoo sitting in the hair for a couple minutes as it works its magic. This product is paraben free and vegan!

5. Solpri Swim and Sport

This shampoo has a main ingredient of Vitamin C, which does a good job at breaking down chlorine from the hair and skin. This bottle comes as a shampoo and body wash combination which makes it easier to carry around one bottle at all times. This product is safe for kids and sensitive skin!

Be a Healthy-Haired Swimmer

While you may love picking at your split ends, know that there is a better way to spend your down-time.

Make sure you take good care of your hair after each time you are in the water! Protecting your hair will keep it looking healthy and fresh throughout this summer season.

Commentary: All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff. 

This article was found on Swimming World

Dry camping without hookups often comes with many benefits that you don’t get when staying in a park. When you know how to live without water, sewer, and electric RV connections you can do things like:
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• Experience the independence of living off-grid
• Get away from crowds
• See the backcountry
• Experience peace and solitude

But unfortunately there’s a price to pay for escaping to dry camping destinations–mainly, shorter showers. When you’re trying to conserve water for more important things like cooking and drinking, regular hygiene habits like hair shampooing become less frequent.

For men and women with long hair, daily shampooing with fresh water is a non-critical activity that usually waits until a return to civilization.

Living with dirty hair is not a comfortable feeling for most of us. Lots of people don’t even like camping because it can mean skipping this important hygiene routine.
However in recent years a growing number of “No Poo” advocates have tried to convince us that we should always skip it.

Advocates and dermatologists alike agree that shampoos strip the scalp of healthy, beneficial oils that would normally dissipate into hair. If you suddenly stop shampooing, the oils build up in excess amounts and weigh your hair down.

Instead of following a daily routine of lather/rinse/repeat with store-bought shampoos, these hard-core no shampoo enthusiasts skip daily washing. They occasionally substitute shampoos with natural household products like apple cider vinegar or aloe vera and coconut oil recipes.

Going “No Poo” seems to make sense when you’re boondocking, but if you don’t like the thought of smelling like a salad, here are a couple of alternatives to keep your hair clean when dry camping.

Soak up hair oil with cornstarch 

Cornstarch is your best bet if you don’t like fragrance in your beauty products. This household pantry item will absorb excess hair oil for almost no cost at all.

Apply a light dusting of cornstarch directly to your dry hair’s roots using a disposable makeup brush, or shake it from a Parmesan cheese jar.

Although it works best on blonde hair, if you’re a brunette you can minimize the white residue it leaves behind by using a delicate touch to apply it, then vigorously massaging it into your scalp. You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the cornstarch for added scent.

Clean hair with dry shampoo

Canned dry shampoo products are on store shelves everywhere. Like commercial shampoos they range in price from a few dollars to over $20.

The most common downside of these dry shampoo options is most are scented with some type of fragrance. If you’re sensitive to scents then always read dry shampoo reviews before you buy.


This article first appeared on RV Life

If you are an outdoorsy girl, you understand the struggle that is camping hair. I mean, it does not matter how much you love camping, no one likes waking up and sporting hair that looks like it hasn’t been washed or combed in a month. And unfortunately for me, I was not blessed with hair that looks good when it hasn’t been washed. My hair will take a sharp dive into rat’s nest after the first 20 hours of not having a shower, so camping is a challenge. However, I love camping more than most things in this life, so I have developed some of my own little tricks for taming the mane into looking photo ready. Here are 5 ways to deal with your hair when camping.

1. Braid it

I taught myself how to braid out of pure necessity. If you are on day three of camping, braid your hair; it looks cute and effortless while keeping your greasy locks cleverly hidden. However, if you have thin hair like me, and braids don’t look all that great, you should still pick up this skill. Braid your hair at night, so you wake up with some curls and body to work with instead of lifeless flat hair.

2. Water

Now, please don’t be stupid and wet your hair if you are in a cold region, but this tip has saved me many a time. If you have hair that dries decently well, consider damping it a little in the morning to give it a revitalization. No, I don’t think you should dunk your head in water, unless its 80 degrees, then go for it, but a little water can go a long way. I have scooped handfuls of water out of clear streams and even used extra heated water from coffee in the mornings to give my hair some love.

3. Hats

There is not much to say about this one. Find a hat that you love, that looks good on you, and bring it. Figure out several ways to wear your hair with the hat, so you can use it more than one day without getting bored of it.

4. Dry shampoo

Some people think dry shampoo on a camping trip is high maintenance, but honestly, those people can kiss it. I buy travel or sample size bottles of dry shampoo and pack them with me on every camping trip, even on my backpacking trips. To me, it’s one hundred percent worth the tiny amount of weight and space to have hair I can work with in the mornings. There are plenty of easy ways to deal with your hair when camping.

5. Wear it up

This is very different from the braids and here’s why… I want you to wear your hair up the first day, and every night. The less your hair is down, the less grease and grime it collects, and when you wear it up in a twisted bun at night, you are more likely to wake up with better-looking hair. This is also a way of telling you to not wear a hat too soon. Unless you have crazy good hair, there is no coming back from hat head, so delay putting a hat on as long as possible.
 This article first appeared on Society19

This month’s newsletter was inspired by the fact that I will be taking a week long, car camping, road trip up the California coasts into Oregon the last week of July.   You read that right.   I’m actually going to be taking a long overdue vacation.   So, if you are due for a hair appointment you may want to scheduled something before I head out that week.
 
Many of you will be vacationing, hitting the road, or even camping over the next couple months so I want to make sure you (well, at least your hair) looks good.   

I found some really good information to help with your camping hair needs.   There are hair tips for dealing with dirty, day old hair and making it look good, what to do if you don’t have water for shampooing, and even a curly hair camping survival guide.  If you have shorter hair my best advise would be to limit your hair product usage to a minimum.   Guys, if you have long hair, I’ve got your camping hair covered, too.   One common thread in these articles is dry shampoo.  Dry shampoo is a great option for both long and short hair.  

Depending on where you're heading this summer you might be some long travel days.   Podcasts can be a great way to help pass the time so think about subscribing to a podcast or two and upping your outdoor game. 

Don’t forget to bring a good book.  There are a couple links with summer favorites for your reading list.   You may even want to download the audio-book version of some of your favorites, too.  

I have a nice article for you on handy personal hygiene tips when camping to keep you fresh.   

First Aid is important while you’re camping and hiking and you’ll need to be able to identify and treat those summer skin rashes.  

You’ll want to plan a few campsite meals, too, right.  I have some easy campfire recipes for you.   Mmm, Camping Mac n’ Cheese.  

If camping isn’t your thing, I stumbled across a great article with some of the best Glamping spots in the US.   This article reminded me I need to plan a trip to Safari West in Sonoma County.  

All of that and more in this month’s “Camping Edition”.

Happy trails...