Swimming is a fun activity during summer. Who does not like to play with the cool water to beat the effect of the scorching sun? But this fun comes with some challenges to your natural self. Your skin and mostly your hair tends to get damaged by the chemicals used in swimming pools. However, there are simple steps you can take to protect your hair and avoid the possible damages.

What does chlorine do to your hair?
Chlorine added in water pools is used for a variety of purposes. It is mostly used as an antibacterial agent to destroy bacteria and germs in the pool and keep the water safe for swimmers before it needs be replaced. Chlorine is composed of elements that make it unhealthy for hair. It makes the hair shaft dry, that in-turn, will make the hair strand coarse and fragile. Chlorine in the pool seizes the sebum from the hair, leading the hair strand to lose shine, undergo breakage, and also result in split ends.

How to get chlorine out of hair?
Here are some simple, easy to follow tricks that can help you protect your hair from damage by chlorine water:

1. Swim Outdoors - Swimming in an outdoor pool allow gases from the chlorinated water to escape into the air. This will leave less room for contamination of your hair and skin as well. These types of pools are also better for your eyes, nose, throat and lungs. If it’s needed to swim indoors, look for pools that are well-ventilated.
2. Shower before you swim - Wet hair tends to absorb less than dry hair. So taking a shower before you step into the pool decreases the possibility of your hair from absorbing the water molecules from the pool. Same case works for your skin as well. This is the scientific reason behind the necessity to take shower before you enter the pool.
3. Use oil and hair conditioner - Oiling or applying hair conditioner to hair prior to swimming is highly suggested by hair experts. This creates a protective layer between your hair follicles and the chlorinated water in the pool. It also nourishes the hair strands and make them smooth and shiny. However, be sure to use a swim cap if you’re using oil, else the oil is likely to attract sun damage.
4. Wear latex or swim caps - If you tuck your hair entirely into a swim cap and then jump into the swimming pool, you can safeguard your hair against any kind of damage from chemicals present in the pool. The cap will keep your hair dry. It is one smart way to maintain the health of your hair and avoid it from any possible harms.
5. Wash after you swim - A mild and sulfate-free shampoo after swim can help you get rid of all those chemicals hanging around the surface. Be mindful to give your hair a good soak in fresh water as a quick wash can result some chlorine molecules left in the hair follicles.
6. Comb your hair - Using a wide-toothed comb helps avoid frizzy hair and is an easy and effective way to keep your hair tangle-free. It relaxes the mess and also reduces the hair breakage. Avoid using a hair brush immediately after your swimming routine. A wide tooth comb detangles your hair without added stress and possible deterioration.  

You can also follow these home remedies to safeguard your hair from possible chlorine threats.
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1. Olive Oil Massage - Olive oil makes an effective hair coating that protects the hair from many type of damages – including effects of chlorine. The oil strengthens the sebum content  produced by the scalp, therefore enhancing the hair follicles. Olive oil nourishes both the hair and the scalp and makes it naturally beautiful. Coconut oil can be a great alternative. Coconut oil helps to lock in moisture and strengthen the hair shaft.
2. Apple Cider Wash - Apple cider vinegar can be used as a clarifying rinse after every swim session. Using ACV will help get off all those chemicals attached to your hair strands and associated threats. The positive aspect of using this natural remedy for after-swim effects on hair is that it helps get rid of chlorine along with other damaging elements found in pools like copper, salt, and other impurities.
3. Treatment with Tomato puree - Tomatoes are one such nourishing agents that prevent the loss of  moisture due to exposure to chlorinated water in the swimming pool. It also greatly reduces the harm that is caused by chlorine to your hair. You can cut some tomatoes and grind them to get a thick consistent puree. Then apply this paste on your clean hair and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before shampoo.
4. Baking Soda cure - Baking soda is another effective home cure for tackling frizzy hair problem due to chlorine water. It cuts out chlorine and other chemicals muddled in the hair follicles. It clears your scalp and makes your hair clean by removing any unnecessary build-up. Add water to some baking soda to make a consistent paste. Apply this paste to your hair and scalp and let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds. Then wash it off with plain water and regular shampoo.

Despite being an antibacterial agent, chlorine is a not a recommended element for your hair. It can cause hair discoloration, brittle and frizzy hair, loss of luster and volume along with dry and itchy scalp. So, if you really want to avoid the resulting consequences with even a single dip in chlorinated water, follow these easy and reliable tips and don’t forget to share your experience.

Weaning yourself off the shampoo bottle might seem daunting, but anyone can do it, given the right approach.

I have developed a reputation for being TreeHugger's 'hair' person, thanks to all the weird experiments I've done over the years, from ditching shampoo in favor of baking soda and apple cider vinegar to not washing with any cleanserfor forty days.

As a result, I get a lot of questions about hair care, particularly from friends who read my posts and wonder how I do it. The most common complaint I hear is, "My hair is so greasy. I could never go that long without washing." Many women and men are preoccupied with this idea of greasiness and needing to fight it on a daily basis. I used to be in this situation myself.

I've come to believe that this is a real problem, and that our obsession with combatting greasy hair gets in the way of appreciating how much more manageable and healthy hair can be when it does have a bit of oil in it.

It is crucial to understand that the more you wash your hair, the greasier it will get. When shampoo strips the hair of its natural oils, the scalp compensates for that loss by producing more oil.1 It creates a cycle in which more washing leads to more oil, and so on. In order to break it, you must be willing to put up with levels of oiliness that may not feel acceptable at first, but eventually an equilibrium will be established.
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I give the following advice when people ask me about how to improve their hair care routines.

Give yourself a vigorous scalp massage with your fingertips to move the oil away from the scalp and distribute down the hair shaft. Do this once or twice daily. Use a hairbrush to do the same. But for the rest of the time, see the next point...

​This won't happen overnight. If you wash daily, try to push it by 12 hours, then skip a day. Avoid washing on weekends if you don't have plans.

When you color your hair brown or blonde, you might not like the warmth that comes through your hair color. Going for a cool-toned look, it’s important to have an at-home care routine that will help you neutralize brassy tones and keep your color free of unwanted orange shades.
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If this sounds like something you struggle with, find out more about what a blue shampoo is and how to use it properly to avoid having a green hair mishap.

What Does Blue Shampoo Do?

Blue shampoo is a toning shampoo that contains blue pigments. The latter deposit onto the hair with each wash, neutralizing any warm underlying pigments. If you have red or orange tones in your hair, blue toner will not give you a blue tint: because blue and orange are opposites on the color wheel, blue pigments will do corrective coloring, neutralizing orange and keeping your hair color cool.

Who Should Use Blue Shampoo?

Blue shampoo should be used on lightened and highlighted brown hair and is ideal for anyone trying to maintain a perfect caramel, dirty blonde, and ash brown color. It can also be used on natural brunettes but the effect might not be as drastic.

Here is a color science behind it. Each hair color has a variety of underlying warm pigments that always come through when the hair is being lightened to a new hair level. Medium to light shades of brown hair naturally contain warm undertones such as red and orange, and they almost always come through when going through a color process. In this case, you will most likely benefit from a blue shampoo that will help you reach or maintain the desired brunette hair color.

For highlighted and blonde hair, the results of using a blue pigment may be different and, potentially, less appealing. It is not recommended for golden or yellow-based blondes because blue shampoo can add a green tint to the hair. Remember, when yellow and blue mix, it creates a green color – a hair color mistake that is very difficult to correct. Thus, when your hair is highlighted to yellow, you should be very careful with blue toners and blue shampoos.

If your hair is highlighted to a pale yellow or almost white blonde, a blue shampoo can give it a slight blue tint. Thus, when you seek an icy blonde color, it is key to use a silver blue toner instead of a blue one. It will neutralize the underlying red and orange pigments in your hair and enhance the icy tones.
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Blue Shampoo vs Purple Shampoo

Purple shampoo and blue shampoo work in a similar way, canceling brassy tones in your hair color. Because purple and yellow are opposites on the color wheel, violet pigments cancel out brassy yellow tones, which makes it great for making blonde hair more neutral. However, the purple shampoo will not work as well for caramel highlights or ash brown hair, as brassy orange is best neutralized by blue pigments.

5 Best Blue Shampoos to Choose

​If blue shampoo sounds like something you would benefit from using, look into purchasing one of our favorite ones:

1. Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo protects the vibrancy of brunette hair, gently color-correcting the unwanted brassy orange hues.
2. Matrix Brass Off deposits blue-violet pigments ensuring flawless results for lightened and highlighted brunettes.
3. DevaCurl No-Poo Blue Anti-Brass Zero Lather Curl Cleanser is a conditioning color-deposing cleanser designed to neutralize brassy tones in lightened and highlighted curly hair.
4. Redken Color Extend Brownlights Blue Shampoo is a popular sulfate-free shampoo for maintaining cool brunette color, which is also great for brunettes covering their grays.
5. Not Your Mother’s Triple Threat Shampoo and Conditioner is a blue treatment shampoo and conditioner based on blue tansy oil that tones down all brunette undertones while soothing and strengthening the color-treated strands.

How to Use a Blue Shampoo?

Whatever your desired look is, most toners are demi-permanent colors. Thus, a color stays looking its freshest for up to 3 weeks, and you can expect to see warm tones coming back through towards this time. Of course, that depends on how often you shampoo your hair, how much you are exposed to the sun, and the quality of your water. If you want to avoid the warm tones, invest in a blue shampoo to use in between hair appointments at home.
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You likely won’t need to start using a blue shampoo until week 3; however, feel free to add it to your hair care routine whenever you notice a lot of unwanted brassy tones coming through your strands. Once you feel it is time to start incorporating it into your hair care routine on a regular basis, use it up to two times a week, which is generally enough to see the tonal change in your hair.

When we reach for a new food or skin care product, many of us turn to Google to find out what is in it. We want to know what makes it “good” for us or if it will “work” to make us look better and more youthful. Unfortunately, most people do not do this when picking out hair care products, and our scalp is often given little thought.

Do you know what shampoo really is or why you even use it? Did you know you have a choice and there are many shampoo alternatives that give better results? Find out more about the no-poo method and why ditching the shampoo is not as crazy as it sounds.

What Does the No-Poo Method Even Mean?

For those of you that may not have heard of the no-poo movement, it is the choice to not use a shampoo that contains harsh detergents to cleanse your hair. Whenever I approach this conversation with a new client, the majority of the time they are unaware that using traditional shampoos means putting detergent on a scalp and stripping the oils that a scalp and hair need to be healthy.

Over the years, more and more people have created their own techniques for healthier scalp cleansing and are actively falling into the no-poo crew. Here are some compelling reasons why you should, too.

Why Switch to the No Shampoo Hair Care

What made you buy the shampoo and/or conditioner taking up space in your shower? Was it the way it lathers up and releases a pretty scent, was it the cool packaging that hooked you, or did someone tell you that you needed to have it?

What if I told you that it lathers because it contains detergents that are not supposed to be on your scalp and scents that are more than likely artificial and irritants? Detergent is an amazing cleaning agent. It is great at stripping away everything on your scalp, but it doesn’t pay any attention to what is being stripped away.

Think of the things you use detergent on. Clothes, cars, floors… Now imagine putting shampoo, which has detergent, on your body or your face. At this point, you might give me an uneasy look.

Hear me out though, you have immediate reasons as to why you would not do this: it would dry your skin out, be too hard, make you break out, etc. Why then do you think it is safe and necessary on your scalp? Is the skin on your scalp really that different from any other skin on your body? The answer is no. However, what makes it different offers more reasons as to why you don’t want detergent touching the scalp.

Your scalp has a protective layer of oil called sebum. Sebum is the body’s defensive layer to protect your scalp. Shampoo (or rather detergent) is such a “great’’ cleanser that it strips this away. This sends signals to your scalp that its defensive layer has been removed and it then goes into overdrive trying to get it back. This can lead to overproduction of oils (oily scalp) and the inability to make up for the loss (dryness). As a result, your hair feels brittle, dry, and rough.

What happens next? Well, the makers of shampoo strategically lean into this because they now have created a need to mask the damage that has been done, and here is where conditioner, masks, and treatments come into play. These products bandage up the damage that has been caused and now you are reliant on a second and possibly third staple product in your routine. If you do not strip the sebum from the scalp and rough up the cuticle, there is no need for conditioners because you are not damaging the hair, to begin with.

Shampoo being bad for your scalp should be enough reason for anyone to seek out other options, but an even stronger argument would be for those individuals who color or highlight their hair. Any shampoo, regardless of being “sulfate-free”, “paraben-free”, “organic”, “natural”, or labeled “color-safe,” will strip your color. If it lathers, it has detergent and detergent will strip color and toner and dull highlights. Those buzz words listed above just mean that your shampoo is a step above cheap drugstore options. Your color is most protected when no detergent is introduced to your haircare routine.

Shampoo Alternatives

When you choose to use no shampoo in your hair, you can take up one of many no-poo method variants that have been developed out of the need for people to cleanse their hair without using detergent. These include using only water, rinsing hair with DIY creations, or using cleansing conditioners and creams. Let’s explore the most popular ones:

DIY Shampoo Substitutes

Another popular route among individuals who embrace essential oils and natural hair remedies is DIY no-poo concoctions. I am all for this! Still, if this appeals to you, I do encourage you to do research on hair types and each oil that Pinterest or your favorite blog may tell you to incorporate. Certain oils such as coconut oil are not good for all hair types (it can cause breakage on color treated and fine hair).
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Many DIY versions use Apple Cider Vinegar, which is great for removing build-up. You can mix a couple tablespoons of ACV with water and apply to the scalp; scrub and rinse. You should follow this with a form of conditioning, as ACV is acidic and can dry the hair out if used alone.

Conditioners

This is the method most people associate with the no-poo method. With this approach you don’t use a shampoo, hence the term “no-poo”, and go straight to a conditioner. Many of these products are marketed towards thicker, coarser, curly textures, and The Curly Girl Method encourages to take up this routine.
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The downside to this method is there is no cleansing component and it will not be suitable for all hair types. If you have tried a traditional no-poo and been unsuccessful, it is probably because you need a specific cleansing component.

Cleansing Creams and Conditioners

My go-to method is using a strategically created cleansing cream. What makes this different from the conditioner-only method is that it has a balance of cleansing and conditioning properties. This makes it a great option for all hair textures and densities.
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The only thing I will use on my clients, husband, kids, and my own hair is New Wash by Hairstory. Cleansing creams can take the guesswork out of figuring out what is needed to effectively wash and cleanse hair. Still, do not rely on the labels and be sure to look into the ingredients when selecting a cleansing cream or conditioner. Silicones and surfactants are components of many products that should be avoided. New Wash, in particular, uses aloe vera and essential oils to gently remove dirt and impurities from hair while not disrupting the scalp’s natural oils or stripping away color.

 ​No-Poo Method Mistakes to Avoid

To make the no shampoo method work, be sure to avoid these common mistakes:

1. Not committing for long enough. Commit to no-poo at least for a month. Your scalp needs time to adjust. Do not use any shampoo during this time – just one of the shampoo alternatives described above.
2. Not targeting the scalp. Make sure you are using enough cleansing product and target the scalp. Try using a scalp massager (scrubber) while washing your hair to stimulate and exfoliate the scalp.
3. Not rinsing thoroughly. If your hair feels oil, dirty or greasy after washing it with a cleansing cream or conditioner, you did not get it all the way to the scalp and/or have left some product behind.
4. Being not consistent. You cannot use a no-poo method one day and shampoo another. It is not a treatment, but a new and better way to wash your scalp and treat your hair.

If you avoid these mistakes and commit to a gentle detergent-free hair care routine, good hair results are sure to follow.

My clients know they have the choice to use whatever they wish to care for their hair; however, if they chose to use shampoo, I cannot guarantee longevity and they will need to see me more frequently for maintenance.
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If you are curious about making the switch, I encourage you to try it out and commit for one month. Whether you have fine hair or coarse hair, virgin or color-treated hair, curly or straight, ditching shampoo and finding the best no-poo hair cleansing method for you will greatly improve the health and appearance of your hair.

Feel free to contact me with any questions about no-poo or discounts for the no-poo products.

Hairstory: New Wash
You can buy this directly from me online. You will receive 20% off your first purchase as well as free shipping when they use this direct link.  All you have to do is click on this link, create a customer account, and their system will automatically discount you RIGHT before check checkout - no coupon or referral code necessary!
 
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Natural hair rules in the summer! Now is the season to let go of perfect, sleek hairdos and embrace that loose, natural look. Learn how to protect your hair from the heat, sun, and humidity without turning it into an endless battle.

1. Cover up!
​Use a scarf or hat to cover your head when you’re out in the sun. Not only does this provide extra UV protection, but it also helps your scalp to retain moisture. A hat reduces damage caused by wind, especially if your hair is prone to tangling, and protects colour-treated hair.

​2. Put your hair up in loose, comfortable styles
​A messy braid is ideal for keeping your hair under control and minimizing exposure to the sun. Tight hairstyles can be damaging because they tend to pull and tear hair, especially if your hair is dry from the summer heat.

4. Reduce the heat
Try to blow-dry your hair as little as possible. It is already exposed to a significant amount of heat on a daily basis in the summer, and it will probably air-dry quickly anyways, so give the blow dryer a break and go au naturel if you can. Avoid flat-irons, too, as they will do further damage to already-dry hair. Plus, a sleek hairstyle only makes that frizz stand out more.

6. Condition always
​Rinse with apple cider vinegar diluted in water for a quick natural conditioner. Use some coconut oil or shea butter (careful with this, since it can be heavy) to smooth, de-frizz, and moisturize your locks after washing. The oil will give some shine and, if you have wavy hair, create natural, air-dried curls. Try a natural deep conditioning treatment once a week to get that extra bit of moisture into your hair.​

7. No more swimmer’s hair
​If you’re a blond who turns green after a dip in the pool, try rinsing out your wet hair with 1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water to get rid of discolouration and dullness. It helps to get your hair wet before entering the water because then it won't absorb as much chlorine.

8. Add some sunscreen
​There are shampoos that contain UV protection, but most of those are chemical-laden, conventional shampoos that I’d recommend avoiding. One quick way to add some protection is to run your hands lightly through your hair after applying sunscreen to your body.

9. Try a hot oil rinse
​Coconut, olive, and avocado oils are good at penetrating the hair shaft. Shampoo hair as usual, then work in oil from ends to roots. Rinse, then condition as usual. Your hair should feel moisturized afterward, but not greasy.

10. Fake that beach look if you haven't been there
One blogger recommends this homemade sea salt spray, made with 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp coconut oil, mixed with water in a small spray bottle. Spray and scrunch to get that desirable wavy beach look. The coconut oil will counteract the dryness of the salt.​

 11. Use a wide-tooth comb instead of a brush