Let’s take care of your surfer hair

Source: Allison McCulloch (@saltandmoxie)

I’ve learned many lessons throughout my surfing journey, one of the most important ones has been:

Your hair WILL get damaged if you don’t take care of it.

Whether you like it or not, your hair will be affected by this salty hobby if you don’t make it a priority.

To guide you through some tricks and tips since I can’t even tame my own mane, I brought in hairdresser and long time friend: Drew Gallagher.

According to Drew, saltwater will dry your hair like no other, so she’s here to share the remedies that have helped keep her hair nourished while enjoying some ocean time!

Without further ado, meet Drew:

After a day at the beach, I go home and shower, rinsing my hair but not shampooing because I shampoo about once a week, if that—it’s actually healthier for your hair to have natural oils in it. After I rinse the saltwater out of my hair, I use a few of my favorite leave-in conditioners, mending products to help with dryness and brittleness. It’s a 10 Leave-in Conditioner is a magic worker and I have been using it for about 3 years now!

Also, the Miracle Hair Treatment by Eleven is a great leave-in product that helps me with frizz as well.

About once a week I will use Olaplex N6. along with 0laplex N7. after I wash my hair. Olaplex is a very heavy product and I personally don’t recommend it for everyday use. Some of the Olaplex products also have keratin in them. Keratin is only recommended for people with extremely damaged hair to help restore the broken bonds. However, for the ladies that don’t fit that category, you can actually over keratinize your hair making it easier for breakage so be careful. The Olaplex products I listed do not have keratin in them.

For the best results to ensure your hair comes out strong through Summer is to rinse out the saltwater at the end of each beach day. Then apply a leave-in treatment to nourish the brittle and dryness caused by the ocean.

And lastly, you do not want to overuse any leave-in treatment for it can have an adverse affect and do more harm than good so you want to make sure you rinse before reapplying.

DREW’S Products:

It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner Product, 10 Oz

Miracle Hair Treatment - Eleven Australia

No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme - Olaplex

The surfing community’s advice:

Monica: Coconut milk always helps, I make sure to rinse my hair with it after a long shower and before bed.
Judy: I coat my hair in straight coconut oil then braid it before I go out.
Katherine: For a deep condition, try Body Shop Banana Conditioner—leave it in for half an hour. Alternatively, blend up a banana with some honey, olive oil and cream, leave it in for half an hour.
Dana: Make sure you rinse out the salt water ASAP. Don't shampoo when you get home; DO conditioner. It's a 10 Leave-in before you go in the water, or straight coconut oil. On the pricier side, I love R&Co High Dive Leave-In Conditioner; but I put that in my hair everyday, no matter what.
Amy: Wet your hair before you hit the salt water. Additionally, I put 10 Miracle Hair Mask and wear a waterproof hat you can now get at most surf shops. The hat also helps keep my ear plugs secure.
Florence: I’m in the ocean every day and Olaplex has literally saved my hair. And I agree with the other ladies. Wet your hair before hand and add a touch of coconut oil.
Chelsea: I love it’s a 10 & the coconut hair oil from Trader Joe’s.
Betty: I put in coconut oil/morrocan oil. Then the green Amika shampoo and conditioner work really well.
Karla: I do a Shea Moisture Mask every Sunday!
Mara: Minimally apply Tamanu, coconut oil or Shea right before you go in the water—coats, protects & conditions—hair absorbs the oils not the salt water. Plus both Tamanu & Shea have a smidge of sun protection naturally... like about 7-10 SPF if pure.
Helene: Sum Bum Spray In-conditioner and then coconut oil right after I rinse in the beach shower—I also use Monat leave in-conditioner and their air dry cream.
Rennee: Banana and coconut hair masks. Make sure you use over ripe bananas and literally mash them until there’s a liquid, otherwise it's too hard to get out. Smother your whole head in it. Cover your hair in a plastic wrap or a thin shower cap and sit in the sun. Leave on for 30 mins, rinse out!