Sea and sand.. what do i do to my hair??

[Xena]

Hi ladies,
I know you always give out the best advise... I'm going off to Australia and Singapore of 3 weeks (are you turning green)? Anyway I plan to be doing a lot of scuba diving, swimming and water sports..
I am not sure what do to my hair. It is going to be summer out there and will be very hot. I am stretching my relaxer and am currently 10 wks through so I have a lot of new growth..
I was thinking of either single braids or cornrows.. The problem with cornrows is that I don't think they will look neat enough.. but then would single braids break my hair??
Also what about sun protection for my hair and face. Ladies who live in hot climates.. What SPF do you use?
please help.
thx
Xena

 

[alibi]

I think you should get a sew in, if you know someone that does them well. I have one now, and it's really the best thing I've done for my hair in a long time. It's done with a mesh cap underneath, so all my hair is braided up except for the rim around my head. It's also wavy/curly, so I can wash and go with ease, which you would probably need on a vacation like that. It's very natural looking and versatile, and no one knows but you! That would be my suggestion if you're looking for something neat.

 

[Neroli]

I am green! I do alot of scuba and swimming whenever I can -- carribbean, southern europe (most Ibiza & Barcelona, Spain), Roatan, Honduras, etc. -- the closest I've gotten to Australia is Figi a few years ago . . . awesome! Enjoy! Now for the hair and skin:

I don't even THINK about any other hairstyle but the single (individual braids) for scuba activities. Period. Anything else simply destroys my 4b hair. I get medium sized single braids (about the size of a pencil) in order to avoid breakage around the edges -- I found the smaller the braids, the more breakage I experience. I keep low maintainance with two sacred hair items when in the sun & sea for weeks: nexxus therappee shampoo and nexxus humectress. These are pure GOLD for me because I 'poo every day in order to get the salt, minerals and other gunk out of my hair, if I don't my hair gets hard and brittle so I MUST wash every day after swimming and therappe is strong and gentle enough for my braids (clarifying 'poos are brutal on my hair and I avoid them like the plague, sticking to good moisturizing 'poos like therapee).

I keep humectress with me at all times (I put in a travel size bottle that fits in my bikini - just kidding, but small enough to carry in a bag/purse) because I slater on before going in the water to PROTECT and again after coming out. Just put in palms, rub and apply to the length of braids as often as needed before and after submerging in the sea. Wash with therappe at night, EVERY night and apply humectress after as a leave-in. That's it. I also take some fancy scaves with me (they are now all satin since becoming LHCF member!) to tie my hair down whenever not in water and just lounging/sunbathing -- excellent way to keep braids looking fresh AND be stylish -- just put on humectress and tie for about 1/2 hour or longer and braids look great. I don't comb or brush the braids, just hands. I also found the single braids allows for versatile ponies and updos that really look good even after the constant swimming loosens them up. I also carry the cloth head bands that I can cover up my hair line if the braids REALLY start getting loose. I also use a toothbrush to make my edges lie flat when I really want to rock the braids, but that's only if I'm trying to look cute.

BTW, both therappe and humectress contain sun protectants.

Now for skin:
Face: I use an SPF 15 sunblock all year round as part of my normal skincare for face and I stick with that when diving -- I just keep a travel size jar to reapply to face after submerging.
Body: I use any old cheap SPF 15 or higher sunblock, usually Fruit of the Earth or No-Ad from wal-mart and slather on all day long.

Wow, this is really long and hope it gives you some ideas. I am GREEN GREEN and hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Queenie]

I am not certain about what type of braids you should do, but I lived in Australia for one year and the sun down there is no joke. You MUST wear a strong sun block at all times or you WILL get sun burned. A lot of people wear zinc oxide on their nose and lips at the beach. Even though it's not cute, it may be necessary. I recommend you keep your hair out of the sun as much as you can.

You'll have a great time, they love Americans and lot of them LOVE black people.

 

[Xena]

thanks for all the advise ladies.
i will get some funky scarves and good sunscreen.
what is the highest factor you can buy anyway?

 

[Queenie]

I've got 45 SPF.

 

[Mahalialee4]

When I first started visiting the tropics, I went in to the water with my hair in a french braid, but after all the shampooing and rinsing to get the sea, salt and sand out of my hair...the last time I wore 2 bathing hats and forgot the rest. I had one of of those stretchy caps on underneath and it kept the water out and the sea, salt and the sand. A simple shampooa and conditioner and I was good to go. I found that those things damaged my hair and so I took the ultimate precaution. I was probably the only one on the beach with the racing swim cap on but I really did not care. Yah, it's all about the hair. Bonjour.

 

[Neroli]

When I first started visiting the tropics, I went in to the water with my hair in a french braid, but after all the shampooing and rinsing to get the sea, salt and sand out of my hair...the last time I wore 2 bathing hats and forgot the rest. I had one of of those stretchy caps on underneath and it kept the water out and the sea, salt and the sand. A simple shampooa and conditioner and I was good to go. I found that those things damaged my hair and so I took the ultimate precaution. I was probably the only one on the beach with the racing swim cap on but I really did not care. Yah, it's all about the hair. Bonjour.

The cap may be good idea for just swimming. But as an avid diver, I've found being submerged under water for extended periods that caps just don't work (I've tried all manner of swim caps, from cheap to custom-made expensive and NONE kept the water out of my hair so I gave up on them) Indeed, diving with cap that cover up your ears on may pose safety problem because of underwater pressure buildup, plus breathing equipment, etc. one must use while underwater for prolonged time. Even just swimming, snorkeling, I've never found a cap that works for me, just can't keep water out if UNDERWATER for long time . . .