Hair Care and Kiteboarding
Hair Care & Kiteboarding
Does your session ever end with a tangled mess atop your head? Do you worry that sun, wind, and saltwater dry out your scalp and cause damage to your hair? Sure, long days in the water can take a toll on your hair, and tricks and tumbles can result in endless tangles. Don’t fret. There are plenty of strategies you can employ to keep your hair healthy and free of tangles.
In the article below, the ladies of the Women’s Kiteboarding Collective share tips for taking care of your locks before, during, and after the session.
The Question….
“My vacations are all spent in and on the water. Every time I get out of the water, my wavy locks are a tangled mess. Even with all of the tricks my stylist gave me, it still takes forever to get the tangles out. Ladies, what works for you?”
—- Trena Partee
Coconut oil
The Women’s Kiteboarding Collective is in agreement: coconut oil to the rescue! Coconut oil is great for mitigating both dry hair and tangles. It’s a natural product that’s less toxic, for you and the environment, than many alternatives. Coconut oil is readily available and can be purchased in bulk. Try this: coat your hair with coconut oil, then put it up in a braid or bun. Then, simply wash it out after the session.
Coconut oil and braid it.
– Annalisa Nathalia Dovey
I have super long and thin hair, so I get you. I do braids with oil and it works perfectly.
– Laura Piantoni
Even if your hair looks great, wind does dry it out. I do a deep conditioner or oil and a bun while I kite.
– Liz Saint Pete
Coconut oil then braid, that’s the only way I can manage my long hair after sessions.
– Samina Laurinaityte
Think about the marine environment — conditioners and personal care products pollute the water and cause damage to coral reefs. Coconut oil is a better alternative for protecting hair from salt water and sun damage.
-Clare Strawson
I soak my hair in coconut oil for at least one full minute before getting in the water. My hairdresser told me that once your hair is wet for a minute, it stops absorbing water. I don’t brush until after a shower. Also, the advice to use Olaplex is spot on.
-Traci Hornbaker
I have to use coconut oil… I literally saturate my hair with it, put it up, and it always combs out with minimal breakage… nothing else works… you do have to wash it out after… or if you’re going out and don’t mind the slicked back look, then you’re good to go.
-Melissa Pellegrini
First, use some oil on your hair to protect it from salts etc., then braid.
-Yulia Merkulova
Coconut oil works wonders!
-Rebecca Wilcox
I feel your pain. My hair is fine. It would take a half an hour to comb out after getting in the ocean. Then a friend recommended coconut oil. I just bought a big vat from the cooking oil section. I brush it on before I go into the water and then rinse with fresh water afterwards. If I stay on the beach, I still get beach waves that I can actually run a finger or two through! It does make my hair oily, but once I shampoo, it goes back to normal. Plus, I feel that since it’s natural it’s better for the environment/reefs?
– Teresa Wheeler
Skip the shampoo, and only use conditioner!
Some, especially those with curly hair, find that skipping shampoo is the way to go. Try using shampoo every other day, once a week, or even less frequently. Factors like the texture of your hair, the climate, and whether you’re in salt water or fresh water influence how often you should shampoo. Daily conditioner, on the other hand, will help your hair stay moisturized and tangle free.
“I follow the curly-girl method and only use conditioner. I took a break a few weeks back and used shampoo again and my hair was a tangled mess. Back to conditioner only and it’s pretty tangle free most of the time. I also use a little leave-in conditioner immediately post shower. I don’t have the best curls ever, but they are cute enough for me!”
—Kimmy Gustafson
“You need to shower with fresh water straight after the session, as soon as possible. And before going for a fresh water shower, I sometimes put conditioner in straight after my session for a few minutes and then I rinse it with fresh water. Later, you can shower at your home at the end of the day again and wash your hair. I use shampoo maybe 2x a week but conditioner on a daily basis.”
–Paula Novotná
Hair mask or conditioner before jumping in?
Try a hair mask, normal conditioner, or leave-in conditioner before hitting the water. Remember to check the ingredient list on the products you use before your session. Similar to your sunscreen, hair products can seep out of your hair and add toxins to the water.
“I put a hair mask/ conditioner on my hair before I jump in the water. It helps with pretty beach waves when my hair air dries. Also, it smoothes my hair when I rinse and clean it.”
–Diana Dina Merino-Tillman
“Put conditioner in your hair before you hit the water, and make sure to rinse salt out as quickly as you can.”
–Lisa Linhardt
“Try a leave-in conditioner. Mine is called FIX. Just comb through wet hair and forget.”
–Pip Sawyer
Braids
Braiding your hair before your session can help to prevent tangles.
I braid my hair. I braid the hair close to my face and braid these braids with a big one behind my head. I heard of coconut oil but not for tangles, more for preventing dryness. When you soak your hair with oil, salty water cannot get in to dry your hair. Lucy Steer
Braids! It’s really the only thing that helps me. Sometimes I get it wet, put on a leave-in conditioner, then braid it. Emily Engelhardt
I always braid before a session. Olivia Rose
I wash my hair less. It takes a few months, but I rinse and then my natural oils are able to balance out. I’ve never been one to wash my hair daily, but with salt water I don’t seem to need to wash it as much cause it doesn’t get greasy. I found that using fewer products lets my hair adapt to its own environment. It behaves differently depending on where I am.
I found that braiding my hair before I go kiting is a great way to keep it from tangling and getting too wild. I then let it dry and take it out. It feels like my hair has so much volume because of the braids.
Leave-in conditioner to the rescue
Before your session, wet your hair then add an environmentally friendly leave-in conditioner.
What the ladies have to say about it!Julia Olson
I use a leave-in conditioner from Kerastase.
Carly McKinnon
Put a really thick conditioner (free of parabens and fruit extract) in your wet hair before heading into the water. Salt water makes your hair sticky, so this helps me big time!
Sarah Brooks
Wet hair plus conditioner. My hair gets tangled even when it’s in a braid. It’s hard to find fresh water sometimes though, so I’ll just put conditioner straight into dry hair.
Ximena Olds
Cover with conditioner or coconut oil or avocado paste before getting in the water.
Randi Nicole
I use It’s a 10 Leave-In Plus Keratin. I found that putting conditioner in before getting into the water helps, too.
Christina Colón Maples
My hair is super fine and gets knots just by somebody looking at it. I use Olaplex 6. I use it before and as soon as I get out of the water. Even after my hair is tangled, I can put it on and it eases it all out so I can brush it.
Heather Feather Lamoureux
Aveda does a great leave-in conditioner which works well, but Moroccan oil is defo worth the spend.
Sandra Bicego
I add conditioner to my hair before going out then again when back in.
Laurel Gropper
Spray bottle water with moisturizer in it — use it before and after kiting! Then, I use a hair masque while in my post-kiting sauna — can’t beat it!
Spray bottle water with moisturizer in it — use it before and after kiting! Then, I use a hair masque while in my post-kiting sauna — can’t beat it!
-Laura Gropper
Braid and moisturize
Douse your hair in a nice thick conditioner and put in a French braid.
–Laney Pratt
Olaplex everything, braids, fresh water to rinse always in the car, hairbrush, and a hood for diving.
–Kadri Kullerkupp
Braids covered in coconut oil or get Silicon Mix Conditioner.
–Monica PN
One big braid, a baseball cap, and Revlon All Soft Conditioner.
–S. Mary McCreath
Hair butter, hands down!! Without this, my brush won’t get through! I’ve also started to braid my hair when kiting so it doesn’t get tangled.
–Natt Erich
Don’t wash, just rinse
Keep it simple. Try rinsing your hair after your session and forgoing the shampoo.
What the ladies have to say about it!
Kyra Elise MacAndrewI stopped washing my hair and just scritch (basically massaging the roots to loosen oil and dirt) once a day in salty sea water and then run my fingers through it once a day when dry, and it works like a dream. Laurianne Jackson
I use a bottle of water on my hair straight after the session, then brush. It’s two mins of inconvenience, but my hair is much softer and my curls are nicer looking once the salt water is rinsed out. I don’t always have to clean it when I get home.
Catherine Neumann
I have long thick frizzy/wavy hair and have spent way too much of my life trying to get it to do what it doesn’t want to do.
At the beginning of lockdown last year, I gave up shampoo and conditioner and all other styling products. A few months of yuk (but no-one saw it anyway) was worth it. It is now even thicker and less frizzy, never greasy. I rinse with fresh water occasionally, sometimes with some lemon juice. For kiting, I braid it and rinse with fresh water. I never brush it when wet and use a wide toothed comb.
Argan oil
Try argan oil to moisturize and soften your hair.
I use argan oil after I kite. I find the spray convenient to use on tangles after kiting.
–Tina Poblacion
I love Moroccan oil shampoo and conditioner for my curly hair. When it’s summer, I use argan oil to thoroughly soak my hair.
–Vanessa Strappaveccia
Hair mask
A hair mask can be a useful tool for protecting and repairing damaged hair.
I give my hair a mask that’s made with avocado + egg + coconut oil + olive oil. Leave it in for 20 minutes then wash it off. When you go in the water, apply sunblock on your hair directly. It works well for me.
–Anastasia Bannikova
I use the blackberry/coconut Giovanni hair mask every day. My hairdresser noticed a difference when I switched and combing out with a wet brush in the shower is now a breeze. After kiting, it is still hard but not nearly as bad.
–Tonya Tyre
Tips From a Hairdresser
Let’s hear from an expert. Paula Marie Davies, who is a kiter and a hairdresser, shares her professional advice.
“I am a hairdresser and a kiter. As many have said, braids will keep your hair from matting in the wind. Then, if you can, rinse with water to get most of the salt out. Then, once you’re home, use a shampoo that removes salt. Your shampoo is key because it will remove the salt from inside the hair. Then, condition with a moisturizing conditioner. Be careful of oils as they sit on the hair rather than penetrating the hair, and you need that moisture inside. “
–Paula Marie Davies
After reading all of these wonderful suggestions, the author of the original post, Trena Partee, decided to make a list of all the suggestions already mentioned above. Here is the list:
“I synthesized suggestions from my previous post for those of you who are interested:
- Some type of braid, bun, structured ponytail, or plaits
- Conditioner, hair mask, or hair butter (some before/some after)
- Coconut oil/butter
- Argan or Moroccan oil
- Avocado paste
- A hat
- Homemade hair mask
- Kerastase Leave-In Conditioner
- FIX
- Olaplex
- Tweak-d by Nature Restore Rejuvenating Oil
- Monat
- CHI Keratin Conditioner
- Silicon Mix Intensive Hair Deep Treatment Oil by Avanti
- Sun Bum Anti-Frizz Oil
- It’s a 10 Leave-In Plus Keratin
- Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense exceptionally concentrated nourishing treatment
- Sexy Hair Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner
- Giovanni Hair Mask
- Revlon All-Soft Conditioner
- Aveda Leave-In Conditioner”
-
As requested, here is the entire list of products:
–Trena Partee
Conclusion
Now, you’re ready to kite like a pro and still have your mermaid locks at the end of the day. There are many ways to take care of your hair, including routines, products, braids, and more. Keep experimenting until you find a solution that works for your hair and habits. Please let us know what’s working.
Stay awesome, and stay tuned for our next article!
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