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Hair Care Guides

Rinse first, then deal with the tangles.
Get the salt and sand out before combing.

After a surf or an ocean swim, your hair holds salt, wind knots and sand all at once, and brushing it is tempting. Rinse with fresh water first, then decide what washing and conditioning it needs. Brushing and a tight wet bun can wait.

Your personal hair-care planProduct choices, routines and answers shaped around your hair.$49one-timeStart my consultation
An adult surfer supports loose damp lengths on a dry boardwalk beside a towel and surfboard.
Get the salt and sand out before combing.

What is going on

A surfer reads the facility information beside a freshwater shower on dry land.

Find the rinse point before you go in

Check whether the beach has a fresh-water shower you can use and whether products are allowed there. If not, know where the next wash will happen. A quick rinse on the beach and a full wash later can be two separate parts of the plan.

An adult packs personal hair products, a clean towel, comb and soft tie beside a sports bag.

Carry only what you can use there

A towel and your usual detangling comb are more useful at the beach than a bag of products you can’t use there. Save the shampoo and conditioner for somewhere their use and the runoff are allowed, and follow whatever the site asks.

What helps, day to day

An adult supports and inspects a damp lower section containing a few visible sand grains.

There’s still sand in the lengths

  • Rinse gently with fresh water to float the grit out before you comb.
  • Hold the hair and don’t scrub sand along the lengths.
  • If grit is stuck in a knot, leave it until you’re somewhere you can wash properly, rather than pulling harder.
Supporting the ponytail while loosening its fabric tie.

The beach-day style won’t come out

  • Take ties and clips out slowly while holding the lengths.
  • Don’t drag a tight wet knot through a small elastic.
  • Once the grit is rinsed out, go through your usual conditioning and detangling steps.
An adult in shade holds both sides of a broad hat brim while checking its placement over loose hair.

The day isn’t over when you leave the water

  • Get into shade when you can and carry on with your usual sun protection for your skin.
  • Cover your hair and scalp with whatever suits the style you’re wearing on dry land.
  • A cap or product you used in the water isn’t sun protection once you’re out.

Products, by the job they do

A woman lifts her own wet hair at the back while water from a fixed showerhead reaches her crown.

A straightforward wash after the sea

Use a shampoo you know, somewhere you’re allowed to. Salt water doesn’t call for a harsher shampoo or extra washes.

Browse cleansing products. The consultation uses your wash frequency and scalp concerns to recommend a shampoo.

A woman smoothing conditioner through her mid-lengths and ends.

Plan slip for the knots you actually get

Once the sand is out, use conditioner the way its directions say and give it the time they suggest. Then work through the hair in sections. More force is never the answer to a sea knot. A good sequence is.

Browse rinse-out conditioners. The consultation uses your hair details and treatment history to compare conditioner options.

How to do it

After a swim, a woman rinses her loose curly hair under a fresh-water shower while a turquoise cap rests nearby.

1. Rinse the grit out before you shampoo

Do the fresh-water rinse from the method before shampoo and conditioner. Keep products out of the sea and follow the rules at the wash station. This is about your hair afterward, not about water conditions or your board.

Guide: Wash and condition your hair after swimming
Woman supports a damp wavy-curly section while a wide-tooth comb begins at the lowest hair tips.

2. Comb the rinsed lengths gently

Have the hair in the state that suits your pattern, with conditioner in if that helps. Hold the section, start at the ends and stop when it resists. If grit is still trapped, go back to rinsing.

Guide: Detangle with a wide-tooth comb

Illustrated care examples: before & after

Rinse before you comb

A surfer supports a section of damp hair, then rinses that section with fresh water before using a comb.
Before · section ready to rinseAfter care · fresh water through the section
Fresh water runs through the section before any comb touches it. Look for grit that is still there instead of assuming one rinse got it all.

Support it, start at the ends

The same adult brings a comb to rinsed hair, then supports the section while combing only the ends.
Before · pausing at a tangleAfter care · short pass at the ends
After the rinse, the hand holds the section above the tangle and a short pass starts at the ends, stopping at resistance. The tangle is still there.
A woman with curls writing a routine note beside her hair-care products.

Help with your hair-care routine

Bring your hair-care questions to the consultation. You can also read planning coverage for the rest of an outdoor day.

  • Where can I rinse, and where am I allowed to use shampoo?
  • Is the sand out before I start detangling?
  • What does my hair need for the rest of the day?

Tell us how long you’re in the sea, where you can rinse, your hair pattern and length, any treatments and the tangles you get afterward. The consultation can work out the order of rinsing, conditioning and detangling for that.

The Hair Care Consultation gives you a personal plan with product recommendations, routines and guidance on your hair-care questions.

Start my consultation

$49 with 60 days of follow-ups, or $99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.