Pool Hair Fixes

Pool Hair can be cool hair, with a few quick tricks & fixes!

With record heat this summer, chances are you're like me and living in your pool.  It's a morning ritual.  I get up, put on my bathing suit, test the water and jump in.  Swimming is a great full body exercise that also helps to lower your core body temperature for added fat burning.  Well, there's no doubt swimming is super good for your body but what chlorine and other pool chemicals do to your hair is another thing.

Carve Designs of CA Vista Tankini Top and Cali Bikini Bottom both have UPF 50+

Freestyling-Get a Swim Cap
Take a cue from the Olympic swimmers and divers who spend a LOT of time in chlorinated pools.  They wear caps to decrease drag in the water for relays but they also serve to help protect their hair.  Speedo and other companies make lightweight, lycra and even silicone swim caps.  I have both but find the lycra / nylon ones to be easier to put on and more comfortable to wear. 

Products to help fix Pool Hair

Hair Care Products for Pool Heads
12 time Olympic Medalist Dana Torres shares my tip for keeping hair under control. Before putting on my swim cap, I like to rub a dab of conditioner in my hands and smooth it on my hair.  This gives me a little extra protection from pool chemicals that can make hair porous and damaged.  I like Keratin based conditioners, (Suave has a really good one) and Salma Hayek's Nuance line.
If you don't want to wear a cap, at least protect your hair from the the water and UV rays with a light coating of sun block. Hawaiian Tropic makes one with SPF 20 and shimmer so you can add a little sparkle to your locks while you're at it.  Prang!

Shower & Shampoo Out Chlorine
Chlorine is really the bad guy here.  It not only dries out your hair but for those of us with blond or lighter shades, it can turn your hair green.  Now unless that's the look you're going for, at the very least rinse your hair after you exit the pool.  We keep an outdoor shower poolside for just that purpose.  As soon as we get out, we spray off the pool chemicals at the Pocket Shower.  At the end of the day, you'll want to use a gentle chlorine removing shampoo like Ultra Swim which is clear and moisturizing.

Our outdoor shower helps to rinse the chlorine out of our hair

Be Gentle
You might want to switch to a softer boar bristle brush in the summertime.  These are also known as natural bristle brushes and work really well to distribute your natural oils along the hair shaft for extra protection.  You may find yourself wearing your hair pulled back in a bun with a bit of conditioner smoothed through.  That may be your "pool head" look for the summer but it worked for Coco Channel and that Bain de Soleil woman for years.  Keep in mind that whirlpools and hot tubs are also likely to be heavily chlorinated so you'll need to take the same precautions after spending time in them.

Hot tubs and whirlpools are also often chlorinated so be sure to rinse off after exiting.

Beach Body in 7 Days

Some clever cheats to make you look sleeker in just ONE week!

Oh no!  You've just gotten an invitation to a beach or pool party.  Take hold of yourself and don't panic.  All you need is ONE week to transform yourself into the swimsuit diva within.  So what's the crash plan?

BRUSH UP YOUR FIGURE
We've already covered the benefits of dry brushing with a how - to video under Get Glowing: Dry Brushing but it bears repeating.  Use a simple boar bristle brush or loofah and brush arms, legs and torso with long strokes towards your heart.  Follow with a shower with a Clarisonic Body Brush. You should see a difference after three days, especially if you apply Skinny Tone afterwards.

SUNLESS SPRAY TANNING
If you're really in a hurry, you can cheat a lovely tan in a few hours with an airbrush.  We like Dinair's Sunless Tanning Airbrush Set.  This works especially well if you've already done the Dry Brushing routine as the tanning solution will go on much more evenly.

SUNLESS TANNING CREAMS

While you'll have to figure out which creams work best for your particular skin tone, a few drugstore brands I like include Jergens Natural Glow Series.  The Jergens Natural Glow FIRMING is what you want as it contains seaweed and will firm you up in about 7 Days.  The Jergens Natural Glow PROTECT has sunblock and will give you color plus UVA protection.

SKIN SHIMMER
You can top off your sleek looking faux tan with a little shimmer which always gives you that healthy, beachy glow.  Victoria's Secret is known for using their own glittery products on their Angels lingerie models but you can take a page from them.  I like Hawaiian Tropic's Shimmer Effect which is a SPF 20 lotion sunscreen with mica minerals.  


BEACH BODY NUTRITION

A Nutritional Program for a sleeker you in 7 Days!

While I surely do NOT advocate crash or fad diets, this protocol is a healthy alternative to boost your metabolism, facilitate an inner cleanse and lower body fat all without losing important muscle mass.  Here's the food program to follow for one week:

Morning:  Upon awakening, take one Terry's Naturally Tri-Iodine Capsule.  This will jump start your metabolism for the day and give your thyroid the nutrition it needs to perform at its peak.

Breakfast is one 8 oz serving of Rainbow Light's WHEY Protein Energizer.  If you are really hungry in the morning, add 1/2 banana or 1/2 tbsp Natural Peanut, SunButter or coconut oil to the mix and blend.  

Lunch: Eat a normal, sensible lunch but take 1 tbsp of Saf Slim High Linoleic Safflower Oil just before you eat. 

Dinner: Same thing for your last big meal of the day.  1 tbsp of Saf Slim before dinner.  Focus on lean protein and complex carbohydrates like non-starchy vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

Snacks: Snacking is good, just pick low fat cheese, hard boiled eggs, raw vegetables and plenty of ICE COLD WATER.  I keep my Insulated Klean Kanteen filled with ice water for just that purpose.  Ice cold water boosts your fat burning ability more than drinking warm or room temperature liquids.

Exercise:  Aim for 30 minutes a day.  It can be cardio one day and lifting weights the next.  Just mix it up and get moving. 

Throw Them a Curve:

Here's another little secret from those Victoria's Secret Angels. Style Secrets Shaping Inserts.
Sometimes you just need to balance out things a bit. These shaping inserts hide under your favorite swimsuit top for added lift and shaping.  They look and feel like silicone implants but without the cost and risks.  Simply insert them in your favorite bikini top, (most higher end bathing suit tops have removable pads) and BOOM, instant curves. 

That's it!  Your new tanned look and weight loss will have you renewed without feeling deprived or losing important muscle tone.  Savor the Summer that's for you to enjoy with our video below.  Now are you beach ready?