How can you make your Goldie Locks gleam and keep the chlorine from making Blondie go GREEN?!

Picture yourself in head-to-toe swim gear. Cap, goggles, nose clip, ear plugs, arm bands, inner-tube, flippers, and all. Embarrassed yet? When it comes to swim season, we all want our little ones to stay safe AND bronzed. We dowse them in sunblock and cover them with capuchins every time they go out of the house! Swim caps aren’t the most popular fashion accessory, so even though we can cover fair hair and scalps to prevent over-exposure and sun-damage, the burning and breakage still tend to go hand-in-hand during the summer months. We can do better to keep our little ones’ HAIR safe and manageable without humiliating them.
Swimming pools are highly-chlorinated waters, and our hair shafts are as porous as sponges. Allowing all those microscopic gaps in its texture to be filled up with (sometimes over-)treated water dehydrates, discolors, and dreadfully damages hair!  Like turning hair lemon-lime in color and causing the texture to become as brittle as straw (and as easily snapped in two). However, there are ways to keep yours and your loved one’s luscious locks looking luxurious, while leaving the limeades to be sipped and not worn.
One of the easiest tricks is as simple as hopping into the shower before you jump in the pool! All you have to do is soak dry hair with clean, un-treated water BEFORE getting into the pool. This quick, easy step will allow those sponge-like shafts to soak up good, guiltless gulps of guaranteed hair-honey (the water, that is, we like to make it sound as good as it really is for your hair and body) so you won’t be rushing in for any GET-THE-GREEN-OUT treatments this season!

If you suspect the pre-swim shower jump-in is not really convenient or going to go down, rest assured that there is an equally preventative (if not extra-SCENT-sible) alternative to this practice. Shear Madness carries Emma Pre-Swim Coconut scented Conditioner! It is a fun and easy to use spray that helps protect children’s hair from damage caused by swimming. Just spray in hair before you hop into the pool or waves!  A natural way to boost your hairs’ defense against those awful chemicals we pump into our diving waters, it not only SMELLS heavenly, it coats and seals the hair follicle, shields hair shaft, and hydrates hair with non-greasy “oil-free” conditioning, protecting hair from turning green, breaking and overall drying caused by pool chemicals or salt water.

Our Splish Splash Swimmers’ Shampoo removes chlorine and gently lifts out dirt, dust, pollution, and other surface build-up, while moisturizing and untangling the hair.

And the most important hair practice for you to remember when exposing your kids’ hair to such intense chemicals is simply: Condition, Condition, and Condition! Our Maya Papaya Conditioner is specially formulated with over six conditioning agents to add softness, strength, and shine to all hair types. Our Detanglers are available in Rosa’s Raspberry, Bonita’s Banana, and Pia’s Pineapple, and they will add a layer of conditioner throughout your day while keeping the hairs manageable and smelling sweet!

What happens if the hue has already started to make its way from strawberry sunshine to swamp monster? The answer is easy! There ARE kid-friendly treatments that can be administered. Just remember that with every heavy-duty hair-stripping, you must also complete it with an equally-hydrating deep-conditioning. We have a special in-store Get-The-Green-Out treatment that will strip your hair of all chemicals and color, but advise against it for most little ones unless the situation is dire. There’s no need to use harsh products on your kiddos unless those strands are already Chartreuse!

Need an expert opinion?  Ask one of our MAD-tastic Stylin’-tists about just the right prescription for your hairs ailments today!