Skin and Haircare Tips for Beach Holidays

It never fails – you look forward to your beach holiday but when you get there you remember how much the wind, salt, sun, and humidity wreak havoc on your hair and skin. Here are some skin and haircare tips for beach holidays.

You’re having a blast enjoying the beach, but when you look in the mirror you see dry skin, frizzy hair, chapped lips and messed up makeup. Is it possible to look polished and put together while hanging out on the beach? The answer is yes – you simply need to know how to take care of your skin and hair to combat the elements.

Beauty Essentials for Your Beach Holiday

Sunscreen

First and foremost, the most important item for your beach life is a good tube of sunscreen.

Although you may be tempted to forgo it and speed up your tan, doing so will increase the UV damage to your skin and your risk of skin cancer. Plus, when you’re 40 you will look 65 and there will be no way to reverse it. Instead, protect your skin with at least an SPF 30 or higher and reapply it every 3-4 hours.

If you’re like me and enjoy certain water-based sports like paddle boarding or surfing. Please consider using a reef-safe sunscreen so we can take care of underwater ecosystems and reefs.

These are some of my favorites

After Sun Care

If you do forget to reapply the sunscreen and your skin is a little bit sun kissed by the end of the day, make sure that you bring along some aloe vera gel. It is known for it’s ability to help the skin heal from sunburns, reduce itching and pain and avoid peeling.  It’s also a great moisturiser and has natural anti-microbial properties to prevent infections. 

Try keeping your aloe vera gel or after-sun cream in the mini-fridge at your hotel – the gel feels so much more refreshing and soothing on your skin when it is cold.

Invest in a Non-Greasy Moisturizer

Sometimes it is not on our agenda to use body lotion while in paradise. But all that sunscreen, salt water, sand, beach breeze and shaving your legs win between can dry out your skin. Finding a fast acting, deeply hydrating body moisturizer can be hard to come by and I certainly don’t want to put on anything greasy in a hot and humid location.

Once you’ve found one you love and that works for you, lather it on before bedtime on your legs, arms, belly, bum and back. Always put a little extra on your feet. No one likes looking at dry heels and toes in those cute sandals.

Don’t forget to pack your pumice stone for your heels!

These moisturizers work great even for eczema and sensitive skin and have a number of raving reviews.

Body Lotion

Humidity Hair Care

Does your hair become a wild frizzy beast every time you travel to a humid tropical climate? Take the time to find the best hair product for humidity that works with your hair type. 

The best way to figure out if you’ve got wavy or curly hair is to see how it behaves after you wash it. Does your hair, when wet, start curling and drying faster at the ends? Yep, you’ve got wavy or curly hair. When searching for products to tame the frizz and enhance the curls, be on the look out for UV protectants that will help. Also take note of ingredients that might dry out your hair such as alcohols.

Some examples of products that my friends and myself rave about

Mizani’s Humidity Resistant Mist helps to hold your style in place and also contains UV filters to protect your hair from the sun. Or, if you have curly hair the Bumble & Bumble Curl Anti-Humidity Gel Oil is a great solution.

Deep Conditioning

Another one of the best hair products for beach vacation is a deep conditioner that can truly heal and nourish your hair after it becomes dry from saltwater, pool chlorine, wind and sun. As soon as you finish swimming, rinse your hair out with clean water and apply a leave-in conditioner, such as DEDE Hair Mist with red celery extract or Knot So Knotty leave in conditioner treatment.

Here’s another tip – get your hair wet in a shower before you swim in the ocean or the pool. Your hair will already be wet and saturated with clean water, so it will not absorb as much pool chemicals or salt water. Coconut oil can also do the same trick.

Gentle and Clarifying Shampoo

Nothing beats a good shower after a day at the beach. Finding a shampoo that gets rid of the salt and crusty feel of your hair but doesn’t dry it out is tough but doable. There are hundreds of different kinds of shampoo out there for every budget.

When packing your shampoo make sure it’s an actual shampoo and not just a clarifying shampoo. A clarifying shampoo should NOT be used as often as regular shampoo; it can strip your hair of essential oils from your scalp and dry out the roots a lot faster. If you do have a clarifying shampoo, pack a small bottle of it.

During your hair washing routine, never ever skip a solid conditioner as I’ve mentioned above!

Here are some great cleansing and gentle shampoos for every budget

Go Natural

Try leaving your straighteners behind and letting your hair do it’s thing naturally while you are at the beach. Not only will this give your hair a break to recover from constant heat treatment, it will also give you a more natural and laid back look during your beach getaway.

Cuticle Oil or Balm

Our hands and nails often get overlooked while on vacation. Sure, we take time to prep and make sure they’re painted, trimmed and looking on point before our trip, but we forget that caring for them during our vacation is equally important.

I always think about my hands last. I know its a terrible habit but that is why I’m suggesting it to you now as an essential. Sometimes body lotion just doesn’t cut it to moisturize our cuticles. It gets in the creases of our nails and cuticles and hard to get rid of. So a small vial of cuticle oil or balm does just the trick. Even a teeny tiny bit of coconut oil will do the trick. A slightly greasy product will keep it moist and plump looking for a lot longer than normal lotion would.

Some fan favorites I would recommend

Share a comment of your favorite products for beach getaways?

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