Parent of a multiracial / mixed / biracial kid and have no clue what you are doing? That’s ok. We have all been there. Summer time and swimming have been a big topic of discussion that I’ve seen in multiple groups I’m in. This post here will help give you all the basics of keeping your children’s hair in check this summer.
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There are a few basics of hair care in the summertime for mixed kids. They are very simple so don’t feel overwhelmed. I will break them down for you in a few bullet points:
- Wet your kids hair before swimming, and if you are allowed to, put a leave-in conditioner in their hair. This will help prevent the hair from absorbing the pool / chlorine water. Dry hair WANTS moisture so if they go in the pool with dry hair, it will absorb the swimming water. But if you moisturize it prior it will absorb less of the yucky stuff. We have been using the Tresemme Perfectly (Un)done Conditioner ourselves (not technically a leave-in and you can probably get it cheaper at Walmart or Target if you can find it).
- Put their hair into a protective style. This will prevent knots from forming and you and your kid hating you after. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A simple pony and braid will do. If you would like to learn a few cute examples you can check out some of my tutorials: Braids & Beads, Buns & Braids, Simple & Easy Braid, and Super Simple Braid. I also have a Tutorial Tuesday series you can look out for.
- If required, or just because you want to, you can put their hair in a swim cap designed specifically for long / curly / braided / thick / dreaded hair. The Lahtak Extra Large Swim Cap is a great option because it is made specifically for bigger hair, has kid (and adult) sizes, and it has great ratings on Amazon.
- Not hair related… but PLEASE put sunscreen on your kids. Multiracial children need sunblock just as much as white people. Even African American / Black people need sunscreen. We can call get skin cancer even though people with more melanin are more protected against the sun… its never a bad idea to be safer. We use a spray sunscreen that is waterproof and has a SPF 50 or higher. Its super easy to put on kids who are wriggly and excited about going swimming. Also don’t forget to spray on the tops of their heads if they have parted styles. Burns up there HURT!
That’s all you need to know for swimming and having mixed kids: Wet their hair before, put into protective style, put on sunscreen, and use a large swim cap (optional).
Please let me know down below if you have any questions or comments on summertime / swimming care for mixed / multiracial / biracial children.
Thanks for reading!
Check out my previous post –> Braids & Beads – Tutorial.
Brittany
Hi! Thanks for the tips. What about after the pool?? Any tips for post-pool care?
The Mixed Mama
Hi! I would recommend rinsing hair as soon as you can. And the next time you wash to do a deep conditioning treatment. ♡ I have an article on what we use – search for the Thermal Haircare review (I’m on my phone and can’t link it! :/) Hope that helps.
Oh! And detangle asap if you can. I swear hair post swimming becomes super knotty after it dries down. Lol. Or if you had the hair in a protective style, you can just rinse the hair after thoroughly and add in some conditioner until your next washday/deep condition. ♡ Hope that helps!
KJ
Mine goes to camp and they swim 2x during the day so I wont be able to wet her hair prior.
We co-wash at night and every morning I spray with water/conditioner, Leave in conditioner, then oil to seal (currently coconut- but the ends are splitting so I found your blog trying to find another option) then I will always do pony/braids etc (never down for camp).
My question is – I typically shampoo maybe 1x a week or every other week,…but with the swimming daily she will do at camp, I feel like I will need to shampoo everyday to get the chlorine out (no way will she wear a cap). Will it do more damage to leave the chlorine in there, or to shampoo daily for the summer?? I’m having trouble finding anything on it.
The Mixed Mama
Hi! I would say trial and error to see what works but you can always co-wash daily instead of using shampoo and still get it clean. It requires a bit more scrubbing (your fingers help do more of the cleaning vs the drying chemicals in shampoo). Use it as a time to give your cutie a nice head massage. So once co-wash (use conditioner instead of shampoo) and scrub! Then rinse, and condition as normal to help detangle. Rinse. Continue with your normal routine. ♡
Great job with the spraying in the morning! That is great and you are filling the hair pores with good stuff so it will absorb less chlorine.
Also – maybe look into the “Curly Girl” routine. There are thousands and thousands of folks that NEVER use shampoo. Tons of them swim and say co-washing alone works for them.
Hope this helps!! ♡
-Nicholette
Seema Mehta
Very useful hair care suggestion for kids who love swimming, being summer time kids would love to play inside the swimming pool for long hours. These hair care products would of great help to protect their hair from the chlorine water.