Swimming with Afro Hair Texture? Learn Haircare and Dry Skin Tips

Swimming is an excellent way to stay in shape, reduce stress and have fun. Whether you're a professional athlete , someone who's recovering from a sports injury  to a beginner or wanting to use it as weight management or who just enjoys splashing around in the water,  swimming can offer a range of benefits for your body and mind.  I've also discovered it's a wonderful moving meditation practice to float slightly moving my hands and legs.  It's very relaxing and keeps me in the present moment. 

The benefits are tremendous, however,  if you have natural afro hair like mine which is a 4C pattern.  Our texture can typically be more prone to getting dehydrated which can make it more tangled causing breakage and frizzy. 

So in this blog, we'll explore the benefits of swimming and I'll provide tips to protect your hair  and I'm throwing in skincare as a bonus,  that have worked for me as well as my clients at the salon with being a licensed Cosmetologist. So I'll be sharing my personal and professional experience with being in the beauty industry for 30 years now.

Benefits of Swimming

1. Full Body Workout. Swimming is a low impact exercise that can work out all your major muscles groups. It can help you tone your muscles, improve your flexibility, and increase your endurance. 
2. Cardiovascular Health. Swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise that can improve your cardiovascular health. It can help lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease, and improve your overall fitness. 
3. Stress Relief. Swimming can be a great stress-reliever. It can help you relax and unwind. The rhythmic movements of swimming can have a calming effect on your mind and body. 
4. Weight Management. Swimming can help you maintain a healthy weight or drop it off it you are overweight. It can burn a lot of calories and increase your metabolism. 
5. Joint Health. Swimming is a low impact exercise, that can be easier on your joints than other exercises, such as running or weight-lifting. It can improve joint mobility and reduce the risk of joint injuries.

How to take care of your Afro Hair when swimming 

With Afro hair textures requiring more nourishment,  chemicals in pools have the  potential to damage our hair and skin depending on the chemicals used in the water, if we don't take care of them properly.  

1. Use Leave in detangling spray for Afro Hair .  Applying leave in detangling conditioning spray the day before or a couple of hours before swimming to helps to hydrate and condition your textured hair to help protect it from UV Rays if you're swimming outdoors or an indoor pool. It can help reduce the contact of chlorine and other chemicals that may be used to keep the pool clean. 
2. Use Coconut Oil or Mango Butter. Applying a nickel size of Coconut Oil or Mango butter in your textured curly hair can help create a barrier of protection with your hair when it solidifies in cold water water. This helps lock the moisture in, it's natural and non-toxic. 
3. Wear a Swim cap. Wearing a swim cap made for afro and  curly textures of hair can help protect from the damaging effects of chlorine and other chemicals in the pool water. It can also help keep your hair out of your face while you swim. 
4. Rinse before and after. Rinsing your Afro hair and skin with fresh water before and after swimming can help reduce the amount of chlorine and other chemicals that come in contact with your hair and skin. Use a gentle cleanser that's eco-friendly to avoid stripping your natural oils. 
5. Moisturizing your skin. Chlorinated and other chemicals in the pool can dry out your hair and skin. Applying a moisturizer before and after can keep your skin hydrated and healthy.

Ingredients that are good for Swimmers with Afro Hair that you can also use on any type of skin type. 

If your Afro hair texture,  along with your skin  are on the dryer or combination side like mine then here are some natural remedies to nourish your tresses. and most of them you can use on your skin as well. They are eco-friendly, sustainable essential oils and butters, that  you can add to your favorite products or use them separately or mix them together.  

These recommendations below are good for any skin type because they non-clogging,  non-greasy,  light and hypo-allergenic but some people are sensitive to aloe so it's best to know what your specific needs are, in addition to what you can and can not use, I am just offering the best advice from my experiences with being a swimmer, surfer and a natural hairstylist. 

1. Rosehip Oil.  Rosehip oil is an anti-aging, hydrating oil that can be used for your face and your skin. Replenishes your skin, helps fight wrinkles and UV damage. 
2. Mango Butter.  Mango butter can be used on your hair and skin. It is extracted from the kernels of the Mango tree grown in tropical places. It has anti-oxidants and Vitamin F which is a skin protector and rejuvenator. It soothes chapped, dry skin without clogging your pores. Also helpful in protecting the skin from the weather and UV radiation. You can apply before or after getting in the pool. It also helps creates a barrier on your skin when in colder temps or water because it goes solid but not visibly noticeable. It's also non-greasy as compared to shea butter. 
3. Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera can be used as a sun burn healer to a hair gel or for your face and body after waxing or shaving. It has healing properties in addition to being  anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. 
4. Rosewater. Good for enhancing wavy and curly hair textures, hydrating your hair and stimulates hair growth. With having anti-inflammatory properties, it can soothe an itchy scalp. 
5. Sapuyulo Oil (Sapote). Sapuyulo Oil aka Sapote is used as a conditioner and is a favorite in Dominican Salons for preventing hair loss.. It's made from the sapote fruit of the mamey sapote tree that's native to Central and South America. It's non-greasy, smells similar to almond oil and assist in balancing sebum, reduce flaking and dry patches on your skin. It has anti-oxidant properties that vitamins that nourish the skin. .  You can heat it up and give yourself a hot oil treatment or you can use on your skin to soften and replenish moisture. 

If you also wear  Protective Styles here are some more tips to check out. 

In conclusion swimming is a great way to stay active and fit. It offers a wide range of benefits for your body and mind, just be sure to take care of your hair and skin while you're in the water. By following some of these tips outlined in this blog, you can enjoy all it's beneficial aspects. 

If you've learned something from this blog, you might also like some recommendations on a few  Eco-Friendly Wetsuits here.