How to Protect Your Locs During Pool Time!

It's that time of year again!

Get your towel, snacks and swimming trunks ready.

It's time to chill by the pool.

Now before you go cannonballin' in the deep end, lemme give you a few loc lifesavers to keep your locs healthy, hydrated and chlorine-free.

Chlorine in pool water is very harsh and extremely drying to your hair. The sebum and keratin protein found in your hair, skin and nails are affected by chlorine. It can strip your locs of its natural oils, leaving it dry and brittle. Chlorine can even weaken the loc shaft causing breakage over time.

Here's where the loc hack comes in. Before entering the pool, presoak your locs by drenching them in non-chlorinated water and applying oil to your locs as a sealant. Presoaking your locs before they come in contact with pool water will prevent your locs from soaking up as much chlorine and applying the oil will create a barrier between your locs and the chlorine water. This will prevent irreversible damage to your locs from overexposure to chlorine water over time.

You want to do this every time you get outta the pool and the sun dries your locs, especially if your locs have been bleached or colored in the past. The chlorine can cause lighter colored locs to turn an ashy green from the chemical reaction -- if you don't presoak them first.

When you get home, completely rinse your locs to remove any chlorine remaining from the pool. Thoroughly shampoo your locs with a clarifying shampoo. The clarifying shampoo will remove any residue left from the chlorine and neutralize the pH balance in your hair. After that, apply a moisturing conditioner and let it sit in your locs for 10-15 minutes to replenish the nutrients that were lost while swimming. After you rinse the conditioner out, make sure to seal in the moisture with an oil of your choice.

Lastly, make sure you allow your locs to FULLY dry before going to bed to prevent smelly locs and even worse, the M word -- mildew. You can invest in and use a hooded dryer attachment to speed up the process. Whatever you do, do not go to sleep with wet locs.

With these tips, you should be able to enjoy summertime and enter the fall season with even longer, stronger and healthier locs than you had before!