We all love a great day at the beach!

You could be on a trip, or if you are fortunate enough to live close to one we all can agree it's a place to relax, create memories, and unwind from the day-to-day routine. But what happens when you aren’t prepared? It can be the exact opposite! From sunburns, not bringing enough water,  forgetting to charge your speaker to play music. It can alter the experience. Packing the beach bag correctly is a must especially if you have extensions. 

Extensions require some extra care at the beach because like your skin you want to make sure it stays hydrated and free of unwanted chemicals and minerals. Chemicals and minerals can come from the water, the sunscreen, and oils that could transfer from your hands.  

So what does that mean?

Chemicals and minerals can absorb into your extensions causing dryness, brittleness, and even discoloration! The ingredient Avobenzone is a common ingredient in sunscreens that can cause your extensions to turn orange, yellow, or even pink! 

Minerals can be found in water and can fill the cuticle over time this can weigh the hair down causing it to be harder to style. It tends to not take color as well and can change the feeling of it. 

So what can I do? 

Filling the cuticle before entering the water or before spraying sunscreen you can wet your hair with purified water and spray the Aqua Leave in Conditioner and/or the Aqua Mask. The Aqua Leave-in Conditioner contains UV protection and will moisturize the hair and fill the cuticle of the hair. If the cuticle of the hair is filled that means it won’t absorb more! This means it’s better protected from the elements. After spraying the Leave-in braid your hair to protect the extensions from pulling or being too weighed down by the water. Once you are done swimming make sure you rinse your hair with more filtered water to get rid of any minerals or chemicals that could have absorbed. 

When you purchase your sunscreen look for mineral-based sunscreens these sunscreens tend to not contain Avobenzone. 

A list of what’s in my beach bag: 

1. Avobenzone-free sunscreen 
2. Filtered waters one for before and after a swim. 
3. A hat to protect my scalp 
4. Sunnies 
5. Aqua Leave in conditioner 
6. Chapstick 
7. Scrunchies to braid my hair 

If your hair has turned an unwanted color you can see a professional about trying to treat the hair. Be sure to check out our YouTube to see one of our national educators treating a set of extensions that had a run-in with Avobenzone.