I spent one month in the U.S. and one month in Jamaica visiting family. We went swimming in the sea every other day (and if not the sea, a river) and it was paradise. Unfortunately for my hair, constant sea water isn't good for it and I had to take extra good care of it to stop it drying out and breaking. Here are the methods I used.
1) Soaking hair in fresh water before entering the sea - it's not an incredible method, but it does limit the amount of salt water that gets into your strands for a little while. Salt dries your hair out, so give it a bit of work to do before it can get to your precious shafts!
2) Combing conditioner through hair - I would wet my hair, then spread my favourite conditioner through it (currently Aunt Jackie's girls) and combing through to get an even distribution. It creates a barrier between your hair and the sea water until it gets properly washed off (after about an hour of splashing around)
3) Swimming cap - Not the most fashionable accessory but it does a good job. My sister used one and it actually kept her hair quite dry. I couldn't fathom the look though.
4) Rinse hair out - As soon as there was a shower near by, I would rinse out the salt water even if I had no conditioner with me. This limits the damage the salt water does.
5) Deep condition - I deep conditioned every single time we went swimming (so every two days). I went through a lot of conditioner but my hair is grateful for it.
The sea can be good for your hair too. It clears a multitude of scalp problems and I found that my hair was thicker after sea swimming. It can also lighten your hair (combination of the salt and sun). As long as you condition, salt water is great!
I really miss the island and my family there so hopefully I can go back soon! Due to internet problems, I didn't have any way to post. Here are some pictures I took though!
