**Summer Hair Care Tips from The Headmistress (and Former Synchronized Swimmer Who Learned the Hard Way)**

If you’ve ever spent a summer in Upstate New York, you know the drill: the minute the ice finally melts (okay, sometimes before), it’s pool season. Fun fact: as a kid, I’d help my grandparents open their backyard pool while there were still chunks of ice floating on top—no exaggeration! I’d dive right in, scrub away the winter “greenness,” and pray my hair wouldn’t turn a lovely shade of swamp.

But here’s the thing—between synchronized swimming meets and endless summer dips, my hair definitely went green. More than once. If someone had shared this simple trick with me before I ever set foot in cosmetology school, I could’ve avoided a lot of locker room experiments (and yes, that includes the time I tried to “fix” my hair with flat beer… not by putting it on my head, but by drinking it. Spoiler: it didn’t help, but it was damn fun).

So, from one busy multitasker (and former green-haired swimmer) to another, here’s my tried-and-true summer hair care advice:

**Before you or your kids jump in the pool, lake, or ocean, wet your hair with clean, fresh water first.**  

This quick step helps your hair absorb less chlorine, salt, and whatever else is lurking in the water. Want bonus points? Work a little leave-in conditioner through damp hair for an extra layer of protection. It’s the easiest “pre-game” defense you can give your hair.

And if you want to keep color bright and hair healthy all season long, make our chelating shampoo your new weekly ritual. It gently removes buildup and mystery tints, so you can skip the green hair drama (and the flat beer experiments).

Healthy hair shouldn’t be another thing on your summer worry list. With these simple steps, you can spend more time making memories—and less time scrubbing out pool water surprises.

Here’s to a season of confident, carefree hair—for you and your little swimmers!