Surfers are frequently represented in films and television shows with blonde hair. In the film Point Break, Patrick Swayze, who has blonde hair, competes in a surfing competition against Keanu Reeves. “The surfer look” in Swayze’s hair was bleached.
Blonde hair is common among surfers, and we regard it as the standard. But why are surfers’ hair blonde?
Blonde surfer hair is a result of the sun’s rays bleaching it. Not only that, but when paired with the sun, the saltwater lightens the hair. The more time surfers – or anyone who enjoys the beach – spend in the sun, the lighter their hair becomes.
Read more to fully comprehend why blonde surfer hair happens as we dig into the transformation process in detail.
Table of Contents
How Does Surfing Get You Blonde Surfer Hair?
Surfers are exposed to the sun for long periods. The longer a person spends at the beach and in the water, the lighter their hair becomes naturally. The sun, saltwater, melanin, and keratin are essential components in the hair lightening process.
Blonde surfer hair results from the sun and saltwater combined, affecting a human’s natural hair color.
Your skin darkens after a day spent lounging on the beach, taking up the sun’s UV rays. Melanin production in the skin is stimulated by exposure to the sun. Melanin is the pigment in your skin, and the more melanin it generates, the darker you get.
When it comes to your hair, though, the opposite is true. The sun’s rays tear down your hair’s melanin, causing it to generate less and less. The sun fades the natural color of your hair.
Surfing men and women are the ones who spend the most time at the beach. Surfing is one activity that draws people to the beach and keeps them there for hours on end, day after day. The hair color changes from a darker to a lighter tone after these many hours of sun exposure.
It’s unlikely that your dark brown or black hair, or even red hair, will turn blonde. Light brown hair may transition to blonde considerably more quickly. But, even after a lot of sun exposure, a dark-haired woman will keep her dark locks.
The Effects of Saltwater On Hair Color
Bleached Hair
We’ve seen how the sun’s rays break down melanin in the hair, thereby bleaching out the color. There’s one more stage to going blonde, and that’s where surfing comes in.
Surfers spend hours on the water, either floating, paddling, or being challenged by larger and larger waves. Wet hair is the natural state of hair in the water. On the other hand, damp ocean hair isn’t the same as wet tap water hair. Because it’s saltwater, the difference will affect hair color.
Keratin is an elastin-like “protective protein.” Its function is to protect bodily parts where it is found, such as nails, skin, and hair.
The salt in ocean water depletes your hair’s keratin supply, separating microscopic elastic keratin connections and exposing your hair to the salt directly. The salt opens up the cuticles in your hair, which depletes the keratin and moisture in your hair.
The salt in the water gradually fades hair color. Consistent, regular surfing will eventually result in blonde surfer hair. The sun’s rays also clobber hair. The combination of saltwater and the sun’s rays will result in naturally lightened hair.
Dry and Brittle Hair
Salt is hygroscopic, which means it can absorb water from the air due to its positive ion charge. Salt, in a nutshell, draws water. When you spend time in the ocean, the salt takes moisture from your hair and scalp, leaving them dry.
This causes dry, damaged, and frizzy hair over time. Surfers’ hair is stiff and straw-like rather than smooth and flowy, partly due to a lack of moisture.
Saltwater Adds Minerals to Hair and the Scalp
Magnesium, potassium, and selenium are among the salts and minerals found in the water. These minerals and vitamins are absorbed into the scalp over time, which can help to soothe itchy dry scalps and add body to the hair.
DSW (deep seawater) and its possible health advantages were the subjects of one investigation. The study discovered that the DSW has beneficial impacts on skin disorders, among other things, due to its freezing temperatures, absence of photosynthesis, and high mineral count.
Even though DSW is not the same as surface water, the data suggest that ocean water has beneficial benefits on the skin and, as a result, may help hair health.
Do Surfing Season Matter in Hair?
Surfers’ hair will be lighter in color in the summer than in the winter. One of the causes is the number of hours of sunlight each day is longer in the summer than in the winter.
When the weather gets warmer, so does the temperature of the ocean. Surfers will spend more time in the summer than in the winter since the water is warmer.
Surfers prefer oceans with many swells, and greater waves can be found at different times of the year. However, if the weather is beautiful, many surfers will go out anyhow, paddle around on their boards, and catch whatever waves come their way. When you’re out on the water, the sun and the salt combine to lighten your hair.
How To Turn Your Hair Into Blonde Surfer Hair
Since the late 1950s, surfer hair has been a fashion statement, and it’s still going strong. With songs like “Surfin’ USA,” “Catch a Wave,” and “Little Surfer Girl,” bands like The Beach Boys popularized the Southern California surfing lifestyle.
Even though surfing had already become popular in Malibu, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach, they still promoted it. Surprisingly, none of the Beach Boys had ever surfed or spent much time at the beach.
The surfer’s appearance depicts the true nature of real surfers: they are self-sufficient, have a harsher, less tamed mentality, are a loner, and are not interested in adapting to society.
Surfer hair is typically unkempt, frizzy, and wavy. There are many air products on the market now that, when combined, will give you that light-hired, free-wheeling blonde surfer hair look.
Growing your hair as long as possible, as far down as your shoulders, is the first stage in getting the blonde surfer hair. Only cut the hair as it grows if it’s really essential. It should reach the chins on both sides, the shoulders on the rear, and the eyes in the front.
To get the appearance, you’ll need a total of 4 inches to play with, so the longer, the better.
Eat a diet rich in protein and minerals as you let your hair grow. This will aid in the fastest possible growth of your hair. You can also include scalp massages, which are believed to improve hair growth and development.
Try not to shampoo your hair every day. Making surfer hair look sloppy, untamed, and wavy necessitates paying less attention to the hair, not more. Whenever you shampoo, follow up with a conditioner. Conditioner helps to maintain hair healthy and strong.
Finally, locate a hairstylist you can trust once your hair has grown to its maximum length. Bring a photo of the surfer look you want to emulate. Because you’ve given your stylist a lot of hair to deal with, you’ll be making their job easier.
Long and flowing hairstyles (as shown on Patrick Swayze in Point Break) or shorter and messier hairstyles are popular among surfers (Laird Hamilton, famous surfer and winner of hundreds of competitions).
Your stylist must shape your hair using a razor rather than scissors. Cutting hair with a razor creates a “deconstructed” style, which is the polar opposite of styling.
The surfer hair, in reality, is sun-bleached, with blonde highlights. You can ask your stylist to add highlights to your hair to get a more authentic surfer look. After style, use a salt-infused matte-finish product to keep your hair in place. This gives hair a sun-bleached, wind-blown look.
Always use a low-heat blow dryer to dry your hair. Overheating the hair will cause it to break down, resulting in the loss of the surfer’s hair’s wild and natural aspect.
If you want to obtain the blonde surfer hair appearance as fast as possible, or only for a short time, expose your hair to the sun and use a lot of saltwater spray.
Surfing is, of course, the most acceptable way to get surfer hair! Blonde surfer hair is naturally achieved due to their hours spent out on the water, riding or simply reclining on their backs in the water, making it lighter, less tamed, and more flowing.
You might want to learn to surf, and if you do, you won’t have to worry about maintaining your hair once you’ve gotten the appearance you want.
Is Surfing Bad for Your Locks?
Although the benefits of ocean water to your hair are undeniable, surfing often causes more harm than good to your hair. Sure, you can surf for the rest of your life if you take the proper precautions. The prevailing consensus among surfers is “long hair, don’t care.”
As we’ve mentioned above, the saltwater dries out your hair, leaving it harsh and straw-like. Split ends and a dry, itchy scalp are common side effects of dry hair follicles. Bleaching from the sun is another kind of hair damage associated with surfing.
Melatonin supports healthy hair growth and keeps hair robust. As the sun depletes this beneficial antioxidant, the hair’s integrity suffers. However, you can take steps to protect your hair while still maintaining your surfing lifestyle.
Wet Your Hair Before Surfing
Dry hair absorbs water quickly. You can limit the quantity of saltwater your hair absorbs by thoroughly soaking it before approaching the ocean. This will also allow freshwater to attract the salt, lowering the amount of moisture drawn out of your hair by it.
Use Oil Based Hair Products
Before surfing, apply coconut or olive oil to your hair to form a barrier between your hair and the ocean water. Because oils aren’t water soluble, they float on top of the water.
Another advantage of using coconut or olive oil in your hair is that it functions as a natural conditioner, keeping your scalp nourished all day.
Tie Up or Braid Your Hair
Braided hair out in the waters will benefit you in three ways. For starters, it reduces the amount of hair exposed to the sun. Second, if you tie your hair up securely, it will retain more of the hydrating oils you’ve applied.
Finally, braided hair reduces the likelihood of knotting during your surf, making it easier to comb out when you exit the water.
Rinse After You Surf
When you get out of the water, make sure you get all the salt out of your hair. Even if your hair is dry, the salt residue will continue to pull moisture from it.
Because of the added minerals, thoroughly rinsing your hair as soon as you leave the beach will leave it silky and smooth, rather than dry and straw-like from the salt.
Slow Down on Shampoos
The shampoo is used to remove the natural oils from the hair. This can be useful when you have greasy hair, but because saltwater will perform the same thing, there’s no reason to add to the tension.
Instead, skip the shampoo and go straight for the hydrating conditioner when washing your hair after a surf.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
Maintaining a nutritious diet is vital in all aspects of life, but it’s critical when you’re doing high-intensity workouts like surfing. Not only will a well-balanced diet keep your body healthy and strong, but it will also feed your hair with the minerals it requires to grow and repair.
Conclusion
So, does surfing make you get blonde surfer hair? If the combination of UV sun and seawater bleach hair, it’s reasonable to assume that surfing will turn your hair blonde. This statement is partially correct, but it is not entirely accurate.
Surfing will lighten your hair color over time, but this does not mean it will become blonde. Even years of surfing are unlikely to produce bleach blond hair, especially if your hair contains a lot of melatonin (black or dark brown hair).
This is because melatonin depletion occurs at a slower rate than hair growth. Because the ends of the hair strands have had the most sun and salt exposure, they are usually very light to blonde, while the area around the roots of the hair remains dark.
On the other hand, surfing will most certainly result in bleach blonde surfer hair, or at the least, blonde streaks throughout your hair if you have naturally light hair.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Do all surfers have blonde surfer hair?
A: Surfers don’t all have blonde surfer hair. However, the impacts of the sun and seawater will eventually break down your natural hair color and lighten the hue of your hair, regardless of hair color. However, not every one’s hair will go blonde.
Q: Will too much sun exposure damage hair permanently?
A: The sun and salt, especially for surfers, are tremendous forces that will have a long-term impact on their hair and body. Sun exposure causes the body and hair to acclimatize and adjust naturally.
On the other hand, hair can be damaged by the sun and salt. If you plan to spend a lot of time surfing but don’t want to hurt your hair, make sure to plan for two days in a row where you will avoid exposing your hair to the sun as much as possible. Second, use a non-abrasive, all-natural shampoo. Baby shampoo is a great option. Always apply a conditioner to your hair.
Related Resources
- Surfing 5 Foot Waves
- Surfing 2 Foot Waves
- What Is Goofy Foot Surfing?
- Best Workouts for Surfing
- Surfing Checklist
G’day, my name is Rach Taylor and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former Australian Olympic athlete and Australian representative surf sports athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of Australia’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home, Indonesia. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely coffee and rock climbing, and am also a regular rowing content contributor.
