Bali is made for people who are outside a lot. You surf in the morning, ride around in the sun, walk somewhere for lunch, and by the end of it you've sweated through a day and a half's worth of salt. It feels good while it's happening. Your scalp has a different opinion.
Salt water and sweat both do the same thing on your skin: they draw moisture out. A day of both and the scalp starts to get tight, then itchy, then flaky if you let it go for too long. Pair that with a fresh fade where the skin is already exposed, and you have a recipe for a week of irritation that's easy to avoid.
The five-minute post-surf scalp routine
You don't need a shelf of products. Most of this you're probably already doing — you just need to extend it an extra inch or two.
1. Rinse immediately. The worst thing you can do for your scalp is let salt water dry on it naturally. As soon as you get out of the ocean, pour a bottle of fresh water over your head at the beach shower. It takes ten seconds and washes off most of the surface salt before it has a chance to do anything.
2. Wash properly when you get home. Not just a quick splash in the shower — actually get the scalp wet and work a small amount of shampoo around with your fingertips. A lot of people skip this on a light surf day. Don't. Even an hour in the water leaves enough salt to cause problems if it's left until the next morning.
3. Don't use hot water. It's tempting after being in the ocean, but hot water strips the scalp of the natural oils it's trying to keep. Warm is fine. Hot is counterproductive.
4. Condition the ends, not the roots. For anyone with a bit of length on top, conditioner on the ends of the hair stops the salt from turning it brittle. Keep it away from the scalp itself — conditioner there blocks follicles and causes the build-up you're trying to avoid.
5. Let it air dry. Skip the hair dryer if you can. The combination of salt, hot air, and a fresh fade is too much for the skin on the sides. Pat the hair with a towel and let the rest of it dry naturally.
When you know it's gone wrong
A tight, itchy scalp the day after a surf is the first sign. The next is flaking, usually along the hairline and the part. Neither of these is serious, but they're annoying and they take a few days to clear up if you ignore them.
If you've already let it get itchy, a single wash with a gentle tea tree shampoo usually sorts it out within a day. You don't need the expensive medicated stuff. Any drugstore tea tree shampoo will do. Use it once, then go back to your normal routine.
For the dry skin on the side of a fade, a tiny bit of facial moisturiser worked into the skin with your fingertips calms it down overnight. Not hair product — moisturiser. The same thing you'd put on your face.
Helmet + surf = extra care
The one thing that makes all of this worse is putting on a helmet straight after the beach. You've got salt on your scalp, the helmet is hot, and now everything is sealed in. A quick rinse before you put the helmet on makes the difference between being fine and having to come in and ask us why the sides of your head are red three days later.
The short version: salt water is great. Just don't live in it. Rinse it off, wash it off, and your scalp will thank you for the next season of good waves.