Most parents don't find out this until the middle of July, but regular shampoo and body wash aren't exactly built to withstand what summer actually does to kids' hair and skin. They're awesome for everyday dirt and grime. But chlorine? Sea salt? Mineral buildup from pool water? Three layers of sunscreen under all that heat? That's a different job entirely.
The good news is that there, in fact, exists an entire regimen built around it and once you experience it, you will question how you ever made it through a summer without doing so.
Why Your Regular Wash Routine Isn't Enough During Swim Season
What do those long summer days really put your kid through? Hours in a chlorinated pool, multiple rounds of SPF 50, multiple slathers of SPF throughout the day, maybe some ocean or lake water as well as all that heat and constant exposure to UV.
Regular shampoo just cleans the surface. But also, that lingering "pool smell" that lingers after washing your hair, the crunchy feeling of chlorine or sea salt on every strand, the green tint showing up in lighter hair, the skin that still feels tight and dry the next morning. None of that is a sign you need to wash more. It tells you you're in need of something that is designed for the real issue.
That's what makes the Fairy Tales Sun & Swim collection a 5-step full hair and body system that synergistically serves as a complete summer reset.
The 5-Step Summer Reset Routine
Step 1: Shampoo - Start with a Real Cleanse
And so this is where the reset actually begins. Not just washing, but removing. Chlorine, sea salts, and minerals—not to mention sunscreen residue—and that inevitable swim smell that traditional shampoo tends to move around instead of washing out.
Sun & Swim Lifeguard Kids Clarifying Shampoo is powered by naturally derived fruit-based ingredients (grapefruit peel oil, orange flower extract, and pineapple fruit extract) that gently clarify without stripping. It's gentle enough for daily summer use, which matters when your kid is in the pool five days a week.
Bonus for mom: color safe so you can use it, too.
The second step is especially vital for kids with blonde or light-colored hair because they are more rapidly damaged by chlorine and minerals, which will give rise to that greenish tinge after swimming.
What it tackles:
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- Chlorine and pool residue
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- Sea salt and mineral buildup
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- Lingering swim odor
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- Early-stage green tones
Step 2: Conditioner — Give Hair Back What Summer Takes
Clarifying shampoo does its job really well which also means moisture needs to be added back in next. Chlorine and salt exposure leave hair feeling dry, brittle, and rough, and a good conditioner is what stands between your kid's hair and that "straw in a ponytail" situation by August.
Sun & Swim Lemon-Aid Kids Conditioner uses aloe, wild cherry bark, jojoba, vitamin B, and calendula extracts to restore moisture, softness, and shine after swimming. It conditions without leaving that heavy, greasy film that some natural conditioners are guilty of, which is one of the biggest complaints parents have in this category.
What it tackles:
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- Dryness and brittle texture
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- Rough, crunchy post-swim feel
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- Dullness and lack of shine
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- Tangled, hard-to-brush hair
Also mama bonus: color safe so you can use it too.
Step 3: Bodywash — Never Undermine What Summer Does to Your Skin
Hair gets the most attention, but kids' skin copes with just as much action when summer rolls around. Chlorine residue, sea salt, sweat and even thick coats of sunscreen that ordinary soap rarely gets rid of can rob skin of critical moisture and cause it to become dry and taut.
Sunny Days Body Wash, a low-lather moisturizing wash that washes off everything a big day in the sun has left behind (think: chlorine, minerals, sunscreen and sweat!) without stripping skin. A banana leaf extract and coconut oil wash cleanses while softening skin, then aloe and vitamin B refill moisture lost on hot sunny days.
What it tackles:
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- Pool resin and Chlorine in the skin
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- Sunscreen and sweat buildup
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- Post-swim dryness and tightness
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- To cut a long story short, no one should be pretending summer skin is Bond material.
Step 4: After-Sun Spray – The Step That Saves You at Brush Time
If brushing on swimming days has become a full-scale affair in your house (the knots, the tugging, the howling) this is where you've been going wrong.
Pool and beach days over the summer may have left hair dry and prone to tangling. Sun & Swim After-Sun Spray with a non-greasy moisture and slip gives hair the ability to feel softer, more manageable, and less tangle-prone without any stickiness/weights.
Spritz into wet hair and comb through. Great to toss in camp/kindle/beach bags for the fun day ahead!
What it tackles:
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- Post-swim tangles and brushing resistance
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- Your hairs dries frizzy and dry
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- Dryness between washes
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- All hair types, especially tangle-prone
Step 5: Body Lotion — Lock It All In
This is the finishing touch and makes a huge difference in the morning.
Sunny Days Body Lotion helps to restore softness and hydration that might be lost after a long day in chlorine, salt water or sun including sunscreen. Use immediately after towel drying or while your skin is slightly warm from the shower for best results.
It's the move that takes a post-swim routine from a simple rinse and repeat to an entire head-to-toe refresh. And honestly? That is the reason skin also does not get tight and dry all over again on next morning.
What it tackles:
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- Post-swim skin dryness and tightness
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- Performing & function of water it absorbs moisture when in prolonged contact with sunlight
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- Skin Comfort With Repeat Use In Summer
Why This Is a System That Works Better than a Routine
The difference here is that each layer is formulated to pave the way through to the next step, unlike buying one amazing swim shampoo.
The shampoo is your key to unlock the conditioner to work its magic! The conditioner restores moisture, so the After-Sun Spray helps with suppleness rather than compensating for dryness. The shower gel gives skin the same treatment the shampoo does with hair; the lotion retains all that, leaving nothing hanging.
The Payoff: Hair that looks healthy by August
No wonder summer adversely affects your hair and skin. It builds up slowly. It is not the case that regular damage occurs immediately after a long pool day. It accumulates through hundreds of swim lessons and days at the beach, and after mid-July even hair that started the season shiny and silky can end up coarse, lifeless, knotted.
An entire routine that you can use consistently will help to clear what summer leaves behind (before it has a chance to build up), replenish what summer robs you of, and keep hair + skin more well-heeled throughout the season instead of maxing them out with just one amazing wash.
