As a personal stylist for women, I spend a great deal of time chatting it up with folks about clothes, accessories, skincare and of course, hair. So, you can imagine how dedicated I am to finding the perfect people to help my clients achieve their style goals. A few years ago, I met Karen Reichert through a friend and client. She's lovely, generous and honest — all qualities I very much appreciate. Equally important, she knows hair. When my client told me that she's naturally grey, I was shocked! Karen has her on a clearly defined plan to contain her grey and keep her long hair looking lush, gorgeous and brunette. Naturally, I made an appointment. Now that I'm both a fan and a client, it seems only right that I share Karen's genius with you, Dear Reader.

This is the first of a short series of blog posts with tips and tricks from Karen. In addition to the posts, she has generously allowed me to offer up a giveaway. That's right: Like Poplin on Facebook or sign up for the Poplin newsletter and you will be entered to win a cut and color from Karen.

The winner will need to be available during Karen's scheduled hours and the cut and color are gratis, although anything beyond that will be at Karen's very reasonable rates. I can't wait for you to learn from this hair guru who's been transforming clients in high end salons for over twenty years. Enough talk, let's start with pool time!

Pool Time

Summer is here and with that, so is pool time!

Here are a few quick things you should do before you hit the pool to prevent chlorine from damaging your hair:

1. Saturate your hair with clean water before you enter the pool. Dry hair will soak up pool water like a sponge. If you saturate your hair with clean water your hair will be less likely to absorb as much of the chlorinated water from the pool. A pony tail or braid is helpful for limiting water absorption, too.
2. If you're doing a lot of swimming or are concerned about damage, a swim cap can make a world of difference. Before putting your cap on, saturate your hair with clean water and apply a light conditioner to your hair.
3. After your swim, rinse, rinse, rinse. A good clean rinse as soon as you leave the pool will start removing the chlorine from your hair until you get a chance to shampoo.
4. Shampooing your hair immediately after chlorine exposure is the best way to remove the bulk of the chlorine and stop the damage it may be causing to your hair. Some shampoos are specially made to help remove chlorine and are a great idea for regular swimmers.
5. Moisture/protein balance. Just as important as removing the chlorine, you have to replace the moisture and protein that the chlorine strips from your hair as soon as possible.

Repairing the Chlorine Damage:

If your hair does end up getting damaged by chlorine, the best thing to do is to talk to your hairstylist. A stylist will be able to assess the damage and recommend products or treatments, in addition to giving you a healthy trim to remove extra dry ends. If chlorine has damaged your hair, it's likely that it's also building up in your hair and causing it to feel worse than it is. Try a clarifying shampoo, or try super-clarifying your hair by adding one teaspoon of baking soda to your shampoo. You can also use an apple cider vinegar rinse (1 part vinegar to 5 parts filtered water) to remove chlorine buildup. Your chlorine-stressed hair needs equal amounts of protein and moisture, so deep condition weekly or bi-weekly to seal in moisture and soothe the frizzy split ends.

It's me again. If you'd love a cut and color from Karen, make sure to enter to win! Like Poplin Style Direction on Facebook  or sign up to receive the Poplin e-newsletter. Every subscriber and Facebook fan will be entered to win. The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, May 20th, 2016. Until then, let me know what you think of Karen's tips for saving your hair from chlorine damage.