Swim Cap Review and Recap of Some Summer Fun!

To buy a swim cap or not?

I found myself not even thinking several months ago about buying a swim cap for Diva R. This idea had only popped into my head at the beginning of this summer. This is probably because 2 summers ago Diva R's hair was above her shoulders and didn't require any need for being covered or pulled up. As far as last years summer is concerned i just styled her hair to where it was in some sort of protective pony tailed or head banded updo and off we went. I never did the sun block in the hair thing because i just couldn't bring myself to over come my thoughts of sunblock and its greasy texture going into her hair let alone it running down into her eyes as she got her hair wet.

This passed summer i had seen many posts come across my Face Book page about swim caps and i fell curious and had to see what the hype was about.  While i was at Walmart i had stumbled upon an end cap of swim caps made by Ocean Pacific.

The above cap pictured is the only kind and type that the local Walmart sold. SO since this cap was under two dollars AND they had PINK which is Diva R's favorite color, without hesitation i threw it in the cart! If it didn't work out it wasn't a big burden on us anyways. Diva R was curious and wanted to try it out ASAP, at the BEACH she says. *)*

So off to the beach we went...

Before i applied the cap i spritzed her hair with distilled water generously but not to the point of making it drip wet. I Then applied our light natural moisturizer which is the Bee Mine Juicy Spritz. Lastly i rolled her hair into a high bun and pony tailed it off. 

Our Review

Color: Pink

Texture: Smooth and has a soft rubber texture

Cost: Under $2.00

The material of this cap after i opened it didn't feel like i expected it to. I expected the traditional hard to stretch rubber kind that fits really only one size head or smaller while under the label of being "one size fits all or most". This cap was deemed as being a child and adult size cap. There wasn't any descriptive information on the packaging at all nor could i find anything else about this cap online. I was then VERY surprised...

The cap stretched very easily across her head and was of a soft rubber like material. It didn't have the extreme pull like a 100% rubber cap would have. It sure did have the needed grip to it as i stretched it and softly put it over her hair. It stayed in place and fit nice and snug. Not too snug and it sure wasn't loose. Diva R i felt has a nice amount of hair to be successfully kept under a cap. Since it is so thin there is no battle with the cap at all.  

Diva R has wore this cap in our own pool, the beach, and spray parks. My first concern was i wonder if this cap would stay on with her going under water? So at the beach and the pool at home this hypothesis was put to test.  To my amazement the cap didn't budge! It stayed in the place that i put it exactly placed.  I would take her cap off and her hair would be completely un water logged and not touched by water!

I wondered if water being sprayed at or poured on could alter the swim caps position. So at the spray parks the cap also stayed put through random sprays, pours and the water slide. Ive read some reviews that the cap has actually come off or not been able to hold  lots of hair. Burt for us this cap proved to be well worth the investment and is a definite addition to our sun care hair regime. I feel that the importance of the swim cap is beyond thought now. This has been crucially important to us since this passed summer, on the extreme hot days we get this really helps me to be able to create a moisture barrier to where i am able to maintain Diva Rs moisture in her hair as the super hot sun beats down so fiercely and when the chlorine comes near or the beach water i was able to keep those harsh elements out of her hair!.  

Here is the Diva and her BF Diva S doing what they love to do most at the beach!!

 DIG!!!!!!!

The texture of the cap turned out to get a two thumbs up from us. Its not harsh and does not hurt the head or damage the hair at all. The cap fit Diva R's large head very well, the cap stuck true to its claim and it is a pass in our book overall <3

Here are some random shots of things that we did this summer!

Hope everyone had an equally as blessed summer :)


Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Diva R's Sun/Swim Care Regime

So since Summer is almost here officially its time to re-vamp our summer gear and accessories.  Prior to this year i didn't know that sunscreens could be "bad" or "unhealthy"... So now that's I've done substantial research i feel the choice sunscreen for the kids that i bought is a good one.

We went with the Coppertone KIDS Pure and Simple 50 SPF

Product Description

Coppertone Kids Pure and Simple Sunscreen Lotion:

Tear free

Oil, Fragrance and Dye free

Ultra gentle zinc oxide formula.

Broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection

Hypoallergenic

Waterproof

Ingredients

Octinoxate 7.5%, octisalate 5%, zinc oxide 14.5%. purpose: sunscreen.

Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Zinc Oxide 14.5%. Purpose: Sunscreen. Inactive Ingredients: Water, Propylene Glycol, C12-15 Alklyl Benzoate, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Peg/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, PEG-12 Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Sodium Chloride.

Now of course there are some lesser quality ingredients and some out right ones to avoid listed in the sunscreen but according to EWG and many other sites i found this one is one of the safest ones on the market and i have only been able to find one completely safe one but strangely enough i cant find it anywhere !!!

I went to every local store and couldn't find any sunscreen that was rated higher on the shelves... I wasn't up for ordering one bottle from the Internet either for the simple fact that shipping would be equivalent.  

I must say that we have used this multiple times already since the weather has finally become nice for us in this COLD state. This was bought for both of my kiddies Diva R and little bro Z who have both completely different skin textures/needs. I have educated myself on sunscreens the spf's and all the jazz that goes along with it and feel that this is the best sunscreen we have ever had!! The texture is amazing and easily spreads unlike most SS, it is white in color and not real thick but its not watery either.  It has your normal sunscreen scent but its much lighter than normal and will stay in place as long as you need it too as well! This SS stays real well and it hasn't burned either kids eyes or stained any clothes as of yet (crossing fingers) and this is a big deal for us because generally we have to throw out clothes and deal with eyes stinging...

I have used this on my face as well and i personally don't like it for me at all though it does the job i can tell its for kiddies and that my skin needs a different type of protection... BUT it is for KIDS so its fine that it doesn't work well for me :) The price tag was kind of an EEEEK moment, but SS and bug sprays are never cheap no matter what you go with... I had a coupon for $2.00 off so instead of it being $9.39 it was $7.39 plus tax :) Overall i am satisfied with this SS and will continue to use it unless something better pops up.

Directions for Use

Shake well before use. Adults And children 6 months Of age and older. Apply evenly and liberally to all exposed areas before sun exposure.Ensure complete coverage. Reapply as needed or after towel drying, swimming, perspiring, or vigorous activity. Children under 6 months of age: ask a doctor.

On to our new Swim Care regime!!!

Also prior to this year the thought of putting her hair into a swim cap wasn't present, nor was any "special" types of care before swimming.  Even my cousins who are biracial didn't do anything special with their hair so i just treated Diva R's the same... Since i became a big hair guru i now approach that thought differently and with much more caution. I have been on any forums, social networking sites and just having regular conversation with people and have come to the conclusion that i wanted to buy a swim ca for the Diva.

While at Walmart i seen this Swim Cap!!! by Ocean Pacific.

I was thrilled because they had pink, it is not your traditional hair-puller like a good majority of caps are and it is made for an adult size head! This is a must when it comes to Diva R because she has a big melon *_* So i was taking a risk by buying it because i couldn't feel it nor check it out due to its packaging before i bought it. But i figured what the hay because it was only around $2.00. This was the only kind i have seen in stores yet.

So I bought it and when i got home i opened it to check it out and upon first feel i was amazed!!! Back in the day all swim caps were rubber and it would pull the hair out of your head quick! But this is like a softened rubber material that will not slip off the hair even with its softness.  It is nice and stretchy and is a one size fits most cap which i was worried about since the Diva has a bigger size head. BUT to our surprise it fits perfectly and is NOT damaging to her hair. I was expecting to pay atleast 15.00 so this was a steal!!

During my search i seen a swim cap that costs over 400.00! YES IM SERIOUS click here to check it out INSANITY...

I am very pleased with the swim cap we got, just cant wait to get major use ou

We have also a straw hat theory we are trying out for this summer also...  Ive seen alot of people on these straw hat kicks for the summer so i was set out on a search for Diva R a summer hat. This i knew would be a challenge because of her lovely melon :) So we went from store to store trying them on and NOTHING worked UNTIL we got to Family Dollar... That is where we found this one!!

It really looks like a cowgirl hat which isn't exactly what we were looking for but after i tried it on it was a must because the little Diva just LOVED it and it was really cute on her. Better than a regular straw hat and it has some cute little rhinestone's and a pink matching bow tie.

Another great aspect about this is that it was $3.00!! Whoo WHO! The rim bends also so i can keep it it its shaep or flip it depending on the suns mood. This is a great quality hat and we LOVE Family Dollar too, this was the last one and it must have been a match made so we snatched it up. This will come in handy on those super hot days where the sun is in full effect. We love being outside and going on adventures. Diva R loves this hat and so do i because it can be worn with our without a style in and it allows for great. She thinks this is a play hat which helps the matter out more because Diva R use to absolutely  refuse to wear anything on her head when she was a baby and through her toddler years as well. YAY for dress up!

As far as hair care for the summer i am simply going to start with just spritzing distilled water on her hair generously under her swim cap before she swims and see how that holds up and if the cap holds up well too. I will detail the outcome after I've experimented with it enough. 

I keep hearing about some Summer Shampoo's and such has anyone tried any of these? If so which kinds and do you think they work?

Diva R's Mommy-Kim