These days, many beauty brand founders are already multi-hyphenate or become one at the launch of their company. But the competitive swimmer-turned-freediver-podcaster is definitely one of the most unique combinations of the crowd.
This title describes the inimitable Khalyla Kuhn. She is perhaps best known for creating the Tigerbelly podcast in 2015 with her boyfriend, Bobby Lee, and currently co-hosts the weekly pop culture podcast, Trash Tuesday with Esther Povitsky. (Collectively, their podcasts reach two million subscribers and more than 15 million monthly views and listens across platforms.) But in addition to spending a lot of time behind a microphone, it's also very likely to be found at any time swimming in the waters of the ocean.
After decades of spending five to seven hours a day in pools and oceans, competitively and recreationally, Kuhn set out to create hair care products that could meet his specific post-swim hair needs. After about two years of formulating the line to fit their mentality of only reef-safe ingredients, their brand, Ebb Ocean Club, is here. The line is reef-safe, cruelty-free, biodegradable and offers intense detangling and moisturizing power. Let me also point out that Kuhn has great hair
Later, NYLON talks to Kuhn about finding a meditative state in the water, her new hair care products, and her latest hobby of spearfishing.
when did you start swimming
I was born and raised in the Philippines and learned to swim when I was three years old. I started swimming competitively at the age of six and by the time I was 10 I was part of the Philippine national team. At 12, I was the youngest to compete at the Southeast Asian Games, in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was terrifying for me. My whole life revolved around competitive swimming and that's all I did as a kid. Swimming is a very regimented sport. When I think of my life as a young swimmer, I don't always think fondly of it. Even the smell of chlorine brings me back.
As you grew up, how did you stay in the sport?
I came to the United States at 15 and then swam competitively in high school. In the public school system, where you live determines where you go to school. [My sister and I] he lied about where we originally lived so he could go to school on a better swim team. We were discovered and eventually placed at Blair High School, which had not had a swim team before. But my sister and I eventually won the California state championships for the two of them back to back while we were in school. From there, I made a full trip to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
What role does swimming play in your life now?
I went freediving again out of necessity. Full transparency, I come from a very traumatic home and there was really only so much that talk therapy did for me. For me, being in the water is even more than meditation. It's the only place where I have full control of my breathing, I feel like my heart is going to slow down, I feel very focused and the background noise fades away on the lows. It has been such an important part of my mental health journey.
I don't know why water does this to me. Maybe it's because swimming was such a big part of my younger life, I went freediving again. Then just a couple of years ago when I went through a terrible breakup I got into spearfishing and have been doing it ever since. Water is the only place where I feel most healed. I never leave the ocean feeling worse.
Ok, I need to know more about freediving and spearfishing.
Usually people go scuba diving, right? This is how they take underwater land and see corals and fish. I do, I don't use a tank, I go down there on my own breath. As for spearfishing, I now have a rifle – basically just bands with a trigger mechanism – that I take to the bottom of the ocean and shoot fish that way.
What's your biggest beauty concern when it comes to getting into a pool or the sea?
It's really different. When you are in the pool you encounter chlorinated water and this can be very harsh. With the ocean, obviously there's the salt, there's water pollution, and there's the mechanical mess of the wave motion working on your hair. I find the ocean much more difficult for me to manage because I don't need to wear a swim cap and I'm at the mercy of the motion.
“I never come out of the ocean feeling worse.”
When you swim competitively, what would you do to prepare your hair and skin before a competition?
It's true that at the time I was competing, I kind of said, “This will do.” My hair was already such a mess from the chlorine. I remember there was this specific shampoo to get the green out of your hair, called Ultra Swim. But mostly I just wore a swim cap and I didn't consider my skin and hair. In retrospect, it was a huge mistake because many of my skin and hair issues stem from years of chlorine exposure.
What's your beauty routine before you get in the water now?
Now, I'm very attentive. I am very careful with what I put on my body. I really try to really minimize the things I'm putting back into the ocean. This is how Ebb Ocean Club came about. The idea came to me because I was like, “Well, I've been really careful with my skin stuff, but there's still a lot of product that I put in my hair.”
An ideal situation for entering the water now includes SPF; I use a brand called All Good which is reef friendly. I'll put it on my face and body, but I usually wear a wetsuit, so that part is generally protected. My lip balm has to have SPF too, because, I mean, I have a pretty big mouth. Right now I'm using the Supergoop Lipscreen Shine SPF 40.
Believe it or not, nothing really works to keep my hair from tangling. I've tried ponytails, I've tried braids, but my hair is too thin, it always tangles. I put the Ebb Detangling Tonic Spray on my hair preemptively to minimize it and get some level of protection from the elements. I put my hair in a low bun and try to put on my wetsuit hood, but that's only until you're at the mercy of the waves.
What's your post-dive beauty routine?
The first thing I do when I get out of the water is rinse. I bring my small portable shower or use a beach shower if available. The only product that has been so soothing and hydrating for my face is the Circumference Pure Balancing Botanical Face Oil. The smell is very relaxing after the dive and a very nice contrast to the salty, crunchy vibes of the ocean.
Then I use the tonic spray the same way I did before going in, from roots to ends, and I work it in slowly. Once I get home, I rinse and wash with the Ebb detangling shampoo and conditioner. If I have a deeper wrap, I go straight for the Deep Treatment Repair Mask and leave it on for 10 minutes before slowly working it in.
What's your skincare routine like when you're not freediving?
I have eczema and sensitive skin so unfortunately I can't consume retinol or anything. I use the Youth To The People Superfood Facial Cleanser and the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream. I'm very underwhelming that way.
So do you even have a daily makeup routine?
I like to think of myself as a double agent in that way because I have to be in front of the camera [to record the podcast]. So on the days I shoot, I beat my face a little bit. I don't do my hair or makeup professionally for any of my shows or anything. It's podcasting: we wear sweatpants and introduce ourselves.
I wear the Fenty Blurring Skin Tint as a base. There is the Fenty bronzer and my most recent favorite product has been the Nars Dolce Vita Liquid Blush. For eyes, I use Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, and Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara is what I'm using now. Then I usually just do ChapStick. This is.
But you're right: if I go diving, I always go bare-faced.
