Here are the best tips for keeping your hair healthy and staying in control of your mane during the sunny summer months. Hair expert Karen Shelton offers her tips.
The downside to summer fun
Summer may bring glorious visions of natural highlights and long windblown hair. The reality is that summer sun and humidity can damage your hair’s cuticle and result in dry, drab, split, brittle or frizzy hair ends. Sunlight can be just as damaging as a hot blow dryer. Naturally curly hair is often a major victim to summer fizzies. Here are some of Karen’s expert tricks and tips for summer haircare.
Replenishing beauty products
Prevent static electricity in your hair by applying a conditioner during your wash routine that adds moisture and shine. Alternatively, apply a “leave-in” conditioner after towel drying hair. Products that advertise with words like “replenish” are designed to add moisture to your locks. In contrast, the voluminizing and luminizing products are designed to add body and shine, but may not add moisture. Be sure to read up all ingredients in the hair product.
Ban blow-outs
If you normally blow dry and use hot styling tools every day, try giving your hair a break during the summer months. Consider letting your hair air dry or take time out from curling for a more natural hairstyle. Hair braided when wet will air dry into beautiful waves. Another way to make sure your hair will have a great all natural look it to ask you stylist to give you a cut that will air dry to perfection. BUT, if you are married to your blow dryer, be sure to use a leave-in conditioner designed to protect your hair when blow drying.
Deep conditioner
On weekends or at night, dab a conditioner like Aveda’s Damage Remedy Conditioner or Aura’s Cherry Almond Bark on the ends and frizziest parts of your hair. Pin it up or wrap it in plastic and sleep on it. Using this method will restore absent moisture that adds to the frizzie follicles. It will also prevent heavy conditioners from weighing down your hair, since the conditioner will only focus on the trouble spots.
Don’t forget the spf
If you unexpectedly find yourself at the beach without a hat or SPF for you hair, use sunscreen made for your skin. When you get home, be sure and use a deep-cleansing shampoo like Aveda’s Hair Detoxer. It may not be the best solution in the world, but it could very likely save your hair from sun damage.
Tackle frizzy follicles
When the summer heat is hottest, contain potential frizzies by wearing your hair up in a knot, bun or braid hairstyle. This will help shield the majority of your hair. Be careful using shine products to control frizzies. They often contain silicone and can add an unhealthy coat your hair after just a few uses. This will only make the problems worse in the long run.
Trim away dead ends
Be religious about your trims. Since summer heat can pump up the frizzies, make sure you have the ends trimmed every 6-8 weeks during the summer months. When your ends are fizzy, it’s a sure sign that they are either damaged, split, or both.
Use protection
Wear a hat at the beach, in your convertible or anytime you’re out in the hot sun. Hair can get sunburned just like the scalp and the only way to correct severly burnt hair is by trimming, or chopping. So, prevention is the safest plan. Frizzy hair is ofter the result of too much sun time so hanging out in the sun without protection for your hair and scalp is the worst thing you can do. If you are unwilling to wear a hat and coverup, use leave-in hair products with SPF protection when you know you will be outside for extended periods of time.
Be gentle
Hair needs to be treated extra gently during the summer months. Consider switching to a more gentle shampoo; Aveda’s Shampure is a super gentle example of shampoo great for giving your hair a break. Also aim to use hair products that are as all-natural as possible. Avoid any products that contain alcohol or formaldehyde, since they can be excessively drying and damaging to the hair. Consider washing your hair less often during the summer months to allow your hair to absorb more moisture and let it’s natural oils soak in and heal your locks on their own.
More summer haircare advice
Try out a new haircut for summer months. It’s a great way to get a new look that will dry naturally and still look stylish. If your stylist can give you a fresh cut that is designed to look good without a blow dryer, you’ll be on the fast track to heathy, summer hair.
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