Summer is the season of carefree styles, but that's no reason to set aside your hair care regime.
Here are some simple ideas to help protect your strands from the heat, sun, and humidity.
Shampoo Redeux
Washing your hair too frequently can strip your scalp of its natural oils and can stimulate increased oil production to try and compensate. This increased oil production is likely to make your hair, or more so your roots, feel greasy and may prompt you to wash more often. It becomes a vicious cycle. Try washing your hair every other day or two instead.
If your roots are naturally oily or have become oily recently (perhaps from over washing), use a cornstarch-based dry shampoo at the root to absorb oils or dab your scalp with witch hazel to dissolve any greasiness.
Amp Up Conditioning
Summer can be very drying for your strands, so be sure to keep your hair well moisturized. Use a hydrating conditioner and rinse out or a leave-in that adds another layer of moisture. Also, deep condition once a week to give your thirsty strands some added love.
Untangle Tresses Carefully
When your hair is wet, it's most susceptible to breakage. Use a light detangler or add a small amount of argan oil to damp strands before using a wide-toothed comb on sections to gently detangle. Combing downward, start at the bottom of your hair and work your way upward until all hair is tangle free.
Humidity Blockers
If you live in a humid area or your hair is especially prone to frizzing, and a smoothing lotion or elixir or shine serum to your hair. You can layer it on after conditioning or mix it with your leave-in conditioner and apply, combing through for even distribution.
Avoid Thermal Tools
Consider giving your blow dryer and styling irons a break this summer. Try to airdry whenever possible and go for loose textured finishes whenever possible. If you simply can’t part form your beloved dryer or irons, prep your hair first with a thermal protectant to lessen the amount of damage.
Add UV Protection
Some leave-in conditioners and most thermal protectants offer at least some form of UV protection, but an extra dose of sunscreen never hurts. When you apply sunscreen to your skin, run your hands through your hair to distribute a small amount to your strands too.
Go Undercover
To shield your hair against the wind, color fading, and UV damage and to protect the moisture on your scalp, cover up. When you're out in the sun, use a scarf or hat to block the damaging effects of the sun.
