With the rising of the summer sun come seemingly endless days of riding in a speedy convertible, hair blowing in the breeze, catching the sunshine and picking up natural highlights as it flies. John Denver once sang that sunshine on his shoulders made him happy and sunshine in his eyes could make him cry. But all poetry aside, exposing our hair to sunlight can be damaging and leave us sobbing at our vanity mirror. Just as a lot of exposure to the sun can damage and age our skin, toxins from the environment can strip our hair of natural oils and dry it out.
Many of us may have been cautioned by hair care professionals that excessive hot blow drying can wreak havoc with our hair. UV rays can be just as brutal. Heat and humidity can sap the moisture from our hair and frizzle our curls. During the summer months, extra care should be taken to ensure our hair keeps growing strong, healthy, and beautiful. Washing your hair less often will allow more moisture absorption. Because your hair is already being exposed to more sunlight during the summer, these months are an excellent time to let your hair dry naturally instead of blow drying. Hair needs extra protection so that when the summer sun goes down on us, and we’ve gone from being merfolk to landlubbers again, our curly tops haven’t become dull, dry, brittle mops.
Chlorinated swimming pools can give your hair split ends and leave your hair brittle and without shine. If you frequent pools and are already exposing your hair to chlorine, it would be a good idea to wait until autumn before getting a chemical color or perm. The easiest way to protect hair from chlorine is to wear a swimming cap. If you don?t have a swimming cap handy or you just prefer swimming au natural, rinsing your hair before and after your pool time can help repel strong pool chemicals. There are detox shampoos on the market that will wash out chlorine. Be sure to read the labels before buying.
If you are like me, you tend to eat more junk food in the summer. Fourth of July picnics and weekly or even daily trips to the ice cream parlor are plentiful. A poor diet lacking in essential fatty acids and nourishing proteins can contribute to lackluster locks. The same smart habits we practice for the health of our bodies, such as exercising and eating well, will also maintain healthy heads of hair. If you?re daring, try feeding your head with mayonnaise or mashed avocado. This may not be as potent as a hot oil treatment at a salon, but the oils in these foods are vitamin rich.
Keep frizzled, split ends to a minimum by trimming your hair often. I have fairly long hair and I get a haircut every six weeks in warm weather. If you sport a shorter style, shearing every four weeks is better. My tresses seem to get dirtier in the summer. Because of perspiring, increased scalp oils cause my hair to go limp and so I switch to a lighter, more gentler shampoo. Remember not to use very hot water, as that will dry out your scalp. You may want to use a conditioner with sunscreen that you leave in rather than rinse out after towel drying. This will add much needed moisture to your hair. Read the labels and look for one that will filter out UV rays.
One of the most simple ways to protect your hair from the sun is to wear a scarf or hat. Tying hair back, or braiding it, while not completely covering it, is better than nothing. Harsh sunlight can actually give your hair a sunburn. If you are going to be staying out at the beach for an extended period, it’s a good idea to keep your head covered, at least part of the time.
When the sun beats down on your head, beat it to the nearest drugstore and buy products that contain nourishing hair products. Most of us live on a household budget and cannot always purchase the very best salon products for our hair. We can, however, buy the best products that we can afford. I look for hair products that are on sale to save as much money as I can.
Purchasing a good moisturizing conditioner is a good investment. Seaweed, which is rich in proteins and adds body to the hair shaft, can be found in the list of ingredients of many hair products. I get many helpful hint ideas from browsing magazines or surfing the web. There are a lot of products out there, and it’s a wise use of your time to do a little personal research to find the best products for your hair type. People with fine hair will often not want to use the same thing as those with curly hair. Fine hair may need more body, while unruly curly hair that tends to frizz in humidity needs more control.
Hair needs extra protection so that when the summer sun goes down on us, our curly tops haven’t become dull, dry, brittle mops.