Thursday, June 10, 2010

Summer Hair Care


Summer is obviously never complete without enjoying some sun time. But we all know that the sun can be quite harsh on our skin, and even on our hair! Exposure to the sun can damage your hair's cuticle, making your hair dry, drab and brittle.

While protecting your skin is as easy as slathering on some sunblock, what do you do to protect your hair? Here are some tips that have been very helpful to me:

* Cover up! The easiest, quickest way to protect those tresses from the sun's rays. Wear a summer hat or stylish scarves to cover your hair. But remember to choose ones that still allow proper air circulation. Otherwise, you'll end up getting too hot to keep the hat or the scarf on.

* Leave on! Use leave-on hair products that have SPF protection. However, you can also put regular sunscreen on your hair, BUT make sure to concentrate on your scalp as well and not just the strands. It's quite a desperate solution, but when in dire need, improvise. It does save your hair from sun damage.

* All natural! Summer will leave your hair moisture-deprived. So limit your use of certain hair products that may contain ingredients which have been known to dry hair. Choose brands that are as natural as possible.

* No heat! I can assure you, the sun will pretty much do a better job at heating things up so you won't need anymore heat on your hair. Give your hair a break from heat-styling (blow dryers, iron curlers, etc.). If you MUST have waves, try braiding damp hair and let air-dry. Let loose and you've got very natural and playful curls. If you MUST blow-dry, at least apply some leave-on hair conditioner to protect your hair from the heat.

* Deep conditioning! Regular deep conditioning treatments will help in replenishing moisture in your hair. Apply your deep conditioner of choice to your hair (whether damp or dry) and then wrap up in a shower cap. Leave it on for some time or even overnight so your hair absorbs all the re-moisturizing benefits then rinse off.

So go ahead ad enjoy sunnier days ahead, but don't forget to take care of your tresses. Happy summer, everyone!

Image from sxc.hu.

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