Summer weather can wreak havoc on a person’s natural hair. Hot weather dries out hair, leaving it parched and dull-looking. You might also be visiting the pool or the beach a lot, exposing hair to salt water and chlorine.
Although unintentional, your summer activities might be causing more harm than you realize on your hair. Some of summer’s dirty tricks on natural hair include:
faded color dry scalp and hair fried and frizz appearanceWe aren’t saying you need to give up your favorite outdoor activities in the summer. Summer is the time to be stress-free. But while you’re having fun, it’s important to take care of your natural hair and it’s hard to do that.
It’s also the perfect time to give your hair a break from all the styling you put it through for work, date nights, and hangouts with friends. Wearing hair naturally is your best bet for health and growth.
In addition to letting it go in its natural state, there are a few special care tips you can take note of to care for it.
How to Take Care of Natural Hair in Summer
Here are our 11 best tips for natural hair care in the summer:
1. Hair Masks
Products like Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner and DreamGirls Revival Deep Treatment will treat your tresses to all the moisture they could want. Use a hair mask once a week during the summer for best results.
2. Chlorine and Salt Water Protection
source
To minimize the damage these two elements can do to your natural hair, either wear hair in twists to prevent absorption, wear a swim cap, or use a deep conditioner directly after swimming.
Doing all three is even better. Coconut oil is another way you can protect hair from water damage. It will moisturize hair and prevent the elements from drying it out and creating unattractive flakiness.
Using a clarifying shampoo is also a great idea for use right after swimming. It will easily remove salt and chlorine.
3. Opt for Protective Hairstyles
As we mentioned above, there are some hairstyles that are protective, making them perfect for summer wear. Twists, braids, and cornrows are all popular choices. Just be sure to use a moisturizing mist regularly so hair doesn’t become too dried out.
4. Oil Rinse
Many women with natural hair rave about the benefits of doing an oil rinse year round. After shampooing hair, use avocado, coconut, or olive oil to coat hair. Then apply your conditioner and dry as normal. Women rave about the resulting softness and shine.
5. Cover Up
Protect natural hair from sun damage and heat by wearing a printed or patterned scarf to enhance your style or a fun hat. We all know roots are where the sun hits the hardest and by covering it up, your scalp and roots will take less of a hit.
6. Use At-Home Mixtures
Taking care of your hair in the summer doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Hunting through stores for affordable products that work – and won’t leave you frustrated looking for a new product to try – isn’t necessary when you have ingredients at home to make hair masks and moisturizers.
One stylist’s favorite mixture uses water, aloe vera juice, and avocado oil. Shake it up in a spray bottle and mist hair whenever it needs a boost. You can also try argan oil and water.
7. Skip The Hot Tools
We know, curling hair and straightening it for sleekness are favorite styles, especially when you’re going out a lot in the summer.
But since we all know heat is damaging, why would you purposely expose it to more heat in your hot tools? Instead, embrace the natural curls or add extensions in the texture you want, whether that’s straight or curly.
8. Wash & Brush Only Every Now and Then
When you need to comb hair, be gentle. Combing straight hair is different from combing natural hair. Too much brushing exacerbates frizz and introduces the possibility for other damage.
When it comes to washing, there’s no need to wash it every few days. Many natural hair stylists actually agree that going as long as 7 to 10 days between washes is fine. Especially during the summer, you want to make sure hair keeps as much of its moisture as possible.
9. Take a Break From Coloring
Who wants to spend their summer time styling their hair? Treat yourself and your hair to a break by skipping out on the coloring. You will be amazed at how your hair bounces back beautifully from not being chemically treated.
10. Avoid These Ingredients
Simple at-home ingredients like the avocado we mentioned earlier are perfectly safe and healthy for hair, but there are some ingredients in hair products that need to be avoided.
Hair Lounge hair stylist Charlotte Mensah recommends steering clear of petroleum oil, mineral oils, and silicones. She says coating your hair and scalp in them can actually do more harm than good, resulting in an oil imbalance and suffocating or preventing hair health.
What you want in hair products is “paraben-free,” meaning it doesn’t contain those ingredients.
11. Wear a Bonnet
Many women choose not to sleep with their natural hair in a bonnet at night, but the benefits of wearing one, especially during the summer, are something to consider.
Bonnets are proven to reduce friction and split ends, both of which are things that natural hair is prone to in the summer. Wear only satin bonnets and nix the silver clips to avoid snagging on hair.
Conclusion
Now that you know what you can do to protect your natural hair in the summer, we hope you’ll be proactive about it. None of the above tips are difficult to begin doing or to alter into your current hair routine.
In the long run, the way your hair looks after treating it like your crown of glory will make you thankful you followed these tips!