Written by Jeanette Nkwate
Summer continues to be a great season for hair, particularly for curly and afro hair types. The drying winter winds and woolly scarfs that snag your strands, kinks and curls are gone, leaving your hair free to shine in the sun.
There are, however, a few key things to consider to keep your hair looking its best. Warm weather and humidity can mean dryness and frizz without the correct care but with our top tips you’ll have amazing summer hair.
-
Start Summer With A Trim
Now that it’s summer time, we suggest inspecting the ends of your hair and trimming your hair to get rid of split ends, fairy knots or single strand knots and any other damaged hair. It’s a great way to refresh your style and get you ready for the season ahead. Hair always looks neater when it's freshly trimmed!
-
Protect Your Hair From Sun Damage
Just as they damage our skin, UV rays damage afro hair. The best way to avoid this is to stay out of direct sunshine. Better yet, wear a hat or headscarf to a protective style when the sun is at its brightest and you'll keep your hair and skin from sun damage.
-
Avoid The Heat
Time to ditch the blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons. Why? Because in the same way that sun damage can affect our hair, heat damage can make your look and feel dry, which means your summer hair won’t be on point. Instead try heat free drying using a microfibre towel to quickly dry your hair without hassle.
-
Saturate Your Strands Before Hitting The Water
You might not be heading to the beach or to the pool. But if you are, it’s best to drench your hair with clean water or our moisturising spray, Sheen, this way it won't absorb as much saltwater or chemicals from the pool.
It's also a good idea to try to rinse your hair post swim, we suggest keeping a bottle of water or a spray bottle filled with fresh water in case you aren’t able to head to a shower immediately.
You can learn more about caring for afro hair while swimming by reading our guide with Alice Dearing’s top tips.
-
Assess Your Current Shampoo And Conditioner
With summer’s warm weather, you’re likely to be washing your hair more frequently. So make the switch and use a good sulphate-free, natural shampoo like Swish, which is gentle enough to use every day.
Follow up with extra silicone-free conditioner, such as Swirl to avoid your hair drying out and to reduce the static in washed hair that encourages microparticles to stick to it.
-
Cleanse Your Scalp & Hair Properly
Adding to our point above, in the summer we sweat more and this leads to a build up on our scalps. So don’t forget to use a sulphate free shampoo to cleanse and then following up with your moisturising routine will keep your scalp healthy and your afro hair looking fresh this summer.
-
Remember: Humidity Can Equal Frizzy Hair!
There are dozens of sun protectors, anti frizz serums and the like on the market, but the most efficient and eco friendly (and pocket friendly!) solution is to protect your hair from direct sunshine and extreme humidity in the first place.
As we mentioned earlier, opt for headscarfs, hats and wear protective styles where the ends of your hair (the oldest and most fragile parts) are tucked away. Styles like buns and braids are stylish, low maintenance and keep your hair from frizzing up by keeping it away.
Like your hair to have volume? Rock a twist out or maybe think about embracing your frizz, which will give you a big, undefined fro!
-
Moisturise Your Hair
Warm weather can lead to dry hair, especially if you have curly or afro hair. Using the LOC method of layering moisturising products and oils is a great way to protect against this. After cleansing follow up with a Lotion, Oil and Cream (LOC) is the best way to keep your hair looking great this summer.
More Articles:
The Ultimate Guide To Swimming With Natural Hair