Hair Care 101

Summer time means more time outside and thus, more time in the sun. Most of us are aware of the damage the sun can do to our skin. We make sure to lather up on the sunscreen, but have you ever thought about what the sun does to your hair? The sun, hear and humidity can take a toll on your hair in the summer months with extra exposure to the sun, the humidity, sweat and let’s not forget all the chemicals and chlorine in a swimming pool or the salt water of the ocean! So here are a few tips and things you can do to help keep your hair strong and healthy in the summer months:

• Let you hair air dry instead of using a blow dryer and avoid using a flat iron straightener in the summer. Hair is already getting dried out by the humidity and heat in the summer and using a blow dryer or straightener will add to it.

• Use clips to hold your hair back instead of elastic hair ties. Hair ties cause more breakage and creases to your hair. I use small claw clips with the “slip-grip” on them to pull my hair back and it holds really well!

•    Conditioner, Conditioner, Conditioner! Be sure to use a conditioner and let it soak for several minutes in your hair before rinsing it out.

• Use an After Sun Shampoo.  Redken makes an After Sun Shampoo specifically for repairing sun damaged hair. It is made to clean the chlorine out of your hair after being in a swimming pool.

• Use Almond Oil or Coconut Oil – these oils help nourish and restore moisture to the scalp and hair, keeping them strong and less likely to split or break. You can place a few drops in the palm of your hand then apply to your hair along with your conditioner, or choose a conditioner that contains these oils.

•    Avoiding coloring your hair too often in the summer. If you want to go for a full color change it’s best not to do it during the summer months. If possible, try to just touch up your roots during the summer months. With the heat and humidity your hair is already dried out and coloring it will dry it out further. 

•   Trim it! The best way to keep your hair healthy is to cut the dead hair off the end and let new hair grow. So if you find your hair is suffering from all the summer heat, start trimming from the bottom and letting strong, new healthy hair grow! Sometimes it feels better to have a short hairstyle in the summer!

So remember not to just lather up on the sunscreen to protect your skin, protect your hair too as you enjoy the summer months!!!