Summer natural hair care tips

With summer practically on the northern hemisphere doorstep I’ve scoured my favourite natural hair blogs and collated the best advice that I plan to follow for my natural summer hair care routine.

Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise

I think moisturising your hair will always come up as the no 1 hair care tip, no matter the season, and it couldn’t be more apt than to ensure healthy hair during the summer. The hot air temperature and the direct sunlight on your hair can really cause havoc on your tresses by drying it out, which leads to brittle hair and eventual breakage.

A few ways to guarantee moisturised hair:

1. Incorporate nourishing deep conditioning treatments into your wash routine to replenish what the the sun has taken out.

1. Use moisturisers / leave-in conditioners with water as its first ingredient. This means the product is water based.

1. Keep a spray bottle handy containing water and / or your favourite moisturising ingredients to spritz and re-moisturise as needed.

Seal in the moisture

There has been some debate going on weather oils really do seal moisture into the hair or whether it’s just a myth. From my experience I can attest that oils and butters really work. If you find that they are too heavy for your strands during the Summer, try switching to a lighter one. If you’ve mainly been using butters during the Winter, opt for an oil like avocado or olive oil during the Summer. Or if you’ve been using heavier oils during the Winter, switch to a lighter one for the Summer, like argan, coconut or sweet almond oil. If this is still too heavy for you, then just apply a light oil to the ends of your hair, where moisture is most likely to escape from first.

Some say that applying gels over your leave-in conditioner can also seal in moisture. I’ve never used gel as a sealant, but go ahead and give it a try to see if this works for you.

Refrigerate your hair products

Rinsing your hair with cold water after you’ve washed it and applying cold products from the fridge will encourage the cuticle to close, which ensures shinier and moisturised hair for longer.

Rock cute low manipulation styes on the days it’s too hot to have all your hair out

As much as I love wearing my hair down during the Summer there are some days that it’s honestly just too hot to have all my hair out around my face. For those days I plan to wear simple low manipulation up-do styles. Some of my current styles include the high and low bun, the puff  and the roll and tuck up-do. Goddess braids is a style I’d like to try as I think it’s ultra chic, feminine and perfect for hot Summer days. Add a cute flower or headband and you’ll be good to go.

Protect the hair from direct sunlight

The easiest way to do this is to wear hats and scarves. I love this method as it creates a direct barrier between your strands and the harsh drying effects of the sun. Of course the fact that hats and scarves add a completely new dimension to your look is an added bonus.

Wet your hair and apply oils/conditioner before swimming

Hair that is already wet from tap water is less likely to absorb more water, which will help it to absorb less chlorinated / sea water. Once sea water has dried on the hair it can have a drying effect as it draws moisture out of the hair. As unstylish as it might feel, consider wearing a swimming cap if you’re going to be spending lots of time in the water, especially chlorinated water as is can be very damaging. Rinse the chlorinated / sea water out of your hair as soon as you’ve had enough water play for the day.

Ditch the satin scarf and sleep on a satin pillowcase only

Those nights when it’s so hot that you can’t bear the thought of wearing a scarf / bonnet to bed, simply prep your hair for the night as you usually would and sleep on a satin pillowcase only, foregoing the scarf / bonnet. You’ll be a lot more comfortable.

Moisturise from the inside too

Generally I struggle to drink a perfect 8 glasses of water a day, and with Summer comes the added cocktail hour every day, which can cause dehydration. But since I’m placing a huge focus on keeping healthy throughout the Summer I plan to hydrate myself from the inside too. The advice I’ve come across is to drink 1 glass of water for every alcoholic drink. This will help to ensure healthy tresses from the inside out.