7 Haircare Secrets To Monsoon-Proof Your Hair

A good hair day is a flex, are we right? Although a practically incomprehensible one during the monsoons! Seriously though, if your hair looks great come rain, shine or storm, count your blessings for being god’s favourite child, will you? For the rest of us mere mortals – we rely upon an arsenal of hair care products to look… well, socially presentable. If you’ve been having more Monica-esque hair days than good hair days, we’ve got your back.

But let’s be real for a minute, unless you’ve got some serious skin in the game, you probably don’t use more than 3 products in your routine – a shampoo-conditioner-hair serum – and (hallelujah) we’re here to tell you that you don’t need much else. Monsoon hair care doesn’t need to be complicated and it should not cost you an arm and a leg either. Wade Blackford – Design Director, Styling at Kevin Murphy spills the (adrak-wali) chai on how to humidity-proof your locks this season.

Make that switch

Much like your skincare regime changes depending on the season, your hair regime needs to change too. The products that work in summer or winter won’t necessarily make the cut in the monsoons. Look for products that fight frizz and smoothen the hair cuticle to keep the flyaways to a minimum. Speak to your hairstylist and get a consult for the best products for your hair type.

Understand your scalp

Your hair woes and wins begin at your scalp. Much like the phrase a happy wife = a happy life, a happy scalp = great hair. Understand your scalp and hair type before investing in your haircare. Speak to your stylist, understand your hair and then build a hair care routine. And don’t lose hope if you don’t get it right in the get go. Finding the right hair care products might take you more than one purchase.

Pick the right products

Once you’ve identified your hair and scalp type, pick products that address your hair care concerns. For example, if your scalp is oily, incorporating a cleansing shampoo with ingredients like micellar water, coal tar, tea tree oil, charcoal and AHAs and BHAs (more on acids in haircare here) will be beneficial. If your scalp is dry, look for a hydrating shampoo that adds back moisture. Swap your hair serums for a smoothening lotion or a leave-in conditioner.

Turn down the heat

I don’t know about you, but I turn up the heat in the monsoons. My hair tools function at their highest heat setting in the hopes of keeping my hairstyle intact. I also assumed this is what would keep the frizz and flyaways in check. Wade recommends the exact opposite, turning down the heat in the monsoon was his top tip to combat humidity and frizz. Here’s what he said – Section your hair well, apply a small amount of styling product and then go over each section of hair slowly. Patience is key here. You may need to go over each section of hair more than one or two times because the heat is on low, but your hairstyle will actually last longer and remain frizz-free.

A massage makes all the difference

Spend some time gently massaging your conditioner or hair mask into your hair. Don’t claw at your hair or comb it while you condition it, this will cause hairfall and breakage. You want to use your thumb and your index finger to lightly massage the product in – this will increase penetration into the hair cuticle and ensure that your products work twice as hard.

Don’t scrub your scalp too hard

If you thought getting rid of an oily scalp and dandruff meant scrubbing your scalp like you were kneading dough, you’re in for a treat! Wade recommends using a light hand to wash your scalp, use your fingertips and light strokes. If you use too much pressure, you may end up stripping your scalp’s natural moisture (pH) levels. When this happens, your scalp takes it as a sign that it needs to produce more oil to compensate. As a result, your hair gets oilier, and faster. In case you hadn’t heard, scalp care is the new skincare. Invest in some lightweight products that are designed to improve scalp health – this really is the key to happy, healthy hair.

Don’t schedule your hair wash days

Wash your hair as frequently as it needs – listen to your hair. Typically, in humid weather, you sweat more. More sweat means more build-up on your scalp and this means you need to wash it more often. Avoiding a hair wash will just cause oil and dead skin build-up on your scalp paving the way for a host of hair care issues like dandruff and hairfall. As a result, you will need to shampoo your hair more than once in the shower and you may end up stripping it of the natural oils.