Take out your sunscreens ‘coz summer is here 🌞
Every dermatologist and skincare enthusiast will tell you to protect your skin from the sun and never step out without SPF. Sunburn, rashes, allergies, wrinkles, premature aging are just some of the side effects of neglecting SPF. Constant exposure to the sun damages your skin and your hair too. The sun can make your hair lose its natural shine and moisture, making it brittle and dry. Other issues include hair discolouration, split-ends, weakened hair proteins, damaged hair cuticles, reduced hair elasticity, and even hair fall.
Not cool for the summers, is it?
But don’t worry, we know just the way you can maintain your locks this summer.
How To Protect Your Hair From The Sun In Summers
The hot weather is more than a reminder that your colourful dresses can come out to play. It means that the sun is out and you need to protect your mane. Ritika Jayaswal, Founder & CEO, Nourish Mantra shares some tips and DIYs with us to keep our hair happy and healthy, despite the humidity.
Cover Up Those Tresses
The sun’s UV rays are harmful to our hair, often leading to hair damage and breakage. To protect your mane, use a stole or a scarf to cover them. If you do not have one, tie your hair in a bun to cover some part of your hair.
Don’t Tie Too Hard
Refrain from tying your hair too tight as tight hairdos will only result in hair breakage due to hair pulling. Keep your hair on a loose ponytail or a messy bun or even in loose braids.
Reduce The Usage Of Heat Appliances
Girl, the sun is brutal to your hair already, why are you making things worse with hair styling tools? Reduce using hair straighteners, blow dryers or any other type of hair appliances as it only makes matters worse.
We say, just air dry it. If you must style your hair, replace your curling and straightening iron with a leave-in type of product instead. In fact, summer and beachy waves go hand in hand, right?
Don’t Skip The Conditioner
We all know the precaution is better than prevention.
Even if you have healthy hair, just one mistake is all it would take to make it look dry and frizzy. Use hair protecting serums, shampoos with SPF, hair conditioners, DIY hair masks, etc to keep your hair in check during the summer.
If you’re too lazy to condition your hair when you’re shampooing, use the lazy-girl method.
At night, dampen your hair under the tap and wring out any excess water. Apply some conditioner or a hair mask to your ends and allow them to air dry. Tie your hair up in a loose bun or braid at night. The conditioner will have ample time to work itself into your hair overnight and you’ll wake up to happy, healthy hair. The next morning, you can rinse and shampoo your hair as per the usual, no conditioner necessary.
PS: This also doubles up as a fantastic DIY hair spa. Just make sure you use chemical-free products!
Cut Your Hair Regularly
No matter what you do, split-ends will never leave you – unless you trim them. Constant exposure to the sun is one of the reasons for hair breakage and the only way to protect is by getting regular trims.
Change The Way You Groom
Firstly, never comb your hair when it’s completely damp and it is when it is most susceptible to hair damage. Use a wide-tooth comb instead of your regular comb to detangle your hair and a nice brush to comb them thoroughly.
Control The Fizz
If you have dry hair, the sun is definitely not your friend! Use leave-in conditioners, hair packs, and oil your hair at least once a week to maintain dry and frizzy hair.
Try Some DIY Hair Masks
In summers, it’s hard to oil your hair. In fact, the heat, the humidity and the sticky-icky feeling you get on your scalp makes you want to wash your hair even more. And most of us tend to skip conditioner in summer fearing that our hair will get oilier. That’s when these DIYs come handy. You can try the following home remedies to keep your hair healthy hair this summer:
Aloe Vera
It protects your hair from UV rays and free radical damage while providing hydration. You can mix some fresh aloe vera pulp with a few drops of lemon juice and apply it to your hair. Wash your hair after 15 mins for hydrated and conditioned hair.
Banana
Bananas strengthen and soften the hair while making them more manageable. The next time a banana gets too ripe in summer, instead of tossing it away, use it as a hair mask. Mash a ripe banana into a smooth paste and add a tablespoon of honey to it. This is a simple hair mask and easy remedy for sun-damaged hair. Apply the mixture to clean dry or slightly
damp hair. Cover with a shower cap and wait 20-30 minutes before washing your hair.
Pro Tip: Whenever you use any kind of home-made hair mask, make sure you grind it into a smooth paste, strain it to get rid of any chunks if required. This will ensure that you don’t have bits of hair mask stuck in your hair after you’ve rinsed. This tip is especially for girls with curls!
Pay Attention To Your Scalp
In summers, it’s normal for your scalp to get clogged and overreact. Treat this the same way as you would a zit during your periods. Depending on your scalp concerns – flakiness, excessive oil production or dandruff you could use a scalp scrub or a medicated shampoo once a week. You could also look at easily available ingredients in your kitchen to treat dandruff and flakiness.
Wash Your Hair More Frequently If You Workout A Lot
Yes, working out for an hour a day does wonderful things for your overall health. But all that sweat might be the cause for your hair and scalp going crazy. If you work out a lot, wash your hair 3 times a week to keep your scalp clean. If you do end up washing your hair every day, just wash it with water and skip the shampoo.
We bet you’re ready to flip your hair all throughout the summers, aren’t you?
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