Tweaking Your Summer Routine- Natural Hair

by Tamara of Natural Hair Rules!

Summer is here, pull out that swimsuit and SPF. It’s also time to tweak your hair routine. This is the season the heat, humidity and scorching sun can cause damage to your already fragile hair and not to mention horrible bad hair days . I can’t stress enough protect your hair as well as your skin. The sun damaging rays may cause dry hair and split ends. The rays destroy the integrity of the hair decreasing strength and elasticity. This results in breakage, frizzness and faded hair color.

Here are some tips to maintain the health of your beautiful locks.

• If you have not already considered using a shampoo alternative. Shampoo alternatives are discussed in “Shampoo-Free” post. This method is wonderful for cleaning without stripping the essential oils of the hair and scalp.

• There are many products with SPF qualities but one of the best in my opinion is shea butter. It protects hair from the wind, cold and not to mention the sun naturally. It is also a natural sunscreen due to its high vitamin content. For best result use shea butter on wet hair.

• The sun’s ray can be very damaging to overall integrity of the hair shaft. Deep conditioning is imperative to prevent permanent damage. I recommend “Hair Mayonnaise” or LustraSilk Cholesterol Conditioner. If you have color; deep condition your hair once a week. The current health of your hair determines how often you should deep condition. If your hair is dry and brittle deep condition with heat by sitting under a hooded dryer or wrapping a warm towel around your head about once a week. Here’s a list of conditioners.

• Hot oil treatments are great for sealing moisture in hair and scalp. If you still experience dryness invest in a creamy moisturizer and/or leave in conditioner.

• To minimize frizz and maximize curl definition opt for a t-shirt or drip dry vs. terry bath towels. Using a smooth, microfiber drying surface to optimize smooth hair shafts while still pulling water from the hair.

• Trim your ends regularly for natural hair about every 3 months or so. Read why here.

• Style your hair desired.

Daily Routine

Tie your hair up at night or sleep on a satin pillowcase. You can co-wash or wet your hair daily. Not recommended if you have dry hair and/or scalp instead spritz with water mixture (more info here) or braid sheen. Style hair as desired.