Summer Tips for Natural Hair

It’s summer time! We know that means fun
in the sun, playing in the water and tons of outdoor activities. Many
people forget to protect their hair while they are out having fun. Just
as your body needs sunscreen your hair needs a layer of protection as
well. After all the fun you may notice your ends looking a bit frayed or
raggedy. The best thing to do is trim the damaged ends and start taking
care of your ends as a preventative measure. Who wants unnecessary
length loss? No one! The following will help to avoid hair damage while
enjoying your summer.

Read On!>>>
Swimming

• Prior to swimming:
  • Wet your hair with water and coat in oil (such as coconut
    oil). This will prevent your hair from absorbing chlorinated or salt
    water. The hair will swell less.

• When you are done swimming:
  • Cleanse your hair by clarifying, shampooing, or using a cleansing conditioner of choice.
  • Moisturize your hair as normal.
  • Apply a bit of oil to your ends in a smoothing motion. This prevents the likely hood of them fraying.
  • Always condition your hair after cleansing. It does not always
    need to be a deep conditioner. Using a quick rinse out conditioner is
    good for regular use.
  • If your hair is very dry and needs a bit of a boost try doing a hot oil treatment or oil rinsing. They are very effective.
    

Protect Your Hair Color
Regardless of if your hair color is natural or chemically
altered, the sun can damage all hair. This is more likely to happen to
those of us with dyed hair but all hair is vulnerable to lose its luster
due to constant sun exposure.

You can protect your hair simply by wearing a cute hat with a
brim and moisturizing your hair very well prior to enjoying the
outdoors.

Frizz Woes

I personally love frizz. When my hair was relaxed I hated when
it would frizz. Now that I’ve been natural for approx. 6+ years I adore
my frizz. When my style is too perfect I rough it up a bit lol.

For those that don’t enjoy rocking frizz this tip is for you.

• Avoid using products that have humectants, or other
  ingredients that act as humectants, high on the ingredient list. If a
  humectant is in the top 5 ingredients listed…that product won’t be your
  friend today. Just have to leave it for another day.
• Use anti-humectant leave in products.
• Use a silicone based serum on your hair. Your hair can be dry
  or freshly moisturized. It will still provide the necessary level of
  protection needed to maintain your hair in its current condition. A
  little goes a long way. Using too much can result in limp/weighed down
  hair. No one wants that.
• In a hurry? Just mist your hair with an anti-frizz spray or a
  humidity blocker. Comb, brush or smooth it through the hair. Focus on
  your problem areas.

Hair Styles
Wear your hair in simple, stress free styles. Tight braids or
styles can damage your hair due to the tension of the style. This can
cause the hair to break or tear and can also cause damage to your
follicles. Great styles to wear are lose buns, braids,
twists, etc…whatever is simple and doesn’t pull your hair is great. Just
don’t leave it that way and neglect to wash it after swimming.

Heat
Reduce the amount of direct heat used on your hair. Air drying
is optimal for most. If you do blow dry, do it on a low setting using the
tension method.