We love, love, love the summer! The sun, the heat, the beautiful dry days accented by dips in cool waters! What isn’t there to love, right?
Oh, but for everything we absolutely adore about this glorious season there are reasons we absolutely despise it as well. That sun? It fades our beautiful colour, and that dry, humid heat leaves our hair a nasty, frizzy, thirsty mess. And don’t even get us started on chlorine. Ugh.
How on earth is a girl to survive this season with her strands still intact? Read on!
Dealing with the humidity
The number one disaster-causer for your hair in the summer months is, without a doubt, the humidity. The cause of frizzy, poodle-esque hair that plagues so many of us, there are a few simple solutions for taming your out of control, frazzled locks. First things first, avoid all your heavy, alcohol-based stylers in the summer (I know, curly locked girls are silently cursing me under their breathe) and instead opt for leave in conditioners and finishing serums that will help keep hair moisturized and less likely to frizz. Next, always blow-dry your hair in the coolest part of your house to reduce damage and frizz, and once dry keep your hands off! Fluffing and touching your hair throughout the day will only prompt it to puff out.
Try this: Kim Vo Dry Serum, $60.50. Available at eBeauty.ca
Dealing with the sun
The sun might be great for putting a little colour on your skin but it is terrible for stripping the colour right out of your locks. To protect your strands from fading wash your hair every other day (daily cleansing strips your colour enough on its own) and ensure you are always using a shampoo and conditioner that are formulated specifically for colour-treated hair. To boost the beauty of your favourite locks try a tea rinse. Steep four tea bags (chamomile for blondes, black for brunettes, rosehips for redheads) in one gallon of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Let cool and then pour over your locks. Let sit for 10-15 minutes and then shampoo and rinse.
Try this: Keratin Color Care Shampoo, $23.99. Available at Well.ca
Dealing with sweat
And with the humidity and the sun inevitably comes the sweat. After all that crazy frizziness and the flyways, this yucky wetness comes along and completely flattens your locks into a big oily-looking mess. Blah. Start your day by spraying your roots (in particular around the edge of the forehead) with an oil-controlling spray and when your style starts to slip downhill blast those same roots with a the cold setting on your blowdryer and sprinkle them with a dry shampoo. Voila, greasy, sweaty mess be gone!
Try this: Cake Beauty Satin Sugar Hair & Body Refreshing Powder, $18. Available at eBeauty.ca
Dealing with the dryness
It hardly seems fair that even after all that sweating we do somehow our hair still ends up a dry, brittle mess at the end of a great day in the sun. Keep drying to a minimum by skipping all alcohol-based styling products and, like mentioned earlier, opting for leave-in conditioners, serums, and cream-based stylers. When showering make sure you always rinse your hair with cool water and never, ever throw your wet hair into a ponytail (even as unappealing as blow-drying sounds in the dead of summer!) as it will cause serious breakage. Deep condition your hair weekly and try an additional hydrating or fortifying hair mask two to three times a month.
Try this: Carol’s Daughter Healthy Hair Butter, $17. Available at Sephora.ca
Dealing with the water
We know, we know. There is nothing more tempting than diving into a large pool of cool water when it’s 30+ degrees out, but take heed! To prevent and protect your hair from the damages of pool, lake, and ocean water follow these simple steps. Never shampoo your hair prior to going for a swim as it strips away the protective oils leaving your hair vulnerable to chemical and salt damage. Instead simply wet your hair before swimming. Saturating your strands with clean, tap water will make them less susceptible to soaking up all the badness water carries. Post-swim detox your locks (and prevent that yucky green tint) with a clarifying shampoo specifically designed to remove impurities such as chlorine and salt.
Try this: Fredric Fekkai Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo, $25.30. Available at eBeauty.ca
