HAIR CARE TIPS FOR SUMMER

The summer season brings with it unbearable heat. Along with the rest of your body, even your scalp tends to sweat, which leads to the appearance of an oily buildup. To make matters worse, hair tends to become very frizzy & appear more unruly than ever before!

How does summer heat affect hair?

Just like your skin, even your hair appears dry & dehydrated, loses its shine, and just doesn’t feel the same. Does this sound familiar? Well, here are some summer hair care tips for natural hair:

1. Enjoy a regular scalp massage

Traditionally, head massage, or champi, has always been the best remedy for a number of hair problems, an essential part of hair care for summer, as well as for stress, anxiety, headaches etc.

Enjoy a relaxing scalp massage twice or thrice a week with light antioxidant oils such as a combination of almond oil, grapeseed oil, pomegranate oil & orange essential oil. For best results, heat the oil just a little bit, which will help it penetrate into your scalp better.

A regular massage with the right hair oil will reduce hair fall, soothe the scalp, repair the hair shaft and give you silky smooth hair with visibly lesser hair fall in just two weeks. Try it to experience it!

2. Switch to a sulphate-free shampoo
Sulphates or SLES are chemical foaming agents added to shampoos & other bathing products, which are responsible for a rich lather. However, they tend to strip hair & scalp of essential sebum, disturb hair & skin pH, speed up skin aging & hair greying, and a host of other disadavantages.

On the other hand, there are sulphate-free shampoos, that are good for all types of hair, especially curly & frizzy hair. They contain natural foaming agents, such as shikakai, reetha, fenugreek & others, which deeply cleanse hair, as well as have restorative properties. They maintain scalp pH, prolong the effect of hair color, and restore hair shine without any adverse effects.

3. Go for a hair trim
Trimming off split ends, or hair ends that have dried up, as these lead to hair breakage. This is specially true while caring for curly hair during summer. Aim to get a trip at least every 6 to 10 weeks to help refresh your hair and keep it free from split ends, which is also another leading cause of frizziness.

4. Use a scarf or sun hat
Just like your skin, even hair needs protection from the heat of the sun, which can damage the hair shaft greatly, strip off natural oils and spoil it’s feel & appearance.

Keep a scarf or an easy-to-fold sun hat in your handbag at all times during summer. It may or may not be possible to spray a heat protectant spray on your hair, but covering it up in a scarf or hiding it under a hat is defnintely feasible.

5. Condition your hair regularly
Never skip the conditioner during summer, as it’s during these months that your hair needs extra nutrition to keep it moisturized, tame fizz and aid in hair repair. No matter what your hair type may be, follow up your shampoo with conditioner.

You can also use a hair mask or hair pack with ingredients such as hibiscus, amla, rose geranium, castor oil, aloe vera, glycerin, pitchouli, gotukola & other natural ingredients known to deeply condition & repair hair strands.

There are hair packs available for hair growth, dandruff, dry hair, hair fall, oily scalp & for a host of other hair concerns. Pick one based on your hair concern, and indulge yourself at least twice a week for healthy & silky strands this summer.

What’s more, hair conditioning seals cuticles & ensures moisture remains trapped inside for several hours. It is the secret to frizz-free, tangle-free & more manageable hair.

Shop Complete Hair Care by Barva

So these are some of the most effective ways to manage your hair during summer. But here are answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on summer hair care for natural hair:

How to take care of curly hair in summer?
1. Wash your hair regularly, but not more than 2-3 times a week with a shampoo that is free from sulfates, silicones, parabens & other harmful substances.
2. Use lukewarm or cold water for washing hair.
3. Oil hair regularly, i.e. at least once a week, leave it on overnight & wash it off the next morning.
4. Never skip the conditioner.
5. Tie your hair into a loose ponytail or bun during bedtime & switch to a satin or silk pillowcase instead of cotton to reduce friction.
6. Use a leave-in conditioner to tame frizz & flyaways.
7. Use a wide-toothed comb. Comb hair only when completely dry. Avoid hairbrushes
8. Avoid heat styling as much as possible, and tight ponytails.

Why does hair get frizzy in summer?
Hair often draws moisture from the air that surrounds it. During other seasons, this keeps hair soft & silky. However, with too much humidity in summer, the hair shaft tends to swell & become frizzy.
To combat this:
1. Wash hair with lukewarm or normal water instead of hot water. Cold/normal water tends to seal cuticles, thus preventing moisture from escaping.
2. Deep condition your hair: Use wash-off conditioner post shampooing as well as a leave-in conditioner/hair serum when your hair is just damp (not too wet & not too dry).
3. Gently blot hair with a dry towel, or twist it & fold it into one to dry, don’t rub your hair.

Which are the best hair products for summer?
Summer hair essentials include sulfate & paraben-free shampoo, hair conditioner, hair serum, hair mask & hair oil.
Check out the Barva Complete Hair Care Kit of sulfate & paraben-free shampoo, silicone-free conditioner & almond pomegranate hair oil for stronger roots, lesser hair fall, slower hair greying, and silky, shiny & frizz-free hair.