When it's cold and cloudy outside, you don't have to feel too bad about holing up in the house in a pair of sweatpants and a pony tail. You don't need to look your best when you don't even feel like going out! But in summer, it's time to take out everything you put away for the wintertime: your skin, your legs... and your shiny summer hair.
One of the most important parts of having a natural, kissed-by-the-sun look for summer is great hair. But the sun and the heat and things like chlorine and salt water can wreak havoc on your strands.
Plan to spend the summer frolicking on the beach with various beautiful men you meet on internet dating sites? Then you want your hair to look its best just as much as you want your body to. Read on for nine things you should do to keep your hair looking healthy and gorgeous all summer long.
1. Start off Well-Trimmed.
Haven't headed to the salon yet for a trim this year? Now's the time to go down there. If you have any split ends or dry strands, they'll just get worse with the sun and heat of summer. Get a good trim before spending too much time in the summer, and split ends won't have anywhere to start.
2. Change to a Summer Shampoo.
When the weather is moderate, you don't need as much moisture to keep your hair healthy. But in the summer months, it's a good idea to switch to a shampoo that will add extra moisture as well as give you shine. Some even contain sunscreen to protect your hair from the sun's rays.
3. Cover it Up.
Even the best sunscreens for your hair won't be able to do the whole job on their own-- they're just not that strong. If you plan to spend a lot of time in the sun, protect your hair as well as your skin by covering it up. Either invest in a sun hat (which will keep your face safe, too), or bring along a scarf to wear over your hair when you're spending time outside. Don't feel like doing either of those things? At the very least, wear your hair up so the whole length of it won't be exposed to the sun.
4. Protect Your Part.
The main purpose of having hair in the first place is to protect the delicate skin of your scalp. When exposed --even as just the thin strip of your hair's part-- your scalp can burn easily. Not only is this harmful for your skin, it can also create a lot of dandruff and ugliness when the skin begins to peel. Protect your part by pulling your hair back in a part-less pony tail, or even dipping a q-tip in sunscreen and applying it to the part in your hair.
5. Avoid Heat Styling.
The summer has heat enough without adding hair dryers, curling irons, and straighteners into the mix. The most popular styles for summer are loose, casual, and comfortable, anyway. So if you experiment with what works for your hair, there's no reason why you should have to use heat styling in the summer at all. Feel like you have to break out the flat iron? Be sure to use a heat-protection spray before using it.
6. Don't Lighten it.
Spending time under the sun is going to lighten your hair no matter what you do. So if you want to go a little lighter in the summer, just give it time. Lightening your hair in June may give you a too-light look come August. Also, colored hair is more vulnerable to the sun's rays than un-colored hair, making it lighten and dry out that much faster.
7. Give it a Glaze to Prevent Brassiness.
The rich color that you applied to your hair early in the spring will have a tendency to go brassy and orange under the sun. The best way to keep this from happening is to apply a clear, semi-permanent glaze about once a month. This will seal the length of the hair and keep your color from changing.
8. Deep Condition Weekly.
And start early on in the summer. To keep your hair healthy and moisturized all summer, use a deep-conditioning treatment at least once a week. Simply apply your favorite deep-conditioning cream to your damp, shampooed hair, wrap a towel over your head, and leave it there ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse with cold water. Then repeat again next week. This will keep your hair looking gorgeous and prevent damage.
9. Grab a Headband.
If you tend to have problems with frizz during the summer, a headband can be a great way to keep your hair smooth and frizz-free. Just toss your hair up into a pony tail and put in a wide elastic headband. It'll keep all those flyaways smoothed down and away from the moisture on your skin or in the air.
