By Phemelo Segoe
The best time of the year is upon us! Spring has come and Summer is fast approaching which means sunny, hot weather - what could be better? With the rise in temperatures, our fragile afros and natural hair can get dehydrated and damaged which is why adapting your hair care regime to fit the season is so important.
Let’s look at 4 fundamental hair care tips for this season that are targeted at keeping your hair moisturised and healthy!
1. Start with a trim
You know how we ‘Spring clean’ our homes before Spring to welcome the season and get rid of Winter’s dust when that’s what trimming your split ends is. Damaged split ends are nigh on impossible to revive so cut the cord. The little length you get from split ends is just not worth it because when damaged split ends are left untrimmed, they end up causing even more damage to your healthy hair. The split will continue to travel up the hair strand, causing more damage and resulting in more hair having to be removed later, so to avoid this entire mess, nip it in the bud and simply cut them off for the new season.
2. Don’t stop co-washing
Co-washing (using conditioner to cleanse your hair) is still undefeated especially now. Co-washing is great for warm weather because unlike shampoos, co-washing cleansers contain more conditioning properties and low levels of harsh detergents and surfactants that can strip your hair of essential moisture.
3. Your hair needs SPF too
It turns out that the sun spending extended periods in the sun without an SPF is not only detrimental to our skin but hair too. Sun damage can also wreak havoc on your hair as the ultraviolet radiation (UV) rays can strip hair of its natural moisture making it appear dry. Sun damage also leads to split ends which means more cutting to preserve healthy hair but without protecting your hair, you won’t have much healthy hair to protect. Look for products like sprays and leave-in-conditioners with an SPF.
Remember that just as you need to reapply sunscreen to your body every few hours, you need to reapply sunscreen to your hair too so make sure you get something you can reapply with ease, like a spray.
4. Avoid heat as much as possible!
This goes without saying but, adding more heat to your hair this summer can really be the tipping point. Heat styling is very drying to natural hair and when paired with the drying effects of the African sun, this can be a lethal combination to the health of your hair. Instead of blow-drying your hair, wash, and go. Instead of using a curling iron, go old school and get rollers. Be creative about not heat-related methods of styling your hair.
Also, I know that we always encourage protective hairstyles in winter but hairstyles like cornrows and braids are also a hit in Summer! The goal is to keep the ends of your hair protected from the sun to eliminate sun damage and minimize hair dehydration.
We hope these four tips will help keep your hair healthy and hydrated. Remember that your hair is the last part of your body to receive the essential vitamins and nutrients from what you eat and drink. So make sure you’re eating well and drinking water consistently. Happy Summer!
Love MPL!
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