Dealing With Summer Hair Damage

We all dread the summer heat to one degree or another. Some of us tend to have extra difficulties controlling our uncontrollable hair during the hot, humid summer months. Have you ever spent time trying to tame your hair by curling or straightening it, only to have it frizz and fluff up? Making it look like you never even touched your hair in the first place? Summer heat tends to ruin all our efforts at making our hair look nice and orderly. But did you know that it’s not just frizzy hair you need to be concerned with? Beauty ‘N Fashion is here to help you learn about summer hair damage.  

The Scorching Summer Sun 

You not only need to be cognizant of the sun on your skin, but you also need to be mindful of it on your hair as well. Roughly, about 85% of women have colour-treated hair that makes going out into the sun even more risky. With this treated hair, it becomes dry, while the sun already has the ability to dry out skin and hair alike, it gets magnified for treated hair and makes it become brittle and like dry straw. One way you can try to stop this from happening is buying some leave-in conditioner to help protect your hair. Try not to over-use this product and you might be able to see it naturally styling your hair for you by adding some nice volume!  

Another thing you can do to combat the sun damage to your hair is invest in some SPF spray specifically made for hair and use this as a pretreatment. Not only does this help your hair but it also helps to protect you from getting burns on your scalp, which could lead to skin cancer. You should be getting a light mist SPF spray with a strength of at least 15.  

Or, if you don’t want to be spraying sunscreen in your hair, another option is to wear hats. But this can also produce hat hair. So, it’s up to you to decide which route you want to go.  

Green Hair 

If you have blonde hair or blonde in your hair, have you ever been swimming in a pool, only to come out with your hair green? This is actually due to a chemical imbalance in the water from some metals like copper. When you go swimming, they soak into your hair and change the colour. Just like above, if you have colour-treated hair, it is going to be more affected than natural hair. Pools with chlorine cause the most problems when it comes to changing the colour of hair to green. If you know you’re going into a pool that has chlorine, you should pretreat your hair before going in with a pH balancer. Look for one with a pH of at least 3.5, this makes it acidic. Think of this like making a barrier between your hair and the chlorine water. It comes in a mist that you spray on your hair before going in. However, we are not guaranteeing it to fully protect your hair if you are constantly ducking under the water. It is best for protection against splashes, not full submersion of your hair in the water.  

You should always thoroughly rinse your hair before and after going in a pool with chlorine or the ocean, colour-treated or not. Doing this coats your hair with the freshwater and makes it so that the chlorine or ocean water is not able to get at your hair as easily, protecting the hair shafts.  

Changing Hair Texture Through Chemicals 

Certain things like Japanese straightening techniques, defrizzing treatments, straighteners designed for African-American hair types, and hair dyes all contain chemicals that weaken hair on their own. Adding chemicals to direct sun is a term for disaster. Even using products to keep frizzy hair at bay can weaken hair when exposed repeatedly to the sun after using.  

If you have ever heard about trying to create highlights at home using peroxide, DON’T DO IT. This is the most damaging thing you can do to your hair. When you put peroxide in your hair and sit out in the sun it completely destroys the cuticle and shreds it. Most of the time, this damage can’t be fixed.  

Adding Unnecessary Heat to Your Hair 

The best thing for you to do is let your hair dry naturally. For people using things like blow dryers, brushes, or combs, can weaken hair unnecessarily. Your grandma might have told you that brushing your hair before going to bed will keep it healthy, this is a myth and can actually make you lose more hair than normal. Being rough when brushing your hair can pull out healthy hairs that are not actually ready to fall out. We recommend using a wide-toothed comb if you feel the need to brush your hair and instead of using a regular hair dryer, switch to a diffuser instead. For added protection for your hair, use leave-in conditioner before you dry your hair with a blow dryer or diffuser.  

For people with voluminous hair, use a texture product in it and curl sections with your finger. Using your fingers to add more volume is also better than using a dryer. For loose curls, braid your hair when it is wet, leave it in until it is dry, take out the braid, and comb through with your fingers for some nice beach waves!  

We also do not advise to rub your hair dry after a shower with your towel. All you have to do is gently blot your wet hair with the towel. Rubbing your wet hair with a towel pulls up the cuticle and then if you use heat from something like a hair dryer, it will damage your hair.  

Things like rubber hair bands and scrunchies actually weaken hair. Tugging, grabbing, twisting, and pulling your hair out of a hair tie weakens it. Ponytails that are too tight or tight buns/knots will weaken the hair over time and actually result in the hair to recede.  

For people who like extensions, we recommend the wax adhesive ones, they are typically good for 3-6 months and you can treat them like your regular hair. Go swimming, shower, etc… 

We also recommend getting frequent trims to get rid of split ends during the summer. If you tend to use a lot of products, we also recommend that you get a mild and clarifying shampoo to use every once in a while, to thoroughly rinse them off your hair.  

Leave Food Out of Your Hair 

You might have heard on the internet somewhere that things like beer or lemon juice have the ability to highlight your hair. We do not believe in using these products on your hair. If you want to lighten your hair, get professional products that have been tested and actually work. Food does not belong in your hair, just eat it. If you are looking to have healthy hair, try consuming omega-3 rich foods, like flaxseed oil or fatty fish. Biotin is also a great vitamin to take to keep your hair healthy. When taking any vitamins, make sure to consult your doctor before taking anything.   

How We Can Help  

The summer can be hot, why damage your hair more than the sun already does? We here at Beauty ‘N Fashion hope that you will be able to use these Beauty Tips to help keep your hair healthy and beautiful. Check out our website for more blogs on beauty, lifestyle, and fashion tips!