How to Protect Your Hair From Summer Damage
Everything that we love about summer — the sun, the pool, and the beach — is, unfortunately, very bad for our hair. Protect your hair from summer damage by taking some precautions and dedicating a few minutes to your hair before and after participating in summer fun. Check out the hair protecting tips below!
How to Protect Your Hair From the Sun
You probably already know that the sun can lighten your hair with prolonged exposure. But this is actually proof of the damaging effects of the sun on your hair! Your skin protects itself from the sun by getting darker, while your hair is already dead and cannot protect itself. Hair that is damaged by the sun will become more coarse and get tangled easy. It’ll also dry out and become brittle. You’ll need to step in and take action to protect your hair, especially if you’re vacationing somewhere near the equator! Here’s how:
- Cover up your hair is the easiest way to protect your hair from the sun. A large sun hat always works, but you could also wear a pretty head scarf to wrap up your hair or even a turban!
- Apply sunscreen to your hair. Yes, you can use your sunscreen on your hair. Mix three teaspoons of sunscreen with 1 1/2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake and spritz! You can also purchase sunscreen specifically formulated for use on the hair, like this one.
- Since the sun strips moisture from your hair, you can prevent sun damage by keeping your hair moisturized. Put conditioner in your hair and don’t wash it out before going out in the sun.
- The most vulnerable part of your hair is the ends, since they are the oldest. Put your hair in an updo to protect your ends.
- Sesame oil is a natural sunscreen and has many other benefits for your hair. It will also lock in moisture.
- Shea butter is great for naturally dry hair types. It also has SPF in it to protect your hair from damaging sun rays.
How to Protect Your Hair From Chloride
Chloride may keep pools clean, but it can wreck havoc on your hair. The disinfectants in chloride works by breaking down and removing dirt, bacteria, and oil in the pool. We naturally produce some oils in our hair to maintain moisture and to protect it. Regular exposure to chloride will dry out hair and make it more porous and susceptible to further damage. If you love going to the pool, try these tips to protect your hair from chloride:
- Wet your hair before jumping into the pool. Some pools have showers, so be sure to give your hair a rinse. Your hair is like a sponge — it’ll soak up water when it gets wet. You want it to be saturated with clean water so it’ll be “full” before you go into the pool, so the pool water won’t be able to enter your hair shaft. If your pool doesn’t have a shower, bring a small bottle of water and wet your hair with it.
- Put your hair up and wear a hat or scarf and try not to get your hair wet or minimize the amount of chloride that gets on your hair.
- Always rinse your hair after swimming. Just a simple water rinse will do wonders; using a clarifying shampoo and then a deep conditioner is even better.
- Try an apple cider vinegar rinse after swimming to remove chloride deposits.
- If you’re an avid swimmer, you should probably seriously consider using a swimming cap to protect your hair. Add olive oil to your hair before putting on the cap, or a deep conditioner.
- Lots of swimming can lead to green hair, especially if your hair is bleached. If that happens to you, try dissolving aspirin in water and then rinse your hair with it.
- Do not ever, ever, ever, ever go get your hair done at a salon without washing your hair completely after swimming! The combination of chloride and salon chemicals can lead to a hair disaster.
How to Protect Your Hair From Ocean Water
Salt water is very good for your skin, but not so much for your hair. The high salt content in beach water can strip moisture out of hair, causing it to be dry, brittle, rough-feeling, tangled, dull, and hard to comb. Follow these tips to protect your hair from salt water:
- Do a pre-shampooing conditioning treatment, like this one, before going to the beach.
- A leave-in conditioner that’s specialized for swimming will help your hair retain moisture. A spray formula, like this one, would be easy to put in your beach bag so you can put it on right before enjoying the beach waves.
- After swimming, treat your hair with a “hair mask” that includes warm honey and buttermilk. Watch this video to learn how to make it yourself!
Go out and swim and enjoy the sun this summer! As long as you take the above precautions, your hair will remain healthy and beautiful. Do you have any other hair care tips for the swimming season?
For more hair tips, check out 7 Hot Beach Hairdos and 4 Messy Hairstyles.
Resources:
https://dailymakeover.com/protect-hair-from-chlorine/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/salt-water-hair-damage_n_3683042.html
“I’m Elisa and I live in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two little girls. I used to teach reading and writing, but now I stay at home with my two kiddos and read and write in my spare time. I also love to undertake DIY projects, find new recipes on Pinterest, and dream about someday finally completing our home. Above all, I love to learn about new things and sharing my new-found knowledge with others.”
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I’m Elisa and I live in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two little girls. I used to teach reading and writing, but now I stay at home with my two kiddos and read and write in my spare time. I also love to undertake DIY projects, find new recipes on Pinterest, and dream about someday finally completing our home. Above all, I love to learn about new things and sharing my new-found knowledge with others.
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