7 Top Tips for Summer Hair

We may only have a single month of summer left, but the weather is still great and our hair is very much still at risk of becoming a humidity-induced mess. Maybe you’re on holidays, you’ve a summer get-away coming up, or you need to look your best for a party. Either way, the sun, the chemicals you use, and the humidity can play havoc with our hair–making something of a tress mess!

Here are our top tips and tricks to keep your hair looking its absolute best!

1. Choose your hair care products carefully.

Homework is not just for your little one! Everyone’s hair is different and reactions to the soaring mercury vary. Do your research into the type of hair you have, how it reacts, and the products best suited to tame the frizz, detangle any knots, or keep your beach style in place and looking great without damaging your precious tresses.

The combination of sun, heat, and salt water on a beach holiday is particularly volatile and can dry out your hair in no time. Get ready to befriend split-ends! An at-home reconstructive mask is a great secret of ours: apply the mask, wrap a hot towel around your hair, relax for a few, then rinse. Your hair will feel glossy and like-new. If you’re rocking a dyed look, a weekly colour deposit cleanse is an absolute must.

Depending on your hair type, be sure to purchase hair care products that are gentle and effective and don’t dry out your hair unnecessarily.

2. Bobby pins are your secret weapon.

A ponytail gets boring fast. Maybe you want to venture out to a beach party or a family wedding, and you want to do something more elaborate with your hair. Either way, it’s going to take some teasing, pulling, and security to keep your style in place. Open-ended bobby pins are perfect for summer styling. Pre-treat your hair with gloss cream and body oil spray and you’re ready to go. Bobby pins are gentle on your hair and can be used to carefully conceal any hair you want to hide.

3. Leave your hair straightener at home.

Summer hairstyles, especially on holiday, require the art of air-drying. Frizz is next to inevitable in high height and while you may be tempted to grab your ceramic plates, we advise you not to. It’s adding heat on top of heat and straightened hair is just as likely to frizz—it’ll just take a little longer.

Your best bet is to let your hair dry naturally. Summer is a time to rock your natural style or risk damaging your hair. For curly hair, curl-enhancing cream is a life-saver. Run it through your curls and you’re ready to go!

A quick tip: if you usually partake in salon straightening treatments, we advise you to take a break. Some straightening treatments contain ingredients that can produce formaldehyde gas when affected by heat. This is as bad as it sounds and can lead to all kinds of health problems. If you are insistent on a treatment, be sure it is Keratin based. Spray masks or protein-based treatments do wonders for fortifying your tresses and healing some of the damage.

4. Use UV shielding products.

We all know how damaging the sun can be to our skin, but the same goes for our hair. Believe it or not, adding sun cream to your hair is an easy way to block some of the harmful rays. If you’ve got a particular hair product you’re fond of, adding a dollop of sun cream to it, spraying it, and combing it with your fingers will leave a layer of sun protection on your strands. Simple! UV-based hairspray and leave-in conditioner are also widely available and super effective.

5. Pre-treat your hair before taking a dip in the pool/ocean.

Water can be damaging to your hair and its colour, natural or dyed. Bringing conditioner to the beach or pool might seem a little odd, but a layer of conditioner is perfect for protecting hair from the water. Brands like Fekkai do a leave-in conditioner especially for summer and swimming time, so investing in a bottle or two will mean great things for your hair and its vitality.

6. Abandon the brush.

Brushing your hair, especially if it’s knotty, is damaging. We all know we shouldn’t do it, but we’ll tug right through those knots and hope for the best. In humid weather, the effects are tenfold and split-ends are unavoidable when brushing. Hair soaks up air moisture and
the chances of breakage increase. A wide-tooth comb is the solution. Gently comb your still-wet hair and tease out any knots to keep it looking great.

7. Wear a hat!

A scarf, floppy hat, or chic fitted, printed turban are all the rage. The easiest way to keep your hair safe is to cover it up. Fitted sun hats will never go out of fashion and they look great when teamed with a chic maxi dress. A head scarf is for the more adventurous of us, and we’re hearing that custom, printed turbans are steadily growing in popularity.

For little heads, Sand Dollars’ hat range is great. The flap on the neck and peaked cap mean optimal protection for your little one. If only they came in our size!

There you have it! Sand Dollar’s hot weather hair tips!

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