THE NATURAL SUMMER GUIDE – Sun and your curls/coils/kinks



(origin)

 Our hair is fragile by nature and the weather (winter, spring, summer and fall) can cause damage in one way or another.  With that being said, the sun with all it’s warmth and beauty can be harmful to our tresses if we don’t protect it.

“The interesting thing about summer is that the heat from the sun puts your sebaceous glands at a high production level, which is wonderful for rehydration. But ultra violet rays from the sun can take on a drying effect which can cause the hair to be dry and brittle.” bvhairtalk.com 

Summer with all the rain has more mositure than winter, so you may find you need less use of your spray concoctions or oils.  However, you must still keep that hair moisturized!  You may not have to use as much or you may even try switching up from your winter spray bottle mix to something like Glycerin and water. Glycerin is a natural humectant that absorbs moisture from the air.  I found pure Glycerin at Whole Foods Market but when I first went Natural a few years ago I also found Glycerin in a regular beauty supply shop.  A couple of tsp. or tbsp. added to 4 oz.of distilled water is perfect in your spray bottle. You can add some fragrance or even a few drops of your favorite oils as well.

The sun can be very drying to your hair and if not replenished those dry hairs can become brittle and/or cause split ends.  Deep conditioning regularly is truly necessary during the entire year but with the wind blowing in your hair may cause you to really need to step it up during the summer.  I love driving with the car windows down but I’ve found out rather quickly that all that wonderful air can dry out my hair.

Summer hats are a good way to keep that sun from damaging the hair but be careful that the hat lining is not harmful as well! Satin net, lining or scarf under the hat will help and let’s face it….curly hair looks AMAZING under a hat! Some experts actually think they are better suited for them than straight haired women.

“Curly hair is actually better suited for hats than straight hair,” says Jonathan Torch of Toronto’s Curly Hair Institute and creator of the Curly Hair Solutions line of products. “One of the greatest joys of curly hair is you can get away with a greater variety of hats.” Naturallycurly.com

I love this hat Samantha wore in the first Sex in the city movie and even though it’s a bit much…I find it so striking!  I couldn’t and WOULDN’T try to pull it off but I love hats so I’ll be wearing a lot of the during the summer.

So, basically be smart about the sun exposure to your body as well as your hair.  We wanna look gorgeous but not at the price of breaking our hair off.  Keep that spray bottle handy and have fun in the sun the right way.

Sabrina