Summer has officially come, and with its fun days of sunshine, barbecues with friends, holidays on the beach and pool parties, chances are your hair is going through a lot – and you may not even be fully aware of this! Whilst you’re enjoying the season and having some well-deserved fun, don’t let your tresses take a hit! These rookie but surprisingly common summer hair mistakes are what is stopping your hair from looking and feeling its best during the hottest season of the year. Let’s find out what they are and how you can avoid them so that your mane can stay healthy and beautiful all summer long!
Forgetting Sun Protection
This may sound odd to some of you – after all, nobody really slathers a thick layer of SPF on their scalp and hair, right? But, just like your skin, your hair (and scalp) need protection from the sun. The sun's UV rays can be harsh on your hair, and besides being one of the main causes behind dryness, brittleness and loss of shine, pesky UV rays can also affect your hair’s colour – lightening it up and damaging the pigmentation of hair dye in hair and hair extensions. Avoid this mistake by investing in a good hair sunscreen spray, and don’t forget to wear a hat or headscarf when you're out in the sun for prolonged periods. Need some inspiration? Find out more hair styling ideas to protect your hair in our blog: 12 Cute Bandana Hairstyles You Must Try.
Neglecting Hydration
Hydration is key to maintaining healthy hair during the hot summer months (and the rest of the year too, to be honest). Ignoring your hair’s thirst can lead to dryness, frizziness, and breakage – all things that you want to stay away from. Hydrating hair masks and regularly oiling your tresses can help you moisturise and seal your strands, prolonging the water retention in your tresses that enhances elasticity, shine and flexibility. Soft, moisturised hair is easier to style and more manageable! Focus on shampoo and conditioner that are packed with hydrating features and always make sure that their formulas are sulfate-free and alcohol-free to protect your clip in hair extensions.
Skipping Regular Trims
Getting a fresh new haircut before summer comes is fairly common, especially as people want to explore new looks and try new things out. But this doesn’t mean that you can ignore getting your regular trim until winter comes! Keep up with your routine trims to keep split ends at bay, especially in the summer when hair is more prone to damage. Aim for a trim every six to eight weeks to maintain healthy, fresh-looking ends and an overall better-looking mane. Alternatively, you could also look into hair dusting! Find our more about this trimming technique in our dedicated blog: Goodbye, Split Ends! What Is Hair Dusting?
Overusing Heat Styling Tools
Abusing heat-based styling tools is already bad on its own, but when your hair is constantly putting up with the sun’s heat as well this can be quite taxing. Heat styling tools can cause significant damage to your hair. Where possible, try some heatless styling techniques such as these awesome heatless curly ‘do hacks: How To Get Heatless Curls In 12 Easy Ways.
When styling your Remy hair extensions, always make sure you use a generous dose of heat protectant spray to shield them from heat damage. Embrace your natural hair texture and try to avoid using heat tools as much as possible!
Not Protecting Hair in the Pool
Chlorine in pool water can wreak havoc on your hair, causing it to dry out and even altering its colour. Before jumping in the perfect blue, thoroughly wet your hair with clean water or apply a leave-in conditioner to create a barrier that can help protect your hair from absorbing harmful chemicals! If possible, try avoiding swimming underwater to protect your hair. If you’d like to enjoy a carefree swim, however, make sure you thoroughly wash your tresses once you get out.
Overwashing Your Hair
While it may be tempting to wash your hair more frequently in the summer due to sweating, swimming in the sea and so on, overwashing can strip your hair of its natural oils, leading to dry, lifeless hair that is going to take a long time to recover. Stick to washing your hair every other day or use dry shampoo in between washes; try avoiding swimming underwater if you’ve just washed your hair, not only to protect your hair from seasalt water, chlorine, and such but also to avoid needing an extra shampoo that might leave your tresses dull.
Not Using a Wide-Tooth Comb on Wet Hair
When your hair and hair extensions are wet, they are at their weakest, prone to snapping, breaking, and cuticles lifting (which will end up causing frizziness). Avoid using a brush on wet hair (unless it’s a specific detangling brush that is designed to be used on wet strands!) and instead, opt for a wide-toothed comb to gently detangle your locks after a swim or shower. If you’re wearing permanent hair extensions, make sure you are gentle to the bonds of your added hair not to damage them.
Ignoring Your Scalp
Everyone goes crazy about hair care but not everyone puts much love on their scalp, too. Your scalp can often be overlooked in your hair care routine, but it's important to remember that a healthy scalp means healthy hair. Use a scalp sunscreen and consider a scalp scrub once you come back from your holidays to remove product build-up and any residues. This will also help promote healthy growth! Find out more about scalp scrubs in our blog: Scalp Exfoliation: How-To, Best Products & More!.
Using the Wrong Hair Ties
Styling your hair during summer can be a fun activity to look and feel prettier than ever, playing around with sophisticated updo’s, intricate braids, and gorgeous mermaid waves. However, it’s important to note that certain hair ties can actually cause tension, breakage and snapping in your hair – especially if your tresses are still wet after a good swim!. Opt for fabric hair ties (such as nylon) or silk scrunchies that are gentle on your hair and don't pull or snag.
Not Drinking Enough Water
Last but not least, your hair’s and skin’s hydration doesn’t only come from great moisturising products – mostly, it comes from within. Eating healthy and staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water will keep you glowing all summer long!
Conclusion:
Your hair’s health and beauty over summer can be maintained by easily avoiding these common summer hair mistakes. Make sure you keep your hair and scalp sheltered by nasty UV rays with SPF products, stay hydrated, and compromise on your styling habits to protect your mane. Happy summer styling!
