I love summer. No more layers of clothes just to feel warm and my hair flourishes in the humidity of rainy weather. So me and my hair are happy. But wait a minute, summer brings much more than that and our hair may suffer damage instead of flourishing if certain precautions are not taken. In the midst of the beautiful hot African sun, plenty weddings and end of year parties, you want to still take care of your hair to make sure breakage is minimized as much as possible.
The rainy season in a huge way is fabulous for our hair. After the drying winter months and almost all round protective styling for some, trying to restore moisture into our strands all spring, when summer comes, our thirsty roots can just soak into the moisture so readily present in the air. How can you not love summer like that when all of a sudden, you hair feels so soft and well hydrated?
But the hot African sun is also present in summer and because of the warmer weather and parties left right and center, we end up spending more time in the sun. Believe it or not, you will also get sun damage from over exposing your kinks to the UV rays. Your kinks will be scotched and burnt leading to severe splitting and breakage. As a word of advice, wear a beautiful sunhat if you know you will spend more than 30 minutes exposed to direct sunlight. Your kinks will thank you.
Parties also put a strain on our hair due to styling if you are that kind of a girl who wants hair that is salon perfect for every party. However, there are so many hairstyles that do not require heat or any strain on our hair. Just type in “natural hairstyles” in your search engine and you will be inundated with lots of styles to chose from. Although some may require pros to do, others will be simple enough and quick to do so you can look your best without compromising the health of your hair. Natural hair is fabulous in any way and seriously, I am yet to run out of ideas to style natural hair.
Do you still remember that humectants or products with a lot of humectants were a no no in winter? Well, now, with the humid weather, humectants are the best for our hair so we can reap the abundant moisture present in the air. However, one has to take into account that a lot of moisture in our hair results in frizz and shrinkage. So if a well defined twist or braid out is what you are going for, humectants should still be avoided because they will just draw moisture from the atmosphere into your hair. So what do we do? I always keep products like honey and glycerin to conditioners that I will rinse out and leave them out of the final styling product. That way, a balance is created. Otherwise, this is the time to enjoy beautiful well hydrated hair without the extra effort of adding water and sealing everyday. Although I wash my hair every week and sometimes twice, in humid weather, my hair tends to stay moisturised for longer and I can get away with spritzing once every other day.
Other products to use are your light oils mixed with the much heavier oils if need be but the light oils really do well in our hair in summer so that the hair is not weighed down. Oils like Jojoba oil, Argan oil, Grapeseed oil are really lovely in summer. I tend to put aside sealing with castor oil and will only use it for oil treatments or mixed with other lighter oils. Those with hairline issues will need Castor oil all year round though. Olive oil and Avocado oil though not light oils can be used in summer as well though in moderation. I love coconut oil in summer. My best twist outs are always from using coconut oil. I stay away from it though in winter because it tends to make my hair feel like straw. I heard this does not damage the hair though but I just prefer to use other oils in winter. Shea butter is my all year round friend as well. That’s my staple product.
Hairstyles
For a natural, humid weather or rainy weather may turn a good hair day into a somewhat confusing hair day. Instead of worrying how the weather is going to unfold during the course of the day, invest in a pinned up do when you style your hair in the morning. This way, you will have your hair secure in a style that will not change with the weather unless you are really caught in a storm and you have no umbrella. Otherwise, a few drizzles and humidity should not alter your hairstyle that much. Another cute hairstyle is bunning. You will need length for bunning of course although you can also utilize the power of gel to hold your shorter hair together into a bun and use accessories to finish it all off. Bunning is very secure and will remain in place no matter what the weather changes to. Protective styling or low manipulation is still king in summer. If you can style your hair only once or twice a week, then you should be okay. Mini twists and braids also allow you to benefit from the moisture in the atmosphere without worrying about shrinkage and bad hair days.
So as we approach summer, although it seems like we are right in summer already, enjoy your hair and stay away from habits that will cause damage. Remember, no event is worth damaging your hair for so whatever you do, choose your styles well.
Till then, blessings to you and yours
P.S Have you bought your tickets yet for the Jozi Hair Brunch? Be sure to get yours HERE today so you don’t miss out.
