How to protect your curls from sun damage

So summer is well and truly underway (some days anyway) or you are heading off to warmer climes with guaranteed sunshine. Yippee! I’m sure you are all packed (or almost) and you are counting down the days to your well deserved holiday.

Whilst the summer is full of outdoor activities, think music and other types of festivals, Wimbledon, and a host of other sports. Not to mention picnics and barbecues and lots of delicious fruit and veg have you thought about what the sun exposure may be doing to your hair?

The sun is great BUT it dries everything! For curly hair (Afro  Hair IS curly hair) this is not great news purely because the curls make it difficult for your scalp oils to travel down the hair shaft. This means that  naturalistas have to constantly ensure their hair is well moisturised even without adding the suns heat into the mix. The suns heat whilst pleasant is not hair friendly and has bleaching properties and so could leave your hair looking burnt and feeling crunchy.

Top Tips

Water Water Water

Drink the stuff and don’t forget to spray/mist your hair a lot more in hot weather. Not only will your skin thank you but you will maintain a good level of hair growth. Remember if you are dehydrated your body’s functions are compromised. Meaning your hair and nails will be nourished last! Drink up lovelies (And no, cocktails don’t count) and give children plenty of water laden fruit and veg. Think watermelon,cucumber strawberries the list is endless.

Wear a hat

You don’t want your lovely curls getting scorched do you? If you are not a hat person try bandanas or a funky scarf. Ideally a silk one. There is no right way to rock a head wrap so own it and rock it how you feel it!

Swimming

Whether in the sea or the pool, dampen your hair first ,then apply leave in conditioner or a natural oil of your choice and wear a swimming cap. For children I recommend spraying the hair with water or even wetting it and applying an oil to seal and not stressing if they don’t keep the swimming cap on. The hair cuticles will have swollen due to the clean water before they hit the pool or sea water so it won’t absorb much. Shampoo thoroughly and rinse well and condition well after swimming session.

Deep Condition

Increase your deep conditioning treatments to ensure hair strands have good levels of moisture. Remember any damage you sustain now may become visible in a few months time and we will have other weather induced hair-related issues come October right? So step up your conditioner routine by looking for products that say Replenishing,Hydrating or Moisturising. Also use a leave-in conditioner for extra conditioning and frizz-taming. Lastly remember to spray spray spray with that water bottle.

Low Manipulation styles

If you spent winter in protective styles you no doubt want to just enjoy your hair and leave it out right? That’s a great thing however if your hair is longer than 6inches( about shoulder length) then consider having styles that keep your ends tucked away…. Think up-dos,loose buns or flat twist. Your ends are the oldest part of your hair strands so limit their exposure to the sun.

This is not an exhaustive list but hopefully it will get you thinking about protecting your precious curls whilst enjoying the pleasantness of summer. Do let me know what you do to care for your curls. Any  tips or questions please do leave your comments below.Till next time Happy Hair Loving!