Summer care

[Eirinn]

Since it's starting to be really sunny and hot (and I didn't find any thread about it) I let myself to start it. Not sure if not too early, however. What do you do during summer time to prevent your hair from sun and over-drying? Products, rutines, styles - anything! Sometimes I think to myself how awful it would be if the all-year effort put in growing and maintaining it would be in vain because of letting it be demaged like that:flamed:

[florenonite]

Here's (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=62466) an awesome article from the old site. If you click on the links, you may notice that they don't work. In the address bar on your browser, replace the word 'forums' (immediately after http://) with 'archive' and it should work.

As for myself, I tend to just mist my hair more than usual in the city. However, I also do lots of canoe-tripping, during which I'm WO.

[harpgal]

I mist my hair often, wear it up, and wear a hat. These things alone really help me get through the summer without sun damage. Otherwise, I just continue with my basic routine of washing every 5 days, alternating between SC and CO and using coconut oil on damp hair after a wash.

[Islandgrrl]

Well, first thing, I wear my hair up all summer except for super special occasions.

To protect it from the sun I wear usually a scarf or hat with my hair braided.

If I'm going to be in the water, or at a beach, I get my hair wet with fresh water first, then slather it with sunscreen and braid it.

Other than the fact that I end up WO a lot more often (I'm not really much of a regular WO person), things stay pretty much the same.

[heidihug]

I guess it never occurred to me to change my care regimen for the summer vs. other seasons. Where I live we (barely) have three months of actual summer-like weather, and I love heat, so that doesn't bother me at all. I've always worried more about the damage that wind does to my hair when we are doing our normal summer activities like golf and fishing, than damage from the sun or heat. I wear it up year round to keep it as undamaged as possible.

[tiny voice] I've always liked it if my hair lightens up from being in the sun, and, if I could afford it (which I can't), I would visit a tanning salon regularly. I'm bad that way.

[Nynaeve]

Well, first thing, I wear my hair up all summer except for super special occasions.

To protect it from the sun I wear usually a scarf or hat with my hair braided.

If I'm going to be in the water, or at a beach, I get my hair wet with fresh water first, then slather it with sunscreen and braid it.

Other than the fact that I end up WO a lot more often (I'm not really much of a regular WO person), things stay pretty much the same.

Yep, I find myself changing my routine a little in the summer, but only on vacation when I'll be swimming in pools and the ocean, even if I didn't have to worry about getting the stuff out, I'd still have to worry about getting the insane amount of condish or sunscreen out.

[GlennaGirl]

The sun is BAKING out here in the summer so my routine does change.

First of all, it's a dry heat so I do tend to "dry out" more, which should mean fewer washings, not more...but at the same time, I sweat, so I have to wash. I keep it to every other day in over-95 or so weather and about every third day in "cooler" weather in the summer, and COs only.

I often wear my hair under a hat in the summer to physically protect it from the sun. So I'll pile it in a bun almost on the top of my head so that I can stuff it all inside. This has the added benefit of keeping it off my neck.

Because I'm COing slightly more frequently, I try to keep mechanical handling down from the other end: no matter how messy, I'll typically make a bun and keep it there all day.

[Estrellita]

Hi there!!! I always wonder about that myself too, but my general routine during roasting summers in spain is to wear it up in a bun, most of the daytime anyway, or in a hat (i personally prefer cowboy hats, but thats up to you, lol!)

I generally have to wash it everyday as well, because i go swiming in the beach, but i load it with coconut oil and/or cone conditioner, to protect it from the sun and salt'd drying effect as much as i can.

this has helped considerably, but I have to say that it still tends to split and dry out more during this time of the year.

Hope this helps!

[harley mama]

More oils, braiding and a hat work wonders!

[morgwn]

I definitely have started to use more oiling on the tips with coconut oil with the weather getting warmer and drier. Also, I already wear my hair up daily anyway so just the top of my hair is getting hit by the sun which is pretty covered with serum anyway. I usually find that my hair is in better condition in the summer because it just grows so much faster with the warm weather!

[soleluna]

nice tips here! I must invest in a hat! what hat style do you favour?

[lady G]

I like straw hats with big brims to keep hair and face out of the sun.


xx

[curls2grow]

I don't have much length when my hair is dry, due to curl shrinkage. But what I have is usually up in a bun from approx June through September. In the past, I've CO washed every other day and sometimes didn't even wet my hair on the off day (but I had to use more gel to calm the canopy frizz). I'm sort of looking forward to this more this summer, since I have some cool gray streaks on the underneath part of my hair, so that will show more when it's up in bun... along with the other 5 colors my hair has taken on while growing out the permanent dye.

[yogachic]

I want to find a cute hat to wear outside this summer, so the sun can't lighten my hair, but I have Yet to find a cute one I like. I better hurry up! LOL