5 Hair care tips for Summer

Friday, 15 November 2013, 9:29 am
Column: Melanie Rands - ecostore

Summer is getting close and if you plan on spending more time in the sun, it’s important to protect your hair, as well as your skin, from possible damage. Too much sun can make your hair weak, dry and brittle and can even make it more prone to split ends, while chemically treated hair can become dull and fade. A wide-brimmed hat is great for protecting your scalp and hair from damaging rays while also protecting your face and helping to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Here are our 5 best tips for taking the best care of your hair this Summer:

1. Let your hair dry naturally.
Summer is the perfect time to give your hair dryer a holiday and dry your hair naturally as often as possible. Start by blotting your hair gently with a soft, absorbent towel – always work in a downwards motion, then use fingers or a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair with less risk of breakage. If you want to create textures in longer hair, try wrapping or plaiting your hair while it dries.

2. Coconut oil and apple cider vinegar are simple DIY styling products.
Rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar is a great way to remove any build up of chemicals from your styling products and can be purchased at most supermarkets and health stores. Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm water and pour through your hair with your final rinse. As well as being an amazing superfood, coconut oil is now among many people’s favourite beauty products. Rub a small amount on to your hands and apply to the ends of dry hair or use to hydrate and tame fly-away hair.

3. Increase the number of days between washes and use gentle plant-based products.
Many of us wash our hair far too often and use harsh products that strip out the natural oils we need to maintain healthy hair and scalp. The natural oils produced by your scalp are important to keep your hair soft and shiny and to help protect against weather and hot styling tools. We also tend to think that the more foam a shampoo produces, the cleaner our hair is, when in fact, that long-lasting foam is created more for psychological effect, and requires nasty chemicals such as SLS orCocamide DEA to be added to your hair care products. In reality, one small amount of shampoo is enough for a good wash and ideally, you should have only just enough lather to lubricate the hair and scalp.

4. Pamper yourself with an inexpensive DIY hair treatment.
Give yourself a little pampering with our inexpensive home hair treatment, or experiment with a recipe of your own:
Mix 1/2 cup flat beer with 1 tsp light oil (sunflower or canola) and a raw egg. Apply to clean, damp hair, let sit for 15 minutes and rinse with cool water. Treatments can be applied every other week.

5. A cool rinse after conditioning can make your hair look shinier.
Cold water makes the hair follicle condense and the outer cuticle layer close creating a smoother surface which allows light to reflect off it making your hair appear shinier. 

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Melanie Rands - ecostore

Green, healthy living made easy.

Melanie Rands co-founded New Zealand company ecostore with her husband Malcolm Rands in 1993 from their home in a permaculture eco village in Northland. For 20 years ecostore has been creating plant and mineral based cleaning products, body and baby care products with no nasty chemicals, that are healthier and safer for you as well as the planet. Melanie shares her experience and interests in healthy living, reducing exposure to nasty chemicals and making a difference to the environment along with invited experts on the ecostore blog. When she is not writing, blogging or tweeting for ecostore Melanie writes poetry, plays in the garden and is learning how to stay upright on a stand up paddle board.

Contact Melanie Rands - ecostore

• Web - ecostore blog
• Web - ecostore.co.nz
• Facebook
• Google+
• YouTube
• Blog - southoftheline.org
• Twitter - @MelanieRands
• Pinterest - melanierands