I’ve always been an advocate of beauty from the inside out and that it’s important to deal with the root of the problem as opposed to just applying a temporary fix. Isn’t it always easier to prevent a mess than trying to clean one up afterwards?
Since I’ve been young, I’ve always received compliments about my hair (insert humble brag). I guess I just had the right genes for perfectly pin-straight hair that is neither coarse nor fine. What can I say, I feel blessed to have quite low maintenance hair. I took it for granted and never really took care of my hair the way that I should have. Fast forward decades later, my hair is still just as nice, but it has started to reflect the environmental effects of the 21st century.
I won’t go into great detail of my everyday hair routine and how I take care of it from start to finish because that’s a whole other story on it’s own, but today I wanted to touch on how my hair care routine changes in the summer.
Your hair is just as important as your skin. You rely on it to complete your look, and without it, well, let’s face it, you wouldn’t look like you. You cleanse, moisturize and beautify your skin everyday, so why should you do any less to your hair? Not only does it protect your scalp from the harmful UV rays, but it takes a beating when you style it with different products and heat tools.
As the weather changes, the effects of the environment on my hair chances as well. I’m more inclined to be outdoors when it’s warm out, which means lots of sun rays being absorbed by my locks. We probably all know by now how important it is to apply SPF to our skin to prevent skin cancer, but did you know that those UV rays can also damage your hair as well?
In-Shower Routine
I like to use the Soleil collection by Kerastase to repair any sun damage that my hair accumulates over the warmer months of the year. Although this collection is designed for color treated hair, the sun’s rays can really affect anyone’s hair – be it virgin or not. After spending a day at the beach, I typically like to cleanse my hair with Bain Après Soleil shampoo as opposed to my regular one so that I get that little level of much needed moisture back into my hair.
From the same line, I also often skip my conditioner for a rinse-out concentrated mask, Masque UV Défense Active, to strengthen any dry and brittle hair that is the result of sun exposure. Besides doing the double duty of conditioning and moisturizing my locks, but it smels heavenly as well!
Post-Shower Routine
But the hair care doesn’t stop there. I like to add some leave-in products after I get out of the shower, and I find that they work best when my hair is still slightly damp. Part of my routine is to leave my hair wrapped up as I’m getting dressed, and then apply the leave-in products before I do my makeup.
In the summer, I like to give my hair an all-over mist of the Huile Lactée, followed by a quick finger brush of the Sérum Thérapiste and then adding a little bit of Argan Oil to the ends for added moisture. The Huile Lactée helps to keep my fly-aways at bay while the Sérum Thérapiste helps to seal my split ends. An added bonus is that it also works as a heat protectant, so that my hair doesn’t get fried on the daily when I use heat tools.
I actually love the entire Therapiste line and use it regularly (when I’m not alternating in my summer products) since it really helps me repair my hair sins. If you’ve been skipping out on your heat protectant, you can try out the entire line in sample sizes by entering the code, THERAPISTE , in your cart the next time that you’re ordering from Kérastase!
The Argan Oil is fantastic for giving my ends that much needed dosage of TLC since it’s basically at its whits ends (ha pun intended) after going through such a rigorous life of being fried for me.
Additional Steps
Depending on what I want to do with my hair, I sometimes add a couple of extra steps in order to ensure that it not only looks its best, but is also treated the best as well.
Long beach days or days spent out doors warrant a quick a quick finger brush-through of Aqua Seal to help lock in all of the moisture and make my hair waterproof from the harsh chemicals found in water. I’ve also found that it helps to keep my hair nice and shiny when exposed to the sun for long hours as opposed to appearing dull and worn out. Trust me, nobody wants to look like they’ve soaked their hair in salt water for days on end.
If heat tools are in question, I like to lock in the look with a quick all-over spray of Control Addict 28. Don’t worry, I didn’t skip over the heat protectant. Remember the Serum Therapiste? Yup, I did my job at ensuring that my hair is heat protected!
The downside of having pin-straight hair is having to settle for curls falling out within 10 minutes of stepping out the house, but at the same time I hate having crunchy hair that can’t naturally move in the wind. I’ve tested a handful of different hairsprays and they all had the same outcome – crunch and no flex. Control Addict 28 is by far the best one so far for maintaining my styling without freezing my hair in place.
And on days where I’m too lazy to wash my hair, or I feel like giving it a rest from all the styling and washing, I like using a dry shampoo, Shampooing sec au lait d’avoine, to whick away the moisture without hopping into the shower – since washing your hair too often also strips it of its essential oils. And after all that, I’m set to go for my day! What are your summer hair care essentials?
