A Summer Hair Regimen For Relaxed Hair

It is really hard to talk about summer when its snowing in the spring seriously? I mean did ya’ll catch that mini snow thing in Maryland last week, in the middle of April? I really hope it doesn’t snow in the summertime because I know a few people who just bought bikinis that are going to be really mad. Summertime is a pretty awesome time, we are talking about, the beach, pools, sunscreen, floppy hats, toes out, barbecues, salads, sundresses, vacations and an easy breezy relaxed hair regimen.

If you are relaxed you might find yourself switching up your regimen a bit in the summer, because even though we love that sunkissed glow the sun gives us, it can wreak havoc on our strands due to the heat and UV rays.

If you are struggling with your summer regimen and you want to learn more about protecting your hair during those warm days then don’t go browsing somewhere else just yet, take 5 minutes and read this post because we have a great summer regimen for all our relaxed haired beauties.

Before we get into the ‘what you need to do’ stuff, we want to make sure you understand what the dangers of direct sunlight on your strands are and give you the information you should keep in front of you as the days get warmer.

Chemical relaxers are convenient for those of us who prefer permanently straight hair, however to get there, your natural strand that is made up of a series of unbroken bonds is altered to the point of being straight and in so doing a bit of damage is caused to the strand.

This means that layers of the strand are stripped and you have significant protein loss to facilitate that straight look. Relaxed women have to really up the ante on protein treatments to help keep their strands healthy and they cannot afford to have anything work against them while doing that.

One of the things that can definitely work against us though is direct sunlight. The heat of the sun can literally damage your hair because UV rays are so strong, this means keeping your hair healthy is that much harder when your are consistently exposed to the sun.

All is not lost though, there are solutions, and that is what we are here to talk about. The focus of this regimen is moisture because hair exposed to the sun is typically dry and protein for strength.

When you build any regimen you want to break it up into four categories and all the activities that you do for your hair will all be related to those categories.

Category 1 – Cleansing – Once A Week

Cleansing refers to cleaning your scalp and hair ridding them of product buildup, grime and excessive oils*. During the summer you want to make sure your hair is less stripped and when you shampoo with sulfates, you will strip the hair.

When you cleanse, use a sulfate free shampoo* instead, or a shampoo that is moisture based. There are a ton of them on the market, you will notice that the label will say ‘sulfate free’ and for good measure they might throw in that its ‘paraben free’ too.

If you feel like you need to clarify your hair and remove excess build up by all means do that with a clarifying shampoo* especially for those women who tend to produce excess oils* or use products that weigh the hair down.

Do not forget the natural options you can utilise for clarifying if you prefer to do that. We have talked about the benefits of the apple cider vinegar cleanse before, all you have to do is dilute some ACV in some water, and rub the mix on your scalp removing all dirt and grime.

Category 2 – Moisture – Often

Moisturizing your hair should happen for sure once a week after you shampoo. When you moisturize your hair use something water based in order to get the most benefit. Water based products will have water as the first ingredient on the bottle or jar, typically your conditioners and leave in conditioners are water based.

Moisturizing relaxed hair is so important, we cannot stress that enough so wash day is your first chance to set the foundation for moisture throughout the week after your cleanse.

We recommend that during the summer you deep condition your hair with a nourishing product and heat at least once every two weeks. Your heat source can be anything from a plastic bag gathering your own body heat, to a warm towel to a overhead hair dryer*. Deep conditioning* should be a minimum of twenty minutes which is long enough to ensure that your strands soak up as much of your moisture based products as it can.

If your hair is extra dry, jump in the shower and do a co wash midweek, it doesn’t take long and your hair will thank you for it. Co washing is simply using conditioner to ‘wash’ your hair, it adds moisture to your hair quickly and its considered the ultimate quick fix. Co washing isn’t anything extravagant, the technique is the same as regular washing and you still use a leave in conditioner when you get out of the shower. Allow your hair to air dry in braids no fuss no stress.

This brings us to leave in’s, a leave in conditioner is a must for any relaxed head because your hair does not hold on to moisture like it should especially if your hair is porous and relaxed hair is porous. You can make your leave in conditioner* using aloe vera juice* and a little water in a spray bottle or you can buy one from the beauty supply store as an added hydrator.

Category 3 – Sealing

Relaxed hair does not require a ton of sealing, because it can get weighed down pretty easily, so choose light oils* to seal your hair after you moisturize it. Typically you would seal your hair right after using your leave in conditioner and right before you style your hair, we would suggest using oils* that act as natural sunscreen. If you have no idea what oils have SPF in them, then read this post really quickly and see what oils you need to have on hand during the summer time.

Just a note on styling, we would recommend protective styling during the summer to preserve those ends and keep them safe as you run around, swim and enjoy the sun. Wear your hair out at night time, or on special occasions, summer days are so busy and hot anyway you wont miss having your hair out and free.

Category 4 – Protein

This category is related to category 2 in the sense that you will be using protein when you deep condition and when you use your leave in conditioner*. The thing is we had to create a separate category for protein because we cannot emphasize enough how important it is. Protein is your saving grace, when it comes to preserving your hair’s strength, you must use it and you must use it all the time.

Your hair has an lot to deal with, your clothes rubbing on it, your hands twirling it, your relaxers and fun colors, and in the summer it has the sun to contend with too.

The strands do not regenerate themselves, they are dead fibers that depend on you to give them some umph when dealing with external stresses. Protein adds layers to the strand some can even add layers from the inside of the strand if they are small enough to penetrate.

Hydrolysed protein like that found in the popular protein based product Aphogee can penetrate the strand and patch up the holes your hair has from the inside out.

Larger protein molecules like that found in eggs can work on the outside of the strand patching up breaks and gaps there.

Read this twice because it is very important, here goes – every time you deep condition you must use protein. This means that your deep conditioner* must be moisturizing and it should have a shot of protein in it as well. If you want to create a moisture based protein conditioner, simply use your moisture based product that is very low in protein or add an egg to a mostly moisturizing one.

Alternatively choose a product that is protein and moisture based as well, all you have to do is see water as the first ingredient to know that you have moisture covered, and look for the protein appearing early on the ingredient list as well.

Leave in conditioners can be protein based as well, Aphogee* has a great one called Aphogee and Keratin Green Tea Restructurizer that gives you the best of both worlds.

Well that’s it, lets recap shall we, in the summer your hair will need more moisture, more protein and will need to be cleansed. The idea is to protect your hair as much as you can during the hot months by paying close attention to your hairs needs. We would also suggest that you stretch your relaxers particularly in the summer because your hair will be stronger when not exposed to the possibility of over processing.

Try to not be too fussy about it, air dry when you can, find creative ways to deep condition your hair and wear as many floppy hats as you can. We hope this regimen is a great plan for our relaxed ladies who are ready to enjoy all the great things that summertime brings.