A Summer Regimen For Naturals

We had some 90 degree days this past week in Texas and before I fixed my mouth to complain, I quickly reminded myself that not too long ago I was complaining about the cold winter weather and in an effort not to make myself appear ungrateful I thanked God and moved on.

I don’t know about you but I am excited for summer, mostly for my one year old because he has never experienced the pool before and if I could get him to a beach it would certainly blow his mind. Everything blows his mind at his age but it is still cool to see his reaction.

Personally I want a very low maintenance relaxing summer, as should you because summer time is for fun, sun, pools, pool parties, reggae beach parties, slushy drinks, tans, muscles, bikinis, kids with floating devices, and the list goes on and on.

Notice we didn’t add extremely difficult hair maintenance to that list, because quite frankly ain’t nobody got time for that. But let’s be real we didn’t come this far in our hair journeys to just throw it all away for a smoothie and a yellow polka dot bikini right? We will need a summer regimen, a simple one and one that compliments our hair goals even when having a great time.

The key to summer hair is tons of moisture and tons of protection from the harmful rays of the sun and the dryness of the air. These elements can sometimes wreak havoc on our natural strands, so here is a simple regimen you can adopt this summer.

Cleansing

Every regimen starts on wash day, that is the easiest place to begin and on wash day you are thinking about getting your hair clean and moisturized for that day and a couple of days thereafter. Choose a cleanser that is moisture based, so if you do use shampoo make sure it is sulfate free and does the job of getting your hair clean. In the summer time, we sweat more, we are at the beach and pool so cleansing your hair and scalp is very important.

With that said if you know you will be swimming it helps to add conditioner to your hair before hitting the pool or beach so that your hair is coated and protected a little bit from the chemicals in the pool and the salt water. Another little trick is getting your hair drenched before heading to the pool because with all the water your hair will already have there will be no space for the added chlorine.

You might find that you may have to use a harsher cleanser to get rid of chlorine, chelating shampoos for instance give you that deep cleanse removing minerals from your strands. The key to a deep cleanse is what you do afterwards, so let’s move on.

Conditioning

This is where you get a chance to moisturize your hair in the best way possible. Choose a great conditioner with tons of slip so that detangling is a breeze and you are not in the shower for hours. We definitely recommend deep conditioning* your hair with heat during the summer on wash day especially if you are in the sun and your hair needs that added protection.

Co-washing more times for the week in the summer isn’t a bad idea especially if you are sweating a lot. Just keep the co-wash simple, choose a great conditioner and don’t forget to use a water based leave in to help keep your strands hydrated.

We mentioned deep conditioning* above and we want to emphasize that if you are really moisturizing your hair weekly by increasing your cowash sessions, ensure that your deep conditioner* has some protein in it to give your hair some balance. You can simply add an egg to your mix or buy a product that is protein based already.

Sealing

Sealing is always important, after all you are trying to keep your moisture locked in your strands right? We suggest using oils* that have SPF protection built in. Most of these oils* are light oils which is great for the summer months anyway because the last thing you need is a heavy oil dripping down your neck in the heat. Carrot seed oil*, avocado oil* and coconut oil* are a few, check out this post for some more.

Styling

Uhh forget about it, in my most Italian voice. Really though, forget about fussy styling, keep things simple, buns, twists or braids you can pin back, ponytails or anything that keeps your hair out of your face and out of the way. If you are doing any kind of summer activity, you will have to wear a hat anyway so whats the point in pulling out your signature updo?

Wash and go styles are popular during the summer months but don’t stress out about it. Let your hair live free form, do not use a ton of gel to the point where your hair is as stiff as a board, get to know your free hair texture and just let is all hang out.

Additionally wear transitional styles when you know you are moving from a day look to a night time look so you aren’t stressed out about styling at night. For example if you are headed to the beach during the day with dinner plans at night, wear your hair organised in braids or twists or even a bun as long as your hair is detangled.

The last thing you want to fuss with especially if you are on vacation is detangling before a relaxing evening at dinner. If you choose to do a protective style for the summer, like braids or a sew in, just ensure that you are keeping your scalp clean don’t just set it and forget it.

Finally, make sure you drink a lot of water, and while you might have a few mixed drinks of the alcoholic variety, make sure some of them are green and healthy so that you can keep your body hydrated and your hair healthy from the inside out.

What are your plans this summer? Comment below.