Steps to Sexy Summertime Hair

Step 1:  A Cut Above

Trim before summer. Summer tends to make hair dry, so this process will speed up on hair with already-dead ends in need of a cut. Trimming before the summer minimizes damage by removing unhealthy ends before you hit the sun.

It is also a good time to select a haircut that is easy and a breeze to take care of.  Work with your hairstylist to select a hair style that works with your natural hair growth and texture. 

Hair coloring and highlighting causes dryness that makes the hair appear dull and coarse to touch. Hence, control experimenting with your hair in summer months.

Step 2:  Summertime Shampoo

After you have a great cut, you need to know the basics about summertime hair care and that starts with how to properly wash your hair.  All shampoos are not the same Shampoo cleans from scalp to ends and is formulated for specific hair types. Dry or coarse hair needs a mild shampoo that has moisturizing ingredients. Oily hair needs stronger cleansers to penetrate and dissolve greasiness. Some specialize in adding volume and body by roughing-up the hair shaft making strands appear thicker. Shampoo for smoothing and color-treated hair does the opposite. It has a low pH level so the shaft stays closed and color deposits are not washed out. Clarifying shampoo is concentrated to remove product buildup and chlorine. Chelating is the strongest type and is used to remove not only buildup, but environmental residue and medication deposits. To put back the bounce, feed your head with protein. Use shampoos and conditioners that contain wheat germ protein, or keratin. Avoid pulling and tugging on hair when styling. If your hair is relaxed, do not over-use proteins or it will make hair more brittle and cause it to break. Opt for moisturizing shampoos. In the summer your hair will tend to be drier, so you should go down at least one level in the type of shampoo you buy.  If you use shampoo for oily hair, switch to normal if you use shampoo for normal hair switch to dry and if you were using shampoo for dry hair, try to find a more moisturizing shampoo.

Use SPF Shampoos to protect your hair from the sun. Direct sunlight will damage your hair. In addition, use sunscreen products made for hair.

Shampooing your hair everyday deprives the hair of its natural moisture. So, try not to shampoo your hair daily.

Instead of shampooing your hair frequently try some powder treatment on your hair. Sprinkle some baby powder on your hair and simply comb it. 

Are you washing your hair right?

It may sound absurd to think that you may not be washing your hair right.  Most of us think we have this all down pat, but for all we know, we might be wrong. After all, we have been washing our hair all our lives. You may be washing it the way your mother taught you or the way you have seen it done in commercials.  How could we go wrong with something like washing our hair? However, we might be washing our hair the wrong way and contribute to its damage without actually knowing it.  

Your hair is like lace, fine and delicate made up of many strands. It is not like a pair of jeans which are strong, tuff and woven together.  Yet many of us wash our hair as if it were a pair of jeans that we just threw into the washing machine on the most vigorous of cycles.  We scrub it, rub it and twirl it around on the top of our head as if our hands were a washing machine with nails and spikes with all the extra scrubbing action of bubbles.  What we should remember about our hair is that the individual strands of our hair, no matter how thick or strong it looks, is actually very delicate. So we cannot just tug and pull at it, or else it would break. We would not want to have hair breakage, would we?  

The right way to wash your hair

• The first thing you should do is to comb the tangles out of the hair before you wet it so the hair can be washed easily and the tangles will not worsen.
• Wet your hair thoroughly under the shower. You can use either warm or cold water if you like, but for best results, you can wet your hair with warm water to open the scale-like cuticles of the hair and wash all the oil and dirt off. This rinse will help remove the superficial leave-on conditioner and styling aids you have used previously.
• Place a dollop of shampoo in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together, and then apply the shampoo to your scalp. Take note that you should put the shampoo on your scalp and not at the ends of your hair, as the shampoo would dry your hair's ends and cause it to weaken and split.
• Do not mix your hair all over your head as you shampoo because it will get all tangled up.
• Rinse the shampoo off of your hair.
• Repeat again.  More often than not, we need to shampoo our hair for a second time. The purpose of the first shampoo is to clean the oil and dirt off; the second shampoo is supposed to let the shampoo treat our hair. So, repeat the process, but let the shampoo sit on for around a couple of minutes. Rinse the hair completely after this
• Rinse the shampoo off of your hair.