We’ve been blessed with an incredible start to summer and the Maldives-like weather is set to continue. However, the extreme heat means It’s never been more important to keep your hair and scalp fully protected. Luckily, hair trichologist Anabel Kingsley offers some pricelss advice to ensure you give your hair the best care throughout the heatwave.
Anabel Kingsley Shares Her Top 10 Tips For Caring For Summer Hair:
1.“One product that protects the hair from all of the summer elements: sun, sea and chlorine, is our Swimcap Cream. It guards hair from UV rays, salt and pool water damage, and at the same time gives hair a hydrating treatment. Applying a water-resistant sun protective cream to the hair every day will help protect it from degradation and damage. Our Swimcap Cream also gives strands an intensive hydrating treatment at the same time as protecting it, leaving strands more elastic, bouncier and healthier. (Swimcap £17, 75ml).”
2.“Apply a water-resistant cream containing UV filters to help protect the scalp, especially along the parting or where the hair is thin, as this can also burn. Guard it by applying a thick layer of a water-resistant cream or your regular sunblock.”
3.“Hair can also become quite tangled due to outdoor activities and brushing through these tangles can cause breakage. Keep a detangling spray handy to help you easily remove knots.”
4.“Repeatedly dunking your head in a chlorinated pool and letting it dry in the sun is perhaps one of the worst things you can do to your hair on holiday. Chlorine, like UV rays, oxidises the hair – and mixing the two together can spell double the trouble. Applying lemon juice or another lightening agent would be similarly damaging – and as a worst-case scenario, you may do all three. It’s not as uncommon as you may think; we have seen quite a few cases of severe breakage due to exactly this in our Clinics.”
5.“The most effective way to combat associated frizz is to remain in a cool environment. But this isn’t very practical! The next best thing is to apply products to your scalp throughout the day that soak up excess moisture. Lightweight dry shampoos with scalp benefits are best for this as they also sooth the scalp and boost body as added benefits. Try One More Day £17 for 200ml.”
6.“Sunburnt scalps can peel badly, leading to itching and irritation. To help speed recovery if this does happen, use a soothing flaky/itchy scalp shampoo daily until the flakes subside. Alongside this, apply an exfoliating scalp mask once a week to effectively lift away dead skin cells. Try Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo £24 for 250ml and Exfoliating Scalp Mask (£18 for 75ml).”
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Credit: www.philipkingsley.co.uk
7.“A poor diet can be the sole cause of excessive hair fall and hair not growing to the desired length. Hair is composed primarily of protein, so including it in your daily diet can be very beneficial to its growth. Complex carbohydrates are essential to hair growth as they provide a steady release of energy to hair follicles. We have nutritional supplements which aim to help boost the health of your hair (PK4 Soya Protein Boost) and also to promote hair growth (Tricho Complex). PK4 Soya Protein Boost is £30 for 120 and Tricho Complex is £45 for 90 tablets. Whilst the new Root Complex creates the optimum scalp environment £38 for 60 tablets and the Biotin Boost for strengthening hair is £30 for 30 tablets.”
8.“Removing split ends will improve the overall appearance of the hair; it will help make the mid-lengths and ends look thicker and more substantial. If ignored, split ends can split further up the hair shaft, causing even more damage. I recommend getting a small trim before you go away and then again after. Doing so beforehand will help to remove any damaged ends. This is important as split ends interlock easily increasing the likelihood of your hair tangling and breaking. Another small trim when you get back can remove any subsequent damage that might have been done. However, if you protect your hair on holiday the latter should not be necessary.”
9.“When blow-drying, help guard strands from heat damage with a heat protective conditioning spray However, no matter how good the heat protective product is, it will only protect your hair to a certain extent – so be careful. Turn the heat off when your hair is ‘just dry’ – blasting a dryer over already dried hair can burn and break it. Try PK Prep Perfecting Spray £20 for 125ml)”
10.“I always recommend using a hydrating hair mask during and also after a summer holiday. UV rays, salt water and chlorinated water can weaken the hair’s protein structure. This makes strands drier, less elastic, less manageable and easily broken. Summer assaults can also raise the hair cuticle, causing strands to look dull. Using a weekly mask will address all of these issues. They increase the hair’s moisture content to improve lost elasticity. They will also smooth the cuticle to restore shine. I recommend using a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, like our Elasticizer. This plumps strands with moisture to add bounce, manageability and strength, smoothes the hair cuticle to create shine, and leaves hair looking much more vibrant. Results are seen and felt after one use, but improve over time with consistent application. A good benchmark for healthy hair is that it should be able to stretch to a 3rd of its length when wet before breaking.” Elasticizer, £32 for 150ml. Elasticizer, £32 for 150ml.”
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