Skip to main content

Inspired by Salon Disasters: Natural Remedies for Summer Hair Slumps

The cable show "Tabatha's Salon Takeover" has been a runaway hit and is now in its fifth season. In the show, hairstylist and salon owner Tabatha Coffey visits struggling hair salons, candidly offering her two cents on how to improve business practices and bring them back from the brink of failure.

Coffey is known for her unapologetic, brutally honest style and unapologetic delivery of advice to both the salon stylists and owners. Direct TV offers her astute business acumen on the popular channel Bravo.

Master the Disaster
Much like Tabatha can bring any salon back from the brink of disaster, you can do the same with your hair this summer. You don't have to settle for the sun, wind, heat, humidity and chlorine damage that often plagues summer hairstyles. Sun exposure alone can degrade your hair's protective protein, oxidizing the color and giving it a brassy look. (Tabatha would not approve) Sun, wind and UV rays can dull hair and leave it brittle. Humidity can double or triple your split ends, and nothing zaps the moisture from hair like chlorine or saltwater.

There are steps you can take to keep your hair looking healthy this summer. Bask in the summer glow knowing your locks are in good hands (yours).

beach nap

Protect from Frizz
The humidity in the air can make hair much more prone to frizzing. Any damage already done to your hair has probably already roughened the cuticles, whether from color, the sun, straighteners or other heat stylers. This enables the moisture in humid air to get into the hair shaft and cause it to swell, giving hair that "frizzy" look.

You can combat this effect with argan oil. This rare oil grows organically in Morocco and is produced from the kernels of the argan tree fruit. It's rich with vitamin E and hydrates skin and hair. Free of parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrances, look for versions in Sephora and Ulta. Smooth on damp or dry hair to moisturize and close cuticles preventing flyaways, frizz and split ends. (Also read How to use Argan Oil effectively on curly hair.)

Sunscreen
Even hair au naturale can be damaged by the sun's rays and once the cuticles are broken open, it takes time and care to repair them. To create a sunblock for hair, look for products that have an added SPF. Leave-in protectors and conditioners are best as long as you apply them frequently to seal that cuticle as closed as possible.

Reduce Grease
If you already have an oily scalp, it can get even worse in summer. Heat causes the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, and perspiration can make hair look even greasier. To tackle this issue, you might have to shampoo more often. Go for gentler blends and use a good conditioner on your ends to avoid drying them out. Aveda Shampure is a good option for daily shampoos. If there's a day you don't have time to shampoo, try blotting an astringent on your center scalp and along the hairline. Dry shampoos will also soak up some of the oil when there's no time for a shampoo.

Fight Swimmer's Hair
Over time, chlorine can build up and can leave a discoloring green film. To avoid this summer hair disaster, prep your hair before you swim. Use a leave-in conditioner to seal and protect the porous surface of the hair. Also, wash or at least rinse your hair shortly after chlorine or ocean water exposure. If you start to notice buildup, use a clarifying shampoo to remove the residue.

Michelle is an actress, director and freelance writer living the dream in New York City.

Comments

  1. Soujanya2:57 PM

    Another oily hair remedy is APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. After washing with shampoo or other products, rinse your hair with water and a cup of apple cider vinegar. It will leave your hair extremely clean and fresh-smelling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Expert3:02 PM

    Applying juice of green coriander leaves on the scalp is beneficial for strengthening the roots of hair.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beauty Expert3:03 PM

    Apply coconut milk all over your hair and scalp and massage the hair roots with it. This helps in nourishing and promoting hair growth. You will need to prepare coconut milk. It involves grinding coconut shavings and squeezing out milk.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Medha3:04 PM

    Have lot of water during summer for the obvious reason that summer heat makes you lose your moisture. This will keep your skin moisturized and therefore, the hair roots would be stronger.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments posted on this blog are moderated and approved only if they are relevant, on-topic and not abusive. Avoid using links to your site/blog in the body of your comment unless it is highly relevant to the post.

Popular posts from this blog

Aspirin for acne-prone skin

Aspirin has been around for a long time and its health benefits are wide and varied. Aspirin , or acetylsalicylic acid is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains , as an antipyretic to reduce fever , and as an anti-inflammatory medication. Aspirin's greatest benefit is reducing cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes. According to the American Heart Assoc. virtually all women are at risk of heart disease and doctors should more strongly consider prescribing a daily aspirin for their female patients. There is growing evidence to suggest regular aspirin use may reduce cancer and dementia as well. Investigators from the Women's Health Study have reported important new findings demonstrating that aspirin reduces the risk of a first stroke in women. When given to someone immediately after a heart attack, aspirin decreases death by 25%.

Kapalabhati Pranayam for wrinkle-free, radiant complexion

Did you know that Kapalabhati Pranayam / kriya can also be used to enhance your beauty and ward off skin aging? Done the right way,  Kapalabhati Pranayam can be used as a beauty aid - it can give you a wrinkle-free, luminous forehead and radiant complexion. Kapalabhati For Beauty   ‘Kapalabhati’ Pranayam breathing exercise is an excellent way of maintaining good health and fighting diseases. ‘Kapala’ means ‘skull’ (and ‘forehead’ also) and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining’. By doing kapalabhati, the ‘nadis’(nerves) of the brain get good exercise. This is achieved by exercising the diaphragm. There will be a glow on the forehead. After the age of 25, the tell-tale signs of ageing start making their appearance in the form of fine lines on the forehead. A regular practice of Kapalabhati for 10-15 minutes everyday will give you a tight forehead sans wrinkles for many years to come. Avoid Botox, try Kapalabhati Why resort to Botox   and other expensive chemical or surgica...

Lemon as a beauty aid

The diminutive lemon is a very versatile beauty-aid and this cheap and golden-coloured fruit has excellent properties for enhancing your looks. Simple lemon-based preparations, you can mix in your own kitchen, will surely bring a dramatic transformation in your beauty regimen.

Aloevera, the wonder herb

Of all the herbs available in the kitchen garden, aloe is perhaps the richest in healing properties and has been rightly named the “first-aid” plant. It has moisturizing and emollient properties and is used in cosmetic creams, sun-lotions, shaving creams and face packs. It can easily be cultivated as a house-plant in a sunny warm spot with good drainage. Cosmetologists mix aloe with several other herbs and draft fancy names for it. Then these “herbal” avatars are sold at exorbitant prices. Growing a plant and using fresh gel is much more effective than bottled gel, simply because it is alive and therefore is more potent. It is the only plant whose extract is applied directly from plant to face in its natural and purest form.

I Tried a Headache Balm and Ended Up with Rashes

I do have this habit of slathering pain balms whenever I have a headache. But never did I get a skin reaction or rashes from it. It so happened that I had an extremely severe headache a few months ago.  The pain was so unbearable that I gingerly reached out for a pain balm kept on my bedside table and kept on slathering it repeatedly all over the temples of my forehead. Next morning, after I woke up, I found that the skin on my forehead was peeling off and worse there were red rashes!  This was the first time in my life that I was getting rashes from applying a pain balm on my forehead !  I have never had any pain balm allergy or as such!  Side-effects due to application of a pain balm  was something I've never come across all these years! I usually use pain balms of reputed companies – my usual favourites are Tiger balm, Amrutanjan, Zandu balm and Sloan’s balm.  This time I had used Tiger balm. But why did it  give me rashes now, when I had used it...