Top 8 Tips for Managing Your Curly Hair This Summer
Sun, surf, steamy days and sultry nights – all the things you love about summer also make it the toughest season for managing curly hair. But instead of hiding your ringlets under a scarf, follow these tips from the pros and learn how to care for your hair ’round the clock.
Washing Curly Hair Tips
Sticky summer days may send you to the shower, but washing your hair every day can lather away the nutrients that help keep it manageable, says George Gonzalez, owner of George: The Salon in Chicago, and a hair stylist at the spa at Harpo Studios.
Instead, a few times a week, just wet your hair in the shower without shampooing. Apply a conditioner, rinse out and follow with a leave-in conditioner.
Protecting Your Curly Hair in Summer
Curly hair’s twisty structure impedes the flow of natural oils, leaving your hair prone to feeling rough and dry, says Dr. Jeni Thomas, senior scientist for Pantene.
“If you have curly hair, avoid clarifying shampoo,” says Thomas. “A clarifying shampoo offers zero protection from damage, especially when hair is in its most vulnerable state – wet.”
Opt for a moisturizing shampoo that is specially formulated for curly hair. Without doubt, you’ll whisk away summer’s stubborn buildup and styling residue while defending your locks against damage and frizz.
Quench Thirsty Curls
“Curly hair has more protein and less moisture than straight hair, so it seeks to balance itself by absorbing any available moisture,” says Craig Carter, an ethnic-hair expert with the Carlos Lobo Salon in New York City. If your hair is parched, it will pull moisture from the humid air, leading hair shafts to become puffy and frizzy.
A weekly deep-conditioning mask will help curly hair stay well-hydrated and will create a humidity barrier.
It is a fact that scalp skin could be irritated by the amount of product many women use on their curly hair. Here are some practical tips for your healthy scalp: from dandruff to food to feed your hair to a stunningly healthy shine.
And if you are new to home scalp facials, then you’d adore this thorough post I made just for you! You will learn what a scalp facial is, its benefits and a step-by-step process of how to do it in the convenience of your home. The final results are no less than stunning.
Are Hot Styling Tools Good for Curly Hair Summer Care?
Here’s a tip you may thank me later for. Make that half-hour walk or drive to work your drying time and embrace your hair’s natural texture.
“In a perfect world, I would love to wet everyone’s hair, put on conditioner and let it air-dry,” says celebrity hairstylist Daven Mayeda. She advocates styling curly hair without direct heat whenever possible. And that’s especially true in summer, when your hair is already getting a light frying from sun exposure.
How To Apply Product To Curly Hair
Applying products to curly hair should be more like buttering toast slices than tossing a salad.
“If you want a uniform curl pattern, you need a uniform application of styling product,” says Gonzalez. Try this: Emulsify a small amount of product by rubbing it between your hands, and then apply – starting at the ends and coating the entire strand – up to the scalp.
By doing such a simple technique, you will create a natural protective barrier for your shafts and cuticles, and save the product, too.
How To Protect Textured Hair At The Beach
Exposing the porous cuticle of curly hair to wind, salt and moisture at the beach will lead to frizz in a flash, says Gonzalez.
“The trick to avoiding this is to coat the cuticle with thick leave-in conditioners or with styling gels,” he says.
Summer hair protection is something not many women do. Thinking that hair is not effected by the sun rays is erroneous. Most importantly, it is damaging to the roots, literally.
I have a detailed and researched post on how to protect your hair during blistering summer rays.
Learn about the details to discover what really happens to your hair when the care of it is avoided.
Also, I discuss if salty water is damaging to the hair and what to do with it. I’ll unveil the vitamins and minerals that are vital to your hair vitality and beauty, especially during the summer time. Besides, you will learn which oils and extracts to look up in the ingredients list when shopping for a quality hair care product for the summer.
And yes, I’ll demo the products that are effective in taking care of of all of the above and more when you are out there enjoying life.
When you are ready for all of the above discoveries, head over to the post about how to protect hair from UV rays.
Prepping Curly Hair For A Swim
If you swim in the ocean or in chlorinated pools, rinse your curls before and after you get out of the water, then apply leave-in conditioner.
“Spray-on conditioner is great for wavy hair or hair that’s fine and curly,” says Gonzalez. “But if your hair is coarse or frizz-prone, a cream or thicker leave-in conditioner is best.”
You may want to use fashion hair clips like Lilla Rose metal clips.
Protecting Curly Hair During Sleep
A satin pillowcase helps keep curls from tangling and won’t soak up natural oils as much as cotton, says Ebony Mikila, a hairstylist at Paint Shop Beverly Hills salon.
Avoiding friction is important, adds Thomas, because the complex web of curly hair’s rough fibers can rub against each other, causing damage.
There are many technologies that would help you to keep your curls smashingly beautiful as you sleep. An answer is a silk pillow case. Usually, these pillow cases are made of 100% of Mulberry silk. Look for the ones that are allergen resistant and are free of any other added threads like polyester. Also avoid buying any cheep pillow cases, as they usually are made of other than silk threads.
Learn silk pillow benefits for skin and hair in my post with the best gifts for women’s self-care.
There are many brands that carry silk pillow cases. Some of my favorites that I’ve used are listed below. Obviously, you are not bound to just these options. I provide them as a starting point for you to explore them and then compare to others when you find such.
– 100% pure Mulberry silk pillow case with a 600 thread count. I like its gorgeous color selection and truly flowing texture. You can check it out HERE.
– Colorado Home Co silk pillowcase to keep your tresses untangled, and skin beautiful. Lots of color hues which are simply stunning. Look and explore them HERE.
– Standard size pillow cases are hard to come by. Here’s a natural silk pillowcase for hair and skin which is also has 600 thread count. The more, the better quality and more luxurious it is. Get if HERE.
– This pillow case are by the same company as the above link. But they have a different line-up of colors and hues. Buy it HERE.
Managing your curly hair could be much easier when using the above tips and suggestions. Life becomes happier when your hair looks right any season.
And if you are interested in lifestyle tips for the textured and curly hair, you’ll find the post from the professional stylists most helpful.
There are so many great tips here, and I’m loving them all. My hair is curly also!
I’m guilty of straightening my curly hair because I have no idea how to stop it looking like a giant cloud. These tips are great, especially about when it’s humid.
This is very helpful, thank you. I have curly hair and never realized about it needing moisture and how much weekly masking would help, thanks for that!
Great tips! My cousins have curly hair so I’m sure this will be very helpful for them once the humidity comes!
Great trips! I have curly/wavy hair and have been trying to work on a better way to take care of it and bring out the curls a little bit more.
As someone who adores curly hair, I couldn’t agree more that proper maintenance and care is absolutely essential for achieving those gorgeous, bouncy curls we all love! Thank you for highlighting the importance of taking care of our curly locks – it’s truly the key to keeping them looking their best.
This a very helpful post for all curly girls like me. We can enjoy the warm weather more with these tips.
I have dead straight hair, but these are good tips for anyone with curly hair. Silk pillowcases are a good tip that I want to try too.
I have my hair straight but I will send the post to my very curly sister and slightly curly husband (and he is struggling with hair care as of now because we moved to a new climate). The post sounds golden and is drowning in useful information
Lyosha,
Climate change can drastically change the behavior of your hair. I lived in many climate zones, and in each one of them my hair looked different.
This is a great read. I had no idea that clarifying shampoo must be avoided. We’ll be more mindful of the shampoo that I am using. Thank you for sharing these tips.
Clarice,
You’ve read the post!
Yes, clarifying shampoo is not bad, it’s just damaging to curly and textured hair.
But knowing small facts like this one can truly make a difference in hair health and avoid any frustration.
Thanks for sharing your tips! I have naturally wavy hair, might try your tips too!
Curly hair could be frustrating if you don’t know what to do and how to deal with different hair conditions.
Once that figured out, the hair will show its beauty and buoyancy!
These are great tips, I’ve never even heard of a Hair Scalp Facial before, gonna have to check that out. Also the silk pillow cases? Nice, I’ll definitely give that a try.
Sabrina,
Great, you’ve learned something for your personal use today!
Always happy to share what I learn and research myself.
As a curly girl, I appreciate these tips. I’ll use some of them to keep these curls under control.
Gorgeous curls are so worth their care!
I adore the curly hair.
We live in a hot humid place so you can imagine how my hair reacts in Summer lol…Amazing tips, thank you so much…
I can easily relate to your situation. My hair is so hard to tame. But am trying every day.
wow nice and cool hair tips again as usuall.
I don’t have curly hair but I can always use tips to keep it frizz free.
Only have of my hair has a curl which sucks for me! Great tips that I will be sure to use with my daughter since all of her hair is wavy.
My friend has naturally curly hair, so I’ll pass these tips onto her! I’m stuck over here with straight hair 🙁
OH MY! I need this today, my mane is a hot mess because of this weather. Thank you for saving my selfie from being abused:)
I do not have curly hair but I sure do get a lot of frizz in the warm weather. I always wanted curly hair though.
I personally love curly hairs but I do know maintenance and really taking care of them is always the key for a good one
great tips! i wanted to have perm or curly hair too at least once in my life but my stylist says that may hair is too stubborn and each strand is so thick
My hair can’t decide if it is going to be curly or straight. These are awesome tips for summer time!
awesome tips. i dont have curly hair mine is more thin.and limp and lifeless lol i wish i have volume and curles 🙂
I don’t have curly hair but one of my daughter’s does. Thanks for these awesome tips!
Great tips. I know summer is the bane of most curly hair peoples existence.
That’s a good idea about post-swimming care. I never thought to add conditioner after rinsing.
well considering I am running out hair and the cheetah’s hair is too short to be curly….all I can say is “Happy Tuesday Rebecca”!
We are lucky in this house we all have straight hair.. but if i know anyone who has this issue i will pass this onto them.
I always wanted curly hair…but of course we always want what we don’t have, don’t we?
curly hair is fantastic..i wish i had them..
I have straight hair and had my hair permed and after 3 months my curls were gone. I wish I knew about this tips back then s0 I could have kept my hair curlier longer.
I’m someone who’s never had to deal with curly hair, since mine is naturally straight.
I don’t have curly hair, I was born with completely straight hair. So curls are the least of my worries.
I have straight as a board hair but my daughter has wavy/curly hair. These tips are great for her.
I have straight hair but love these tips. I will defiantly share these with my curly hair friends.
All great tips for the curlies. I have a friend with gorgeous curls who pays a fortune to straighten them. I never will get it, I love her curls!
I do not have curly hair but my mom does and she can’t stand it in the summer heat. I’m going to forward this on to her! I hope it helps!
The last tip is quite interesting. Thanks for these great info!
These are all great tips for curly hair. Leave-in conditioners are my favorite!
I’ve never had curly hair. I definitely can respect how much work it takes!
I wish I had curly air! My hair is so flat and boring.
I have curly hair. My solution is to cut it short, lol. I hate having curls, they drive me nuts!
Those are some great tips. I try to stay away from the heat tools in the summer.
Among all the tips here, only the last one is unheard of till now. I didn’t know about the implication of satin and cotton sheets. Wow, it’s a great trivia to share. Doesn’t that also apply to straight hair?
I am thankful that I don’t have curly hair. My sister does and she spends a lot longer fixing her hair than I do. She has to use a frizz control or else her hair is everywhere.
I wish I had to use these tips. I love naturally curly hair. I’ve learned to love my straight hair, though.
I don’t have naturally curly hair, so that makes it super easy to manage. These looks like great tips for those who do and want to keep it in check.
Great tips. My friend has really curly hair will pass this to her.
I have curly and wavy hair-nothing like the girl in the picture! It has lost some of the curl as I’ve aged but still is hard to manage. I will definitely try some of these tips.
Great tips! I have wavy to curly hair so I will be using these!
My wife has naturally curly hair (though not as curly as your photo). Will pass along these tips!