Five Ways to Get Your Heat-Damaged Hair Ready for Summer
Let the covers of women’s magazines tell it and you’d think seasonal change only means one thing: getting your body beach-ready (do people really do this?). But for me, it’s always meant getting my hair right.
I’m a huge fan of letting my mane do its thing during warmer months (see last year’s fun summer-hair challenge, for proof), but after a long winter of daily heat styling and dry air, my hair has seen better days. I suspect I am not alone in this! And so I want to help.
The most important aspects of any hairdo are, of course, healthy hair and a good cut. I love my hairdresser, and if he weren’t gay I might want to marry him, but I’m trying to let my hair get longer, so I’m spacing out my visits. HOWEVER! The waves I so love when I air-dry are, well, limp now.
In order to get things looking better as it grows out, I’ve tried LOTS of products and even—gasp—one dirty one. I won’t tell you about that one because it gave me a rash and I only used it once, but I will share five clean products I tried and loved. And if you don’t like these, or want to save your cash, there’s always coconut oil. And avocados.
1. Argan Oil (prices vary)
Arganoilarganoilarganoil. I’m a broken record, I know (there’s nothing like the zeal of a convert, right?). I’ve slept with Kahina Giving Beauty and Amal argan oils in my hair many times, and the next day, after a light shampoo, my hair always looks and feels and smells amazing, with no greasy buildup. I do it extremely rarely for a simple reason: It’s just too “rich” for my stupid hair. Not rich like heavy, rich like expensive. For the price I pay—and I believe it’s worth every cent—it means my face gets to use it, not my split ends.
2. Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Styling Gel ($12.99)
I’m wild about this gel. I put it on my ends wet or dry and it holds nicely. I also sometimes use a pea-sized amount on the hairs around my face, when the hair is still wet. It’s not a typical gel—the texture reminds me a little of aloe—there’s no crunchiness or wet look, obviously, and the ingredients are squeaky clean. It’s nongreasy and smells light and fresh in a unisex kind of way, which gives you full license to throw out your boyfriend’s Dippity Do when he’s not looking.
3. Rare E’lements EL Treatment ($44)
This serum-like treatment is delightful. We both love it and use it with some frequency as an overnight treatment or a leave-in for day on our ends. It smells incredible. Like, “Ooooo! What perfume are you wearing?” incredible, thanks to the ylang ylang and other scented oils. I might go so far as to say that, with frequent use, my ends actually look markedly better than they did. I try to avoid overpromising, but this product really is a winner, and it seems to be more of a winner the more I use it. A dab will do ya, and even with several-times-a-week use, I have a long way to go before I’ll have to repurchase.
4. Whatever is left on my hands after I apply body oil ($0)
Oil-rich body lotions or body oils contain a lot of the same ingredients as natural hair treatments, so if your lotion pour was on the generous side, use the leftovers on your wet hair before drying. I do this probably two or three times a week instead of using a hair product, and it works well. Plus, it saves money and encourages the kind of ingredient savvy and multitasking we’re fond on.
5. Intelligent Nutrients Certified Organic Volumizing Spray ($29)
To prove how clean this product is, Horst made me drink it when I met him. Little did I know it would become the only go-to hair product I would use and reuse for almost two years straight. A word about the name: Maybe it’s because my hair is heavy to begin with, but I’ve never understood why this product is called a volumizer. That said, we both absolutely love it as a leave-in, and have been using it and repurchasing it religiously since we discovered it while writing the book. (Other ladies: Please weigh in if you have tried it and found it gave you a boost at the roots! Is this a volumizer for you?) One bottle lasts several months to half a year, it smells incredible, and it helps smooth wild ends and flyaways. It also makes heat styling much easier.
OK your turn. What have you tried as a hair treatment? And do you do the beach-body thing? (Just kidding!)
Vintage hairdryers via
I do coconut oil. It was a regular thing for a while, but since I stopped the dirty shampoos and the hair coloring I don’t need it very often. It is heavy on the hair, but my hair can take it. When I don’t need the heavier coconut oil, I do straight aloe gel as a leave-in. Again, something I don’t need every day – maybe every 3-5 washes I use aloe. If I feel like I need a little moisture during the day, I spritz on John Master’s lavender hydrating mist for skin & hair. Other than that it’s just my regular shampoo and conditioner (Griffin Remedy daily shampoo and conditioner – it’s called “daily” I don’t wash more than 2 or maybe 3 times a week, which I think is a major reason I don’t need to do much with hair treatments). Oh, and I started using henna instead of regular toxic color, I hear that is a good conditioning treatment.
Thanks to a post I read awhile ago (I’m pretty sure Siobhan posted it), I looked into the Alaffia line of hair care products. Since I’m a curly girl, I purchased from the Beautiful Curls line of products. My hair is pretty curly, but I decided to just try the “Wavy to Curly” shampoo + conditioner. I found this at Whole Foods, so I didn’t have to order online. The conditioner says it’s leave-in, but I put in on during the shower while I shave/wash up, then comb + rinse. Best detangling conditioner I’ve come across in my life, I was shocked! Here is a pic of my hair a few hours after I showered – no gunk in my hair + no makeup on.
http://stellarmichele.tumblr.com/post/5353427121/i-feel-more-beautiful-without-makeup-or-hair
Pretty impressive, seeing as I used to have a daily hair routine of mousse, gel + hairspray to keep my coiff under control. The tips + tricks I have learned from reading this book + website have changed my life tenfold. Thanks, ladies! :)
I forgot to add this to my last post, but I only wash my hair twice a week + give myself quick scalp massages daily, to move the oils from my scalp. When I want to revive my curls, I will wet them with a bit of water, or use the Beautiful Curls Curl Reviving Tonic if I’m a frizzfest.
After reading the book, I had to have a quiet moment on the couch while I contemplated life without Bumble & Bumble defrizz curl serum. It wasn’t a happy moment at all. But then I checked it on the EWG database and it gives it a pass – in fact a big green 0. So I am very relieved. But am I missing something? I’m in the process of switching shampoo, conditioner etc, so no comment on that – but as a heavy curly girl I am going to check out the Alaffia ones. But I’m hoping that EWG are right about my precious defrizz potion….
First, if I may be off topic for a second, I had my hair colored and trimmed yesterday. I had noticed that since I am not washing it as often, the color has not faded (at all) and it isn’t quite as dull as it normally is before a touch-up. I’m only using conditioner between washes and just a dab of that, (wet/condition/rinse). I’ve also started blowdrying on a lower setting. I don’t get exactly the same styling power, but my hair is very straight, so it doesn’t really matter too much.
I’ve used Argan Oil twice, but had a huge skin reaction each time, so I had to stop. I really liked the result on my hair, but (sigh) it doesn’t seem to be for me.
I’ve also tried John Masters Shine On. I must be doing something wrong, because I really did not like the result. It was greasy and stringy and it did not add any shine. So, I’m stuck with an expensive jar of goo. Any advice on how to effectively use this product would be greatly appreciated.
ok i really need help here? i don’t know at all that which straightener is safe to use. I use to use Chi but i just found out that Chi is not safe because its a Japanese Thermal straightener :(, PLEASE HELP! By though way i have curly hair?
We recommend just using a flat iron or blowdryer—but don’t turn it up too high and follow some of the advice in this piece.
hi comagirl, I only use the JM shine on when my short-ish thick hair is growing a bit out of control, it’s more than I need when I have a fresh cut with all the heaviness of my thick hair taken out. I would recommend it only for thick hair, and it’s not particularly shiny in my opinion, but it gives good control without stiffness. Using just a tiny bit on only the ends might be a good way to use it if it’s too much for your whole head of hair. For daily use I LOVE the JM bourbon vanilla and tangerine hair texturizer. That product does add shine and great texture, a little goes a very long way and the smell alone is a good enough reason to use it!
hey Alexandra, Chi is a flat iron? and it takes more time to straighten my hair when not turned high :(
add me to the beautiful curls fans. i’ve got really thin hair, that tends to friz, but this stuff makes it smooth without weighing it down.
I have crazy thick hair that tends to run on the fuzzy side. I use Shielo Antioxidant Leave In Portectant because you CAN physically see the hair being sealed. My hairdresser is on strict orders to let me know if my hair starts drying out (so I can stop with the iron). She says it’s fine. And since she doesn’t sell me the thermal protector, I believe her.
Shielo hair leave in protector works great on my hair. You can clearly see the spray protecting your hair from the heat. My hair is really thin and my sisters hair is extremely thick and it works great on both our hair.
I found that using a 2 stage shower filter made my hair much softer, shiny and easier to style. The filter removes chlorine and other drying chemicals. Like bathing in natural, spring water. My hair and skin has “healed” from all of the drying chemicals in municipal water. Now I’m starting with really clean hair and the styling products bond like they are supposed to.
http://www.best-showerfilter.com Easy to do and they give you a guarantee, so you cannot lose. Made in USA.