I’m outdoors a lot, and I don’t have time to spend hours styling my hair. So it’s dismaying to see what the weather can do to my good looks. In the summer there’s the humidity, which is a nightmare to deal with. My hair, which is naturally curly, goes from slightly wavy to frizzy, plus it doubles in volume when it’s muggy outside. That would be fine, except it’s too thick to begin with.
In the winter I have the opposite problem. My hair gets thinner and straighter, which I like, but it also gets a lot of static electricity and becomes hard to style. If I use a blow dryer on it, which I like to do in winter because I don’t like going outdoors with damp hair, then it becomes completely impossible. It also turns dull and gets a lot of split ends, which I hate.
I thought I’d share some of the tricks I’ve learned for dealing with bad hair days caused by weather. I’ve found that sunscreen is a must. Would you believe I’ve been protecting my skin with SPF45 all these years I’ve been doing outdoor sports, but it never occurred to me to protect my hair? Not only does the sun dry it out, but if yours is color treated, the color can actually change under UV exposure. Yow. Fortunately, there are lots of products available that have sunscreen built in. They smell good, and they look good. I’ve learned my lesson and have started using them.
A few months ago on a visit to the salon, I had my first deep moisturizing hair treatment. I had always been cynical about them, assuming that they were just another way for my stylist to extract money from me, as if she doesn’t extract enough already. Well, I was wrong about them. What a difference. When I went in for mine, I had a lot of damage from too much color treatment, and the moisturizer smoothed all those frizzy ends and made the comb-out after showering so much easier. The great thing is, I don’t have to go to a salon to get one. They’re available in any beauty supply store. All I need to do is apply it while my hair is damp, wrap it in a towel, and wait 20 minutes while I’m doing my nails or reading a magazine.
I have to admit that I get carried away with the blow dryer sometimes. They’re just so convenient, but they really aren’t good for my hair. Nowadays I only dry the part near the roots, so I can blow a little bit of lift into it, but I let the ends dry by themselves. They’re the part that’s most prone to damage anyway, and it’s surprising how fast they air dry. By the time I make it to the office, you’d never know that I just got out of the shower.
After years of trying this and that hair product, I’ve decided that the best product for everyday wear is no product at all. Other than shampoo, conditioner, and a deep moisturizer once a week, the majority of products are drying, at least for me, no matter what the manufacturers might claim. I save the gel, spritz, and hairspray for going out in the evening when I want to look my best. One way I’ve found to avoid using too many products is to have just the right amount of moisture in my hair when I style it. I squeeze and pat it dry gently with a towel and then let it air dry to just the right stage, then style with minimal product and heat. I find that I actually like the look it gives me better than when I was using tons of gel and frying it with a styling tool.
