Spring has just begun but I’m starting to see signs of it all around. With longer warm days, daylight saving time and trees looking perkier I think it’s about time to Spring clean your curly hair regimen. Although the term is mainly used in connection with thorough house cleaning I find the term applies to the changes we need to do in our regimen this time of the year.
While your Winter hair regimen may be working fine, the truth is with increased temperatures and humidity levels changing over Spring your products and/or hair practices may not be working so well for your curly hair. There are a few things you should take a look at and tweak or replace to have your hair blossoming like the season. Let’s have a look.
PRODUCTS
With Spring’s arrival, your hair’s moisture needs change. While moisturising hair products are great for Winter because they help to keep the moisture in your hair, when temperatures rise humidity level in the air also change. For this time of the year, when the weather is mildly “damp”, it means your hair can also take moisture from the air and benefit from it.
This is great because it means you don’t need to rely on heavy products, humectants and sealants to keep your hair moisturised. However, if your products remain the same you may feel your hair is heavy or that it puffs up quite easily.
What you need to do:
- Switch your heavy butter and oil based products for lighter versions, make sure they’re not in the first few places of the ingredients list.
- Think about increasing the use of light but moisturising leave-ins or hair milks.
- If you like to use heavier oils such as castor oil or olive oil replace them with coconut oil or grapeseed oil. Read 3 Best Natural Oils To Begin Your Journey.
- Check your products for humectants, the higher up in the ingredients list the more they’ll act upon your hair. If you live in a place with high humidity levels, humectants can take up too much moisture into your hair, making it “bloat” which raises it’s cuticle layers causing hygral fatigue, split ends and breakage. With low humidity levels during Spring, humectants can take moisture from your hair and make it dry, brittle and rough to the touch, ultimately causing breakage.
SUN PROTECTION
Just as you protect your hair in the winter against the cold dry weather, you need to protect your hair against the damaging effects of the sun. UVA and UVB sun rays dry out your hair, cause premature ageing, can “eat” away your hair colour and more. The point is, without any protection your hair will become dry, dull, and brittle, split ends will start creeping in and eventually you won’t be able to retain length due to breakage.
Try:
- Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil
- Paul Mitchel After-Sun Replenishing Masque
- Using a hat or scarf
- A vegetable, nut or seed oil, some of them provide a moderate level of sun protection. Coconut oil, for instance, provides an SPF of 7 blocking between 75% -90% UVB rays. Pretty awesome right? Read Natural Sun Protection for more on this subject.
DETOX
I know detox has become somewhat of a fad word in health, beauty and hair care. We see and hear about it everywhere, there are recipes for everything and maybe you’re just questioning if there’s any point to it or if it really work?! You’ll be happy to know my curly friend that it really does work. It’s kinda like deep cleaning your hair where you get rid of toxins, build-up product and you’re just pumping new life into your hair and scalp. You’re doing some much-needed Spring cleaning and starting the hot season with a clean slate. Try my Brown Sugar Hair Scrub and do a gentle scalp and hair detox.
SNIP THOSE ENDS
If you haven’t trimmed your ends in the last three months it’s a good idea to do that now. Don’t be all upset with me because I’m suggesting you do this, but if you haven’t trimmed your hair in a while chances are your old hair ends will be more vulnerable to weather conditions (sun and humidity) and will get damaged. Basically, if you have any split ends (even if very small or few) they can quickly and easily travel along the hair shaft.
Split ends make your hair look unkempt, dull, they turn detangling into a struggle, and they will eventually start breaking off. Let’s try to avoid all this drama, I bet your life has enough of it already. I know mine has, sometimes it feels like a Brazilian telenovela (shout out my Brazilian “brothers”!). If you need more info on this issue read Know When To Trim Transitioning Hair.
SPRING SHOWERS
We’re all familiar with the famous Spring showers. When we least expect them we have rain pouring down on us, and our twist and braid outs all turn into a frizz ball, or worse, we end up looking like wet chicks. Although one of the great things about having natural hair is not having to worry about the rain like in the old perm days, we still don’t wanna look like some deranged woman on the streets. To avoid all that confusion, be prepared! Get ready for the occasional rain. How?
- Have a few bobby pins with you and quickly turn your frizz ball into an updo with a pompadour like the one Kiss My Hair did here.
- Have one or two extra hair ties in your bag and style a high or low ponytail, do a half up half down style or a bun. Get creative.
- Have a small container with some pomade or gel to quickly put in order those fly away or frizzy hairs.
ACCESSORISE
Finally, in the spirit of this season, don’t forget to bring some flower accessories into your hair. Make your curly hair look more lively and your aura more cheerful. Floral headbands, scarfs, pins, clips, bobby pins and hair jewellery are all allowed as long as they have a flower motif. Just don’t go wearing everything at the same time ’cause then you’ll be booking yourself a ticket at the cuckoo’s house.
Need a few ideas to pull this style off? Here, read Kick Boredom With Natural Hair Accessories For Natural Hair, or maybe you’re more of a hat girl try Summer Style For Transitioning Hair – Hat Edition. If you just want something simple but fresh, have a look at a few tutorials on Fresh Spring Natural Hairstyles For Transitioning Hair.
As you can see a few changes need to be done to your regimen as Spring comes, but nothing too radical. If you’ve found a hair regimen or technique that works for you and your hair it should stay the same. You should only be replacing one product for a similar one. Think minor tweaks!
Do you change your hair regimen as Spring arrives? What changes do you make?
