While a swim in the pool can do wonders for a heat-stricken body, the same cannot be said about its effects on your lustrous locks. And a finely chiselled body with a head of straw-mat hair never appealed to anyone. But that’s exactly what chlorine can do to your hair if you don’t take some precautions before your plunge in the pool.
1. Wet it If you are a regular swimmer, you must have seen the showers that surround the pool. They are there for a reason more important than pool decoration. Hair soaked with fresh water is less likely to soak chlorine. Douse that hair well under the shower before you jump in.
2. Keep it covered Always make sure that you wear a rubber, swimming cap. It is that messiah that will keep out most of the damage done by chlorine water, even if it cannot keep all the water out. Choose one in an appropriate size and style. Speedo has some beautiful swimming caps; try their range. Also, cover your mane with a scarf or a cap/hat when you go out in the hot sun post your swim, to prevent chlorine from doing further damage to your hair. This is because the effects of chlorine remain in your hair even after you are done swimming and drying up.
3. Pre-swim conditioning If you are swimming in the sun, comb in a bit of conditioner to your hair before you wear your cap. The heat of the sun will help the treatment penetrate better and when you wash your hair post the swim, they won’t dry up as much.
4. Post swim TLC After your swim, rinse your hair thoroughly with fresh water and condition them again only if required. A lot of us tend to skip the post-swim hair wash which causes the straw hair effect. Once you are done, gently pat your hair dry instead of rubbing or scrubbing it. Squeeze the water out and in case you want to blow dry it, use only the lower setting of your hair dryer as strong heat can dry out your hair. If you swim almost daily, apply deep conditioner once a week and allow it to set on your hair for the required time.
5. Colour me not If you are a regular swimmer, your hair will be subjected to enough dose of chlorine. Why would you further want to humiliate it by subjecting it to colours, treatments and perms? Go a bit low on the chemical treatments during the swimming season. Your hair needs a breath of fresh air and you should be giving it just that after your beauty swim.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAIR THIS SUMMER
Every summer, you may notice your hair grows limp. Perhaps it becomes ultra-frizzy or your colour seems to get brassy. You're suffering from the typical problems most people face during the summer months. Fortunately, there are a ton of products in the market to combat bad summer hair.
Here are a few tips to fix flat and frizzy hair in summer:
1.
Humidity can take a toll on fine hair in summer causing your hair to wilt. Apply a smoothing serum to towel dried hair. This not only adds volume but also detangles hair with ease.
2.
If your hair isn't long enough, pull it into a cute little ponytail or make a loose bun on the nape of your neck.
3.
Get highlights! Colouring your hair makes hair strands to pump up. Lightening hair in summer actually adds body to your hair.
4.
Invest in the right products. If you plan to spend a day on the beach, spritz on a great salt spray (or make your own with sea salts and water) then scrunch hair. For even more body, sprinkle a dry shampoo (or baby powder) at the crown and roots. It soaks up moisture.
Always remember that dry hair sops up moisture, which makes it frizzy. Here are a few tips you can use to keep the frizz out of your hair this summer:
1.
Keep your hair moisturised with a deep conditioning shampoo once a week.
2.
Blow drying hair causes more frizz. So let washed hair air dry.
3.
You'll need the right products to tame frizzies. Invest in a smoothing serum which gently envelopes hair to control frizz and seal in smoothness without weighing the hair down.
The sun, chlorine and salt water can also wreck havoc on your hair color. Here's how to keep the damage in control:.
1.
Wear a hat or bandana in the sun.
2.
Before swimming, rinse hair with tap water. This will cut down on salt and chlorine absorption.
YOUR HAIR DURING THE MONSOONS
- Meera Mittal
Every year they revisit us. The seasonal rains that drench the cityscape with water that weathers, and nurtures in turn.
The monsoons can be a wonderful time free from the scorching summer heat. But the monsoon is also a time when your regular hair care routine will leave you with problem hair. To find out how to keep you hair and scalp well groomed when it pours, read on.
Get rain savvy
To start with, getting caught out doors in a downpour is bad news for your hair and scalp. Rain water is a mix of many chemicals in dilute form. Prolonged exposure to it can make your hair dull and brittle, while making your scalp flaky and itchy. Bad news indeed, wouldn’t you say?
but if you get caught under a cloudburst unawares or can’t resist getting soaked to the skin, make sure you rinse your locks with a mild shampoo and lightly condition immediately upon getting home.
Wearing a leave-in conditioner can also protect your hair from excessive damage, but a wash still remains essential.
Know your hair
Different kinds of hair react differently to the extreme moisture in the air. Normal to oily hair tends to get greasy during the monsoons, while dry hair tends to frizz. Beat the greasiness by washing your tresses every few days with a daily use or mild shampoo. Use a smaller dollop of conditioner than you
usually do to keep hair shiny and manageable. Dry your hair using a hair dryer and brush for a great finish.
To combat frizziness, follow these steps: Wash and condition your hair as you usually do. Follow up with gentle blow drying and finish with a slick of anti-frizz serum.
What to use
It’s important to use a hair dryer to quickly dry your washed hair on rainy days. Wet hair in chilly weather can make you prone to catching head colds and fevers.
Keep the dryer set to a medium heat level and
hold it 4 to 5 inches away from your scalp to avoid drying out or singeing your hair. Hair dryers with a ‘diffuser’ attachment are best for even distribution of heat and maintaining the quality of your hair.
Hair accessories are best kept to a minimum when it rains. Damp hair tends to break rather easily. A butterfly clip or loose rubber bands are your best bets.
What to leave aside
Avoid using hair styling products such as mousse, hair gels and wax. These clump up and become ineffective in contact with moisture laden air. Worse still they can become dust magnets in a storm, working your hair into a dry, frizzy, tangled mess.
A light slick of anti-frizz and shine serum is best.
SUMMER HAIR CARE
During summer your hair can become pretty sticky because of humidity. So increase the frequency of hair wash to daily or once in two days. Note You might believe that frequent hair wash is damaging to the hair. It would be only if you use very strong shampoo or use too much of shampoo.
One opt for mild shampoos (especially herbal shampoos) and condition your hair at least once a week to prevent damage. Two, drink lots of water and juices. Three, avoid exposing your hair directly to the sun, it makes the hair dull and dry. Four, if you are used to hot baths then give your hair a final cold rinse prior to turning off the shower. This helps close hair follicles, thereby protecting the hair roots.
WINTER HAIR CARE
Dyed or permed hair is easily affected by the cold and appears lusterless and dry with the onset of winter. The cold also makes hair split at ends giving the mane a dead and unkempt look. But one can prevent this by using specialized hair conditioners.
A homemade remedy to tackle dry, frizzy hair is a banana pack. Beat in about six ripe bananas with two eggs adding a zest of beer. Apply this to hair - from scalp to tip and allow it to stay for at least half an hour before washing it off with mild, organic shampoo. The protein from egg and moisturising property of bananas will soften dry hair making it soft and silky.
(P.S. Bananas and eggs are fine, but using beer is a bit too jazzy. Not everybody can afford to use beer for hair wash)
