7 Hair Care Tips for Spring
The shift from winter to spring is exciting. With warmer weather comes beach trips, cookouts, and being able to go outside without putting on layer upon layer of clothing. Spring is also a time for change, and the notorious spring cleaning to start the season right. Spring cleaning doesn’t just have to be for your house though, it’s the perfect time to clean up your hair routine. Since you won’t be hiding your hair under beanies and hoods anymore, try some of these tips to give it a fresh start.
Stay Hydrated and Eat a Healthy Diet
Step one to cleaning up your hair routine is a healthy body. Our hair, skin, nails, teeth, and any other body part you can think of are just reflections of what we put into our bodies. Getting all the necessary nutrients and drinking a substantial amount of water are crucial to the upkeep of your body and health, especially when the heat sets in and you start losing hydration due to sweat.
Incorporate vitamin-rich foods: get antioxidants from foods like berries, avocados, spinach, and sweet potatoes, get omega-3 fatty acids from chia seeds, edamame, and leafy greens, get zinc from whole grains, almonds, and seeds, and boost oxygen circulation with cinnamon. A well-balanced diet will nourish your body, and thus, your hair, and it shouldn’t be a problem as so many nutritious fruits and vegetables come into season in the spring. And, as always, drink at least eight cups of water a day, because our bodies are mostly water after all. These two things will provide the necessary foundation for all your healthy hair needs.
Get a Trim
Start the new season with a fresh look by freshening up your hair’s dead ends. The key to healthy hair is trimming it often (about once every three months). Frequent trims get rid of dead, split ends that cause breakage, limit hair growth, and take away that sleek look.
If you really want a dramatic change for the new season, you can try a new shorter style to let off a little heat, but even if you love your long locks, don’t be afraid to snip off a few inches. It’s for the best, and it will all grow back faster and healthier than before.
Switch up Your Shampoo
As the humidity builds up in the air, sweat will start building up in your hair. All that oil build-up can lead to a greasy scalp and limp hair that lacks volume.
To reduce oil without stripping hair of moisture, opt for a lightweight, clarifying shampoo with few ingredients and no sulfates. Sulfates are harsh detergents that, yes, cleanse your hair and scalp, but they tend to go too far and completely rid your hair of its vital oils that keep it hydrated and healthy. Your goal is to reduce excess oil, not completely remove oil.
Another culprit of stripping moisture is shampooing too often. Try cutting down to shampooing two or three times a week, and use a dry shampoo between washes. You can also just rinse your hair with water which will alleviate some of the overt greasiness.
Try a Co-wash
On days you don’t shampoo you can also start co-washing, washing your hair with only a conditioner. That way you keep your hair’s natural moisture, plus the hydration boost from a rich conditioner.
Conditioning, in general, will be your best friend as the sun shines down on your hair. UV rays can be damaging to your strands, so using a deep conditioner regularly is crucial.
Fight Frizz
Springtime sun comes with humidity, and humidity means frizz. Lots of it. The makeup of human hair is sensitive to airborne hydrogen, and seeing as water is two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen, moisture in the air can be your hair’s worst enemy.
You can manage frizz and tame flyaway hairs by using a leave-in conditioner. Cleure’s Leave-in Conditioning Mist comes in a convenient spray bottle that’s the perfect size to throw in your bag, and touch up your hair throughout the day when humidity attacks.
Try a New Color and Maintain It
When seasons change, you may be tempted to change your hair color as well. It’s brighter outside, so brighten up your locks with highlights, or if you’re feeling bold, a fun pastel color. If you do take the deep dive into a new color for spring, you’ll want to keep your hair color vibrant and fresh for as long as possible.
Reach for a sulfate-free shampoo to wash your newly colored strands. Not only do sulfates deplete your hair’s vital necessary oils, but this lack of moisture also leads to faded color. Hydration is color-treated hair’s best friend.
Read more about caring for color-treated hair here.
Care for your Hair after Swimming
If you frequent your local pool, be sure to take extra care in protecting your hair. Chlorine can dry out your hair, and if you’re blonde it can even cause a green tinge. Tie up your hair or wear a swim cap if you choose to dip in the pool, but if you really want to let your hair down, coat it in a layer of oil, such as coconut or emu oil, to form a protective layer that wards off water and prevents your hair from absorbing chlorine.
Wash your hair as soon as possible after getting out of the water to rinse out any chlorine residue that may have built up, because green hair may be an exciting choice if it’s what you intend, but no one wants surprise green hair.
While you’re freshening up your hair care routine for spring try some of these tips for your spring skin care routine as well! New season, new you!
