Summer hair tips from The Hair Doctor, Mike Ryan.
The sun is natural, yes. But good for hair? Absolutely not. The sun’s rays can be just as hazardous to hair as bleach, and it can actually burn it and degrade its structure. The heat from the sun can also cause excessive water evaporation, leaving the hair dry and thirsty. Factor in that with the fact that the hair may already be saturated with salt/chlorine and you have a recipe for a dry hair disaster. To protect tresses advise clients to wear a hat or apply a protective cream as described above. Twice weekly, use of an intensive moisturising treatment can also do wonders.
The notion that “hair grows faster in the summer months” is quite a common belief. There may be a slight increase in the rate of growth, but it’s really marginal. A natural hormonal shift and increase in UV may contribute to some changes, but again I must stress it's marginal. The reason why people might think their hair grows more in summer, is that more highlights and sun oxidation can cause the demarcation between base and scalp to be more apparent than in the winter months. This contributes to the myth.
Hairstylists have also noted that people believe their hair grows faster and stronger in the summer because their diet and lifestyle improves. While this is often the case – clients may eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, barbecued meats and seafood, the effects of a healthy diet take roughly six weeks to affect the hair. And then another few months for people to actually notice the change in thickness throughout the length of the hair because hair only grows half an inch a month.
However, two conditions that increased UV rays in the summer can benefit are alopecia areata and dandruff. Dandruff is also less prevalent in the summer because people tend to wash their hair more often.That’s the good news.
What causes dry hair? And how do I fix it? These are two of the most frequently asked questions we get in the summer. And what with increased sun exposure, jumping into chlorinated pools, and days at the beach bathing locks in the salty seas, it’s no surprise!
As the sea has high salt content it is osmotic, meaning that it leaches water out of your hair. The result? A dry, parched and brittle bouffant. Chlorinated water can do the same. To remedy dryness, hydrate dry hair twice weekly with a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment. However, there are preventative measures to stop hair from becoming dry in the first place. Advise clients to apply a conditioner before going in the sea (or chlorinated water) and an SPF when out and about.
Contrary to popular belief, frequent shampooing does not dry the hair. It moisturises! Think about it. We wash hair with water – the primary hydrator of your body, skin and yes – as we explained before – your hair. Water is absorbed into your hair when you shampoo and the correct product will help strands retain it.
During the summer months people may be tempted to squeeze lemon juice on to hair to give it that ‘natural beachy’ look. Please don’t! Soaking hair with acidic lemons and then baking it in the scorching sun is going to do some serious damage. The acid opens up the cuticle and allows for even more rapid hair degradation from UV rays. Yes, lemons are ‘natural’, but so are the rabies virus and poison oak… this may seem a bit dramatic, but we have truly seem some dry and brittle hair horrors as a result!
Finally, using a dry shampoo will mop up excess oil. Yes – that’s right – this little gem will help keep itching and irritation at bay as well as keeping the hair shiny, bouncy and bright.
Dr Mike Ryan is a trichologist working exclusively in Vivandi’s HairSpa, the leading hair restoration centre in Dubai. Vivandi also supplies hair loss products for professional use. For more information visit www.hairspa.ae or www.vivandi.ae
