Summer is finally here! While we will be the first to say how much we love summer, we also want to acknowledge the importance of taking care of your hair and skin. Summer brings sunshine and warmer weather, but it also increases the chances of drying out and damaging your hair and skin. In this blog, we dive into a very simple how-to guide on some of the most effective ways to ensure your hair and skin is healthy and hydrated.
Guard against UV rays
This one might seem like a no-brainer, but one of the easiest ways to ensure your hair and skin stays hydrated is to limit the amount of direct sunlight and UV rays it is exposed to. When it comes to skin, the two best ways to protect yourself from UV rays are to either cover up with long, UV protective clothing or apply sunscreen, like our SPF 27 Face and Body Sunscreen (read until the end for a helpful note about sunscreen).
As far as hair is concerned, the two methods mentioned above work just as well, with some slight tweaking. Wearing a hat, or tying your hair up into a bun, are both good at providing added protection to your hair and scalp. Additionally in the absence of sunscreen, using a protective conditioner and/or hair oil before stepping outside increases the coating on your hair, enabling it to stay hydrated for longer. Check out our Leave-In Conditioner or Tahitian Hair Oil and see what you think!
Be Careful With Styling
This one really only applies to hair, but how you style your hair can be an important determining factor in how well it holds up in harsher warm weather conditions. Certain styling products can cause buildup, especially when your scalp is sweating more than usual. This feeling of buildup may cause you to overwash your hair, which can in turn create further dryness of your hair and scalp. Additionally, be wary of using any styling tools like hair-dryers and curling irons, as these can severely dry out your hair.
Moisturize
Both hair and skin benefit from moisturization and the use of proper oils. For your skin, be sure to use a hydrating lotion or moisturizer frequently, paired with constant application of sunscreen of course. Our Scrumptious Baby Cream, despite its name, is perfect for moisturizing the skin of both children AND adults. The same logic applies to your hair. In addition to conditioning your hair with a moisturizing conditioner, applying leave-in treatments can reduce the damage of extended time in the sun. These hair and skin treatments not only protect against the sun, but also provide effective protection against chlorine and salt water, which can further damage your hair and skin.
Stay Hydrated!
This might seem like the most obvious solution of all, but that doesn’t negate its importance or effectiveness. Regularly drinking water is a crucial part of protecting your hair and skin, after all, your body is about 60% water! In warm weather, your body loses a larger amount of liquid as sweat, and replenishing that is critical to ensuring your body has the fluids it needs to keep creating its natural protective oils.
Note About Silicone
There is a lot of talk right now about the use of silicone in products, so we thought we would help clear the air.
At Original Sprout, we have no fear of silicone as we believe that it is a safe and beneficial compound for skin and hair. Silicone does not absorb into your hair and skin like an aqueous product would. If you use a non nano particle silicone like we do at Original Sprout, then it will not absorb into your skin at all. It will actually form a barrier between your hair/skin, and the elements they face, such as the sun, wind, heat, cold, etc...
So, does Silicone add moisture to your hair and skin? Not directly. In a very indirect way this compound, when applied to your skin and hair, will lock in the natural moisture already present while protecting your hair and skin from the harsh elements they are exposed to. At Original Sprout, we use silicone and dimethicone in a few of our products (which test 100% safe) and we support the idea of silicone being safe and beneficial for hair and skin.
Note About Sunscreen
The SPF number on a sunscreen bottle represents the amount of time you can be exposed to the sun while using the sunscreen. For example, sunscreen with an SPF of 30 will allow you to stay in the sun 30 times longer than without it, meaning an SPF 30 will protect you for 5 hours (10 minutes x 30 (spf) = 300 min / 60min = 5 hrs). However, this only makes sense when the sunscreen is applied to a non porous, non absorbent surface. When applied to your skin, it will be absorbed in about 2 hours, regardless of SPF level. This means that a product with virtually any SPF above 15 is more than enough sun protection. High levels of SPF, such as SPF 85 or SPF 100, are actually no better at protecting your skin than sunscreen with a lower SPF, as both products will be absorbed into your skin in roughly the same amount of time. This is the main reason all sunscreen products, regardless of SPF level, recommend reapplying often or every two hours.