Hot, humid days also make your crowning glory frizzy and unmanageable. But a few precautions and the right natural products can prevent problems before they start and keep hair healthy and gorgeous all summer long.

Gentle Cleansing

Start with a mild, moisturizing shampoo to hydrate and nourish your parched hair. “Summer can easily leave hair frayed and damaged,” says Wil Baker of Max Green Alchemy. “We also tend to use shampoo more often during the summer, and this can strip hair of its sebum [natural oils] and leave it feeling dry. Using a natural shampoo with plant oils like macadamia or jojoba can replenish hair’s natural oil barrier and help prevent dryness and damage.”

Other beneficial ingredients include essential oils of lavender, tea tree, and rosemary. An emollient shampoo will also help control the frizzies, while vitamins C and E can provide antioxidant protection.

Clarifying shampoos that contain kelp, lemon verbena, corn syrup, and citric acid help remove chlorine, which is damaging to hair. Even if you’re not poolside every day, it’s wise to use a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month to rid your hair of styling products and airborne pollutants that can easily adhere to hair during sticky summer months.

Protection from Chemicals

Remember that each hair shaft has three layers:

• a thin inner core called the medulla,which may be absent in very fine hair
• the middle layer, or cortex, that comprises the bulk of hair and determines color and strength
• the cuticle, the outer coat of overlapping shingle-like cells

When hair is healthy, the cuticle lies flat, creating a smooth, shiny appearance. But if overexposed to harsh chemicals like chlorine, cells in the cuticle break, creating holes or chips in this outer layer, making it porous. This gives hair a rough, dull appearance.

“Chlorine not only dries hair by stripping its natural oils, but it can also split the hair shaft. Once the cuticle is damaged, chlorine can easily be absorbed and deposited into the hair strand,” explains Peter Lamas of Lamas Beauty. “This buildup can eventually give bleached blonde or highlighted hair a greenish tinge.”

Protein Power

Because hair is basically protein, make sure you’re getting enough of this nutrient in your diet. Also choose shampoos and conditioners with amino acids including methionine, cystine, and cysteine, and plant proteins including oat, soy, rice, and wheat.

Proteins strengthen and protect hair by attaching to the fibers. Although they cannot repair damaged hair, proteins (used topically in addition to a healthy diet) help improve its body, resiliency, and texture. Protein-enriched shampoos and conditioners also help repair damage from ultraviolet (UV) light, which can penetrate the shaft, damaging hair’s strength and elasticity.

Ultraviolet radiation is particularly harmful for chemically treated hair. “Chemicals can dry and split the hair, making it sensitive to UV light, causing free-radical damage and further breakdown to the pigment in synthetic colors, making color-treated hair look brassy or faded and dull,” says Lamas.

Natural Conditioners

Daily conditioning is a must for all hair types. “Conditioner is important because it improves the sheen, feel, and manageability of hair,” explains Max Green’s Baker, “particularly in summer when triggers like heat, sun, and humidity can make the cells in the outer layer of the hair follicle stick out and look rough. Conditioners help smooth these ‘scales’ back into place, giving hair resiliency and shine.” By helping the cuticle to lie flat, conditioners can protect hair. Conditioners also seal in moisture and restore the protective thin layer of oil, which can be lost with frequent summer washing.

“Using a natural conditioner is like putting protective armor over your hair,” adds Lamas. “An herbal conditioner keeps hair hydrated, which gives it resiliency and elasticity, helping to keep it healthy and beautiful all summer long.”

This summer, try the following tips to protect your crowning glory:

• To prevent chlorine damage, apply conditioner to wet hair before diving into chlorinated pools. Wash hair as soon as you leave the pool.
• Though less damaging than chlorine, saltwater can make hair parched and frayed, so applying conditioner before ocean swimming is also beneficial.
• Should hair become greenish, apply tomato juice. Let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and follow with shampoo and conditioner.
• When outdoors, wear a hat to protect hair from sun and wind damage.
• To control curly, frizzy hair, apply conditioner to wet hair and let dry. Do not rinse conditioner out.  

Styling Aids

To keep your hair gorgeous, use natural styling aids that strengthen the hair and scalp. “Natural styling aids do not contain petrochemical emulsifiers or stiffening agents such as polymers (plastic as the stiffening agent) that cause scalp irritation or buildup,” says Aubrey Hampton, founder and CEO of Aubrey Organics. An accumulation of synthetic emulsifiers and stiffening agents can prevent hair from absorbing nutrients that it needs to maintain a healthy look.

Natural ingredients like gum arabic and cellulose gum work to style and hold hair without the need for harmful chemicals. Also look for gels, mousses, and sprays that contain nutrients like vitamins A and E, rosemary, and bilberry, whose antioxidant properties can help prevent or repair damage caused by exposure to chlorine and UV light.