Summer Hair Care Tips

Even though there is only about a month of summer left we've got some last minute summer hair care tips from celebrity stylist Larry Sims.

1. Summer is really heating up! How do you maintain your style and fight the frizz throughout the day?

Combating unflattering frizz during hot summer months can be challenging. It’s most important to start with a smooth foundation. For the ultimate frizz free hair, I suggest using Smooth ‘N Shine Diamond Luster Poof Eraser on damp hair before blow drying. It also works great on dry hair before thermal styling.


2. The summer sun can be drying on all hair types. How do you keep African American hair, which is already dry, healthy and hydrated?

Nobody likes dry, unhealthy, and brittle hair. The sun's rays can often leave your hair feeing as such. My go-to product for moisture is Smooth ’N Shine Silk Fusion Sleek Results Silkener. Strengthen and repair your hair with this nourishing leave-in treatment conditioner formulated with silk amino acids and pearl powder. It restores moisture lost, while preventing additional dryness. It will leave hair soft, strong and healthy, while adding beautiful shine.

3. What are your go-to summer styling looks and how can you create them at home?

Rocking your natural texture is a great look for the summer. Not only does it reduce the amount of heat that's required in everyday styling, but it also helps to keep hair healthy. Enhance your natural texture with Smooth 'N Shine Curling Mousse. Then lightweight formula smoothes frizz, defines curls and provides maximum style retention. It works great on wet or dry hair and can also be used for touch ups and curl activating during the day or evening.

4. What are some of the big hair trends you’ve been seeing among the celebs? What are the best products to use to get these looks without spending a fortune on professional treatments or products?

One of the biggest hair trends that celebs are rocking is braids. Whether they are box braids from the 90's or french braids from the 80's, keep your style fresh by using Smooth 'N Shine Olive & Tea Tree RevivOil Weave & Braid Healthy Scalp Spray. It reduces build up from styling products and helps restore shine to dull hair. It’s ideal for braids & weaves with a unique targeted spray, easily applied to roots for that fresh, tingly feeling! Frequent use of the Olive & Tea Tree RevivOil Weave & Braid Healthy Scalp Spray helps promote longer, stronger, healthier looking hair.

Hair Care Regimen for Swimmers

Since the summer is here and I've been getting tons of emails asking me about swimming and hair care I figured I should give you guys a sample hair care regimen for swimmers. Here is something you might not know about me, I was a swimmer as a child for my town, in high school and I did a short stint as a diver in college. The one thing that always boggled my mind about swimming was not my hair, instead it was why the swim season is in the winter! I digress, anyway, back to hair care and swimming.

Whether your hair is relaxed or natural the most important thing about swimming and taking care of your hair is you must get the chlorine or salt water out of your hair. All this jazz about pre-rinsing or putting conditioner on your hair before you swim is fine if that's what you want to do, but the bottom line is that your hair will get wet and chlorine will get in there so make sure you get it out! With that being said, you do not need to shampoo it out. A nice co-wash or plain old water rinse will get it out, I just prefer (by 100x) to co-wash.

What I use to co-wash: VO5 Moisture Milk Conditioner

During the summer when I'm swimming a lot, I do not change up the number of times I wash my hair with shampoo. I stick to washing my hair once a week with shampoo. Usually, I try to use a shampoo without SLS or I just use my Shikakai Shampoo Bar. My rule is that I do not shampoo my hair more than once a week, even if I'm not swimming and it's just hot and I feel like my scalp needs refreshing before the 1 week mark, I just co-wash.

Since I tend to live in the pool when it's hot, I like to step up my conditioning regimen. Instead of deep conditioning just once a week, I try my hardest to deep condition twice a week. Plus, whenever I swim if I co-wash I treat that as my shampoo, meaning I use a separate conditioner after I co-wash. My choice is almost always an "instant" conditioner, instead of a deep treatment type of conditioner. I only use a deep treatment conditioner twice a week.

Styling is the biggest issue I face. For the most part I just put a little extra conditioner on my ends and then put my hair into a low bun, especially if I know I'll be swimming the very next day. If not, I might do something relatively easy that requires no heat like two strand twists. I stay away from heat styling because there really is no point for me, why bother with that when we all know too much heat causes damage? The easiest thing to do is air dry, if you have issues with air drying click that link and read my tips for air drying.

Do you have more tips? Leave them in the comments section.

Tips for Air Drying

Now that the weather is finally nice, I can start air drying my hair more often. I personally, love to air dry during the summer months because it's easy and gives my hair a break from heat. I've been getting a lot of emails requesting tips on how to air dry their hair so here we go.

Air Drying Dilemma: Do I have to use a product? If so, which one?

The biggest mistake when trying to wash, condition, and then just try to air dry. You need to apply some type of leave-in conditioner whether it's a spray or a cream or an oil, do not try to air dry your hair 'naked'. In fact, sometimes I use all three first a spray to help detangle if any tangles are left after rinsing out the conditioner. Then I use a little bit of a cream moisturizer mainly to the ends and finally I seal that with the oil and proceed to air dry.

Air Drying Dilemma: Air dry up or out and loose?

This is really up to you and how you want your hair to look and what you are going to be doing while you air dry. You can do some two strand twists, bantu knots, one big bun, or just leave it alone. This is really based on preference, but one thing I always do is apply some type of gel to my edges (all the way around my head, not just the front) and then tie a scarf on like a headband to hold it down. Unfortunately, I don't have those edges that just lay like fine little baby hairs so I have to control that.

Air Drying Dilemma: I air dried, now what?

After air drying my hair is so big and full that I love creating cool looking low buns or down 'dos. I twist it, make little braids, and just try different things when creating a unique looking 'do. Please note, if your hair feels dry moisturize it! Don't worry that you've already used products, dry hair is never a good look.

Summer Hair Favorite: Leonor Greyl's Palm Oil

The summer can be one of the roughest times on hair, but with the help of some of my favorite summer hair care favorites I am able to keep my hair in good shape throughout these blistering summer months. Leonor Greyl's Palm Oil is a product that I was introduced to last year and I quickly made it a staple in my pool bag.

“Healthy and glamourous hair using natural products” has been Leonor Greyl's motto since its creation in 1968 and we couldn't agree more.

This pioneering Brand was the first ever to use the healing properties of palm oil and has been using them to protect hair since 1970 and although Leonor Greyl already used organic quality Palm Oil, faced with numerous controversies surrounding the intensive cultivation of palm trees and their damaging effects on the environment, now each bottle gets stamped with “100% organic palm oil”. It is therefore an organic quality palm oil that the Brand currently favours, harvested in a region in Colombia where its production poses no threat to the environment.

Read the review here!

Summer Hair Care Regimen

I'm so excited that summer is right around the corner. My pool opens this weekend and while the water is probably too cold to take a dip, I'll be there! I love the warmth of the sun on my SPF protected skin and once it gets warmer, I love the feel of water. Anyway, the summer can be the most brutal on my hair because I love to swim and usually I take a dip almost daily.

Usually during the summer I rely on co-washing and wearing buns. I step up my deep conditioning by doing an overnight deep conditioning treatment twice a week. But this summer, I plan on deep conditioning overnight three times a week and saturating my hair with oil overnight once to twice a week. Thankfully, since I'm a nurse in L&D I can wear a scrub cap while I work and it's totally acceptable and common. Since my entire head is covered no one will be the wiser as to what's actually going on under there. My Plan: apply a treatment (whether it's an oil treatment or a deep conditioning treatment), cover with a plastic cap, and then cover with my scrub cap!

Summer Hair Care Tip by Natasha Sunshine

With Summer just around the corner, Natasha Sunshine, Owner of Byu-ti Hair Therapy, A Pureology Salon gives quick and easy haircare tips that will keep hair looking fabulous and leave more time to do the things you want to do, like get to the beach!

1. Use a leave-in conditioner every time you wash and follow with a spray that has UV protection like Pureology EssentialRepair ColourMax to keep sun damage to a minimum and your colour looking fresh all summer long.

2. Don't skimp on your upkeep. Reserve your summer salon visits in advance to keep your hair colour vibrant and your ends free of damage.

3. Air dry as much as possible. For girls with curls or waves, use a cocktail of Pureology EssentialRepair InstantRepair and your favorite styler (I love Pureology ColourStylist Nourishing Nectar sculpting gel!). Then twist your curls away from the face and let dry naturally. Once dry, scrunch for soft but defined waves.

HOT TIP: Slick hair into a clean ponytail or ballerina bun with Pureology EssentialRepair ColourMax before heading to the beach for extra sun protection.

7 Tips to Save your Hair From the Summer

Chlorine damage and sun over exposure are two culprits for wrecking havoc on hair, according to Joey Noufal, owner of Noufal HairColor Studio and the newly launched franchise operation.

"With warmer weather more people are beginning to enjoy outdoor activities," Joey says. "Caution though as sun exposure lightens hair and lounging poolside leaves hair with chlorine build up."

However, help is available to cure summer damaged hair. It is not too early to help treat hair and even incorporate some prevention methods to rescue summer damaged hair.

Tips by Joey to rescue sun damaged hair include:

Use a Shampoo/Conditioner with SPF: To help protect hair from sun elements, choose a shampoo/conditioner such as Goldwell's Definition that contains an SPF. As women are outside more during summer months, it is important to protect hair since the sun lightens hair even more if your hair is color treated.

Take a Cold Shower: As summer months might lead to more showers due to increased activity, beware as showering can damage hair as there is chlorine even in household water. When taking a traditional shower, hot chlorine is being activated and this has a higher intensity level than cold chlorine. A cold, slightly warm shower is best to further protect hair.

Conditioner to the Rescue: A deep moisturizing conditioner can help restore hair's natural healthy elements and protect color treatments. Conditioners, such as Redken's Smooth Down, is great for curly hair in summer months to help control the frizz. Leave-in conditioners are effective where you spray on about 10-12 squirts and massage through hair.

Don't Forget the Scalp: Be sure to apply an SPF treatment such as Redken's UV Rescue for scalp and hair. This is especially great for those with very short hair as scalp areas might be more exposed.

Balance Your Color: To help keep hair color in proper condition without damage, having a color balancing treatment applied every six to 12 weeks is recommended. If hair is a lighter color, the color treatment will fade out faster. With Goldwell coloring, the color is pulled through the ends, not just the roots. Since no ammonia is involved or color processing, this technique does not damage hair.

Controlling Humidity: In summer months, it is recommended that a woman dry her hair 100 percent of the way through as this will help combat humidity. Other techniques to help manage humid conditions include using a flat iron, as it helps control ends in humidity, and using straightening serums or linear creams to help straighten hair.

Cold Not Hot: When a woman has color-treated hair, she needs to be cautious of hot Jacuzzis. For women who are bleach blond or have heavily highlighted hair, it is advised to not get into a hot Jacuzzi for any length of time as their ends can turn green even in just two minutes. If a woman decides to enjoy the Jacuzzi, be sure the hair is up and out of the water. It is best to swim in a cold swimming pool when worried about retaining color.

Summer Hair Tips from Missy Ewart

Spring is finally upon us and that means an additional set of problems for any hair type – winter’s harsh leftovers, wind, humidity and heat. Missy Ewart, Miami’s most sought after hairstylist and co-owner of South Beach’s swankiest salon Primp Salon & Hair Extension Boutique shares her tips on how she gets her celeb clientele’s locks prepped and ready for Spring.

Tackling brittle, dry hair as a result of winter’s harsh months:

- As the weather starts to warm up and the humidity in the air increases, it’s time to change your conditioning habits. I recommend using a deep conditioning treatment to restore moisture back into your strands. Moroccan Oil has a great deep conditioning treatment.


Preparing frizzy hair for oncoming humidity:

- At Primp we use keratin treatments like Keratin Complex to eliminate frizz. Infusing your hair with protein keratin eliminates unwanted frizz and smoothes the cuticle so the hair lays flat. Specifically, at the beach I would recommend a smoothing serum such as Catwalk’s Sleek Mystique by TIGI.

Managing the sun’s effects:

- While the sun’s natural lightening doesn’t cause significant damage to your hair, over exposure to the sun’s rays can cause dryness and unwanted lightening to colored and highlighted hair. To keep these effects to a minimum try UV protecting products. If your hair has already lightening, I suggest using a toner to change the color of the hair shaft and shine to your ‘do. Wear a hat or bandana at the beach to prevent the sun’s rays from reaching your hair.

Eliminating winter impurities and dullness:

- Brutal winter conditions like cold and wind strip the cuticle, making it rough and susceptible to dryness, dullness and static. I recommend using a non-sulfate shampoo or a clarifying treatment. Apply a light serum to your strands before you blow dry to help your tresses shine in the spring sunlight.

René Furterer Sun Care

After spending the entire day frolicking in the pool with friends this weekend just as if it was simply destiny a package of René Furterer Sun Care was waiting for me at my front door. Whenever I get samples for editorial review here on The Anti Hair Slave, I get all excited and it's like Christmas for me! Anyway, I immediately headed to my shower to tend to my tresses. Now since I had just shampooed a day or so prior the plan was to co-wash and then deep condition.

Before I get started on the product reviews, I will give you some background on the René Furterer Sun Care Collection and why it caught my eye. As you all know, my hair is chemically treated with a relaxer. A chemical relaxer changes the protein bonds in the hair resulting in a change in the appearance and texture of the hair, those protein bonds are called Keratin. The goal with a relaxer is to change the appearance and texture without doing too much damage to layer of Keratin because if you damage the layer of keratin your hair will look and be damaged and unhealthy. The folks over at René Furterer have created a system called KPF (Keratin Protection Factor) that is scientifically proven to measure the amount of Keratin it protects. The keratin protecting agents and keratin rebuilding structure in the products protect the Keratin you already have and also help preserve the longevity of Brazilian keratin straightening (sodium chloride free and sulfate free).

Now on to the product reviews (in order from my favorite to least favorite):

Repairing After Sun Mask ($42, Beauty.com)

Claims: Strengthen and nourish sun exposed strands with René Furterer Repairing after sun mask. Palm butter moisturizes while a complex of phytosterols, ceramides and essential fatty acids rebuild the keratin structure, providing deep hydration that leaves hair detangled, soft and supple.

Thoughts: The sunny yellow color of this product was enough to make me smile and the light creamy almost buttery scent is also a plus. Since I had company over it was also a great benefit that you only need to leave this conditioner in for 3-5 minutes. So I left if on for about 4 minutes while I tended to my other needs in the shower and when I rinsed my hair was soft and super easy to detangle.

No Rinse Moisturizing Spray ($23, Beauty.com)

Claims: After soaking in the rays, let your hair soak in moisture with René Furterer No rinse moisturizing spray. The conditioning spray rehydrates, detangles and repairs parched strands and can be used on wet or dry hair.

Thoughts: This product came in a close second place almost beating out the conditioner. To use this product you make sure you shake it up very well to get all the ingredients mixed properly before proceeding to spray your entire head. This product also has a great scent that reminds me of summer time on the beach with a buttery hint of something that must be the Palm Butter. After using this spray and sleeping overnight without a head scarf my edges and nape are still soft, which never happens. My only issue is that the bottle is on the small side at 5 fl. oz.

Protective summer oil KPF 90 ($23, Beauty.com)

Claims: Without even dipping a toe, look freshly emerged from the ocean with the “wet look” effect of René Furterer Waterproof nutritive oil KPF 90. This spray provides all day protection against the sun, blocking 90% of UV rays, while preventing the buildup of salt and chlorine. Hair is left shiny and smooth for a day outdoors. Ideal after keratin straightening service to maintain the results.

Thoughts: This product took a few minutes to grow on me. After I was done styling my hair I spritzed a little of this product onto my 'do thinking it was going to add some shine. I went to smooth it in and noticed that my hair felt a little bit hard like I'd applied hair spray, I checked the ingredients and realized the first ingredient is alcohol. This put me off a little because it's called Protective Summer Oil. I did noticed however, that it you don't touch your hair for a few seconds and then smooth it in your hair feels like it's been spritzed with a sheen spray instead of hair spray.

As previously stated, products in this review were submitted for consideration by PR company, read full disclosure.

Lotus Shield by Avon

(Lotus Shield, $9.99 *sale Avon.com)

I'm always on the hunt for a great anti-frizz product. Even when I don't wear my hair super sleek and straight that doesn't mean I'm not still trying to ward off frizz. Since my hair is tex-laxed instead of relaxed bone straight any hint of moisture in the air and my hair is dying to curl/wavy/crinkly itself up. With the super rainy weather we've been having in the tri-state area, I knew it would be a perfect time to try out Advance Techniques Lotus Shield, Avon's first anti-frizz product.

Advance Techniques Lotus Shield is inspired by the lotus leaf plant, which has an extremely high water repellancy. Not to get all technical on you guys but the term is superhydrophobicity, which is also seen on the wings of insects but I guess the Lotus plant is more elegant. Anywho, Lotus Shield adds a "waterproof" layer to the hair, actually repelling moisture, and Avon claims it performs in upwards to 97% humidity. Tippi Shorter, Avon Global Stylist Advisor says, "I have tried Lotus Shield on myself. I used it before traveling and my hair stayed straight and smooth through 4 flights and 3 countries – all in 2 days. I really like it a lot, not to mention it smells good.”

Unlike Tippi, I wasn't jet-setting and dashing between countries, instead I was just trying to enjoy a nice night on the town with my boyfriend complete with a romantic dinner at Mr. Chow's in Tribeca but the rain was plotting to turn my simple yet pretty down do featuring a side braid and low bun into a hot frizzy mess with a low bun. Luckily, Lotus Shield performed, it minimized (actually eliminated) frizz and put a stop to those pesky fly-a-aways (that are really my 'new' bangs that don't make it all the way back into my low buns). I was completely satisfied with this product and I plan to keep on using it and yup, it does have a nice scent to it.

**disclosure**

Chlorine and Black Hair

Chlorine and relaxed hair are not friends. Relaxed hair has already been chemically treated which leaves hair more vulnerable to damage. When the hair is exposed to chlorine to long periods of time the chlorine beings to eat away at the cuticle. The result is damaged hair, split ends, and a decrease in shine. Avoid this by taking simple precautions.


1. Always rinse your hair out as soon as you hop out the pool. Luckily, my pool has an adjacent shower so I hop out and head to the shower. You'll also notice that your skin feels better when you do this too because chlorine also dries out the skin.


2. Some people wet hair and apply conditioner before even going in the water. I use to do this, but I didn't notice any difference from when I did and didn't so it's a waste of conditioner for me. Instead I like to coat my dry hair with coconut oil before heading in the pool.


3. Deep condition! Even if I plan on swimming again the next day, I will deep condition my hair after a day at the pool. There is a rule I never ever break and I think it's the most important!


Happy Swimming!

Summer Hair Essentials

(Hair Therapy Wrap, $18.00 Amazon.com)

Deep conditioning during summer months is essential but using a plug in bonnet dryer is torture. My Heat Therapy Wrap is a MUST have!

(Jilbere Pastel Shower Comb, $1.59 Amazon.com)

This is a year round must have, because I detangle my hair in the shower and this is super easy to use.

(VO5 Moisture Milk Strawberry Conditioner, pack of 5 $9.30 Amazon.com)

This is my absolute favorite co-washing conditioner. I love it because it makes my hair feel instantly softer. It's super thin which allows it to get right down to my scalp to wash away any build up without any issues. I love this stuff!

(Wave Nouveau Moisturizer Finishing Lotion 32 oz., $10.49 Amazon.com)

My favorite juice! Main ingredients are water and glycerin, which are perfect for moisturizing my hair. I need the large bottle because I use so much of it on a daily basis.

What are your Summer Hair Essentials?!?

Poolside Hair Favorites: Edition 1

I'm the girl by the pool with the huge sunglasses, killer caribbean like tan (if I must say so myself), and a bag full of hair products next to my lounger!  If you need a spray, lotion, or gel I have you covered.  I protect my skin and my hair at all times when I'm lounging by the pool, it might look like all fun and games but I'm serious about protecting myself.  Skin cancer is not just for white folks and damaged hair is never a good look.

Here are a few of my favorite hair items to keep on hand:

Amazon.com for $17.38

Redken Color Extend Sun - Even though my hair isn't exactly color treated, I love the fact that this product contains Mango Oil to help moisturize my hair.

Federic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beachcomber Leave-In, $22.95 Amazon.com

Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beachcomber Leave-in - I spritz this on when I'm planning on hitting the water again in a while.  It adds moisture to my hair and it feels renewed after using just a little bit.  You know how you're hair can feel dry after getting out of the water, even after rinsing?  Well this is the solution to that problem. 

Available from Amazon for $11.25

Biolage Thermal-Active Repair Cream - Even though this is a thermal product, meaning it's mean to be used with heat tools what's hotter than the sun?  This product gets a spot in my bag because it features Cera Heat Technology which is a restorative blend of ceramide and natural oils.  I save this product to use once I'm done with the pool and I'm just going to be laying out because it does provide a light hold.

Relaxed Hair + Swimming: Tips to avoid Breakage

Please don't think that since you have relaxed hair you cannot go swimming!  Swimming + Summer go hand and hand and while relaxed hair might not fit smoothly in with those two it certainly doesn't exclude you from having a good ol' time poolside and underwater this summer. 

I'm relaxed and during the summer months I spend a great deal of time underwater!  Over the years I've figured out how to keep my hair healthy despite all the exposure to chlorine and saltwater (but that's another blog post). 

Relaxed Hair + Swimming Rules:

#1. Always thoroughly rinse out any and all chlorine from your hair.  During my younger years I was forced to wear a swim cap to "protect" my hair from the water.  No matter what brand, how many caps, or how I positioned them on my head some of my hair always got wet.  Now did I always rinse it out?  Nope, because I didn't know any better and I figured since only a very small area got wet what's the point?  The point is that leaving chlorine on relaxed hair results in damage.  Point blank period.  It always did for me. 

#2. Don't always use shampoo.  Some of you might be confused, because Rule #1 clearly states you must rinse out any and all chlorine from you hair.  Please note I said RINSE, not wash.  If you swim as much as I do you would be shampooing every day or every other day at the least, now we all know that's a no no.  Instead - co wash!  Need a quick refresher on co-washing?  Read up on it here.   

#3. Condition like crazy.  I know my hair and I like to think you know your hair too.  During swimming season my hair craves conditoner, chlorine drys out my hair something terrible so to reverse that I deep condition my hair so much more during the summer.  Especially the edges and my ends. 

Side note: You gotta love Queen Bey with her red lips and drink in hand!  Super Fab!

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

I'm back from a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend Vaca in my head.  What's a vaca in ur head?  Well, I didn't go anywhere and I had to work but I allowed myself to spend my days (remember I work nights) relaxing.  I didn't allow myself to think about work, writing, planning, budgeting, or anything like that just pure relaxation on my off time.  The majority of my time was spent poolside and in the water.  

Where there is water, AHS will be.  I absolutely love swimming and playing in the water and I'll always choose that over whatever hair style I'm rocking.  When I'm in swim mode, I do NOT use direct heat on my hair, it's pointless.  Instead, I might use a hooded dryer if anything.  Over Memorial Day I tried the Curlformers again, sadly the experience was not much better than the first time.  After that, I wore a airdried bun and after that I did two strand twists.  Of all the styles the 2 strand twist is my favorite and it will likely be a Staple Summer Style for me. 

BTW, I LOVE Mel B's poolside 'do!