How to Keep Your Hair Gorgeous and Healthy This Summer

I won’t lie, my hair tends to be extremely low on my priority list each morning. There is so much to do in the first few minutes of the day that it’s not unusual for noon to roll around before I realise… hmm, maybe I should go run a brush through it. That being said, I do try to take care of it - it’s not my goal to have frazzled hair that makes me want to wear a paper bag on my head. So hunting for affordable, easy ways to keep hair healthy and stylish when summer rolls around is a sensible thing for busy mums to do.

Some of the best tips for naturally healthy hair revolve around how you shower. A lot of people love to take steaming hot showers. Unfortunately, this habit is not so great for your hair. Heat draws out the moisture in your skin and your hair. Especially after using conditioner, allowing the water to be cold for rinsing actually helps the conditioner do its job. So keep the temperature below scalding. Use your shampoo, lather and rinse, then apply your conditioner. Once it has had a few minutes in your hair, if you’re brave, rinse with cold water to lock in the moisture.

If you have highlights, a fun natural concoction is to add honey to your conditioner. This adds a luminous shimmer to your hair that will catch summer rays and look pretty fabulous. Only about a tablespoon is needed.

If you are looking for a natural alternative to visiting the salon for highlights, lemon juice is an old standby. If you have dry hair, add one cup of lemon juice to ¼ cup of conditioner. If you have normal hair, use ¼ cup of warm water instead of conditioner. Massage it in, spread some SPF to protect your skin, and head out to get some sun. Exposing your hair for one to two hours in the sun will activate the lemon juice, stripping pigment from your hair. This may not sound ideal for the health of your hair, but it’s better than layering toxic chemicals for a similar effect. It’s worth noting as a related hair care tip that, although it may be tempting to repeat the process over and over each week to get a beach-blonde tint, it’s better to go easy on the lemon juice treatment to avoid hair becoming brittle.

Are you looking for ways to get the dry blown look without severely damaging your hair with the heat? Opt for Velcro rollers! Old school? Maybe. But it works; it’s super inexpensive, and your hair will have significantly less damage. Use heat if you’re in a hurry, but honestly, it’s better to have a more laid-back morning by letting your hair air-dry until it is slightly damp, then use the rollers.

That means that once you jump out of the shower, get dressed, unload the dishwasher, switch the laundry and get your coffee, you’re about ready to put the rollers in. While they work their magic, fix breakfast for everyone, do your makeup or tackle a basket of laundry waiting to be folded. By the time you’re done, you’ll be ready to remove them. Don’t actually unroll, though - slide them through the sections of the hair they hold and use them to kind of brush it out. Voila! Sleek curls without the heat damage. Plus, you just handled your morning routine like a boss. You go, girl.

One of my favourite tips for pure health and beauty goes back further than the Velcro rollers, though. Nothing leaves your hair feeling more luxurious than sleeping in braids. It’s so simple, but taking a few minutes to braid your damp hair before going to bed has so many benefits.

• It keeps it out of the way while you’re sleeping.
• Your hair is less prone to frizz and damage from friction while you sleep. I saw one tip that suggested sleeping on silk pillowcases. This contributes even more to this cause by giving a slick surface for your hair to move on, further preventing damage.
• When you wake up, it’s a natural, beautiful style that trims your morning routine by giving you instant waves.
• If you get fancy with the braids, it’s fun to just leave them on when you get up to have a chic, unpolished look.
• All you need for your product is a little gel added while your hair is wet to help the style last.

Massage the gel in and allow your hair to dry a bit. Braid however you prefer. Do a single braid from a ponytail at the crown of your head and pin it in a bun for cascading waves, or try a French braid for loose, whimsical waves. The possibilities are endless!

To make the most of your summer, getting a really great cut can make a world of difference. If you’re battling split ends and layers that have grown unruly, it can be unnecessarily challenging to style your hair without spending loads of time on it (or lots of money trying to find a product that does the trick). In my opinion, it’s worth it to get a really great cut, because you’ll find you spend less time and money trying to get your hair to “look right.”

I’m not a proponent for constantly splurging on beauty - I prefer finding solutions that bring out my best features naturally. But honestly, a sensible natural beauty tip is to give yourself a foundation of healthy hair in a cute cut. Then, it really doesn’t matter what you do with it, it’s going to look terrific. Add mousse to damp hair and let it air-dry before you use a cold blow dry to lock in a style. Put it up and use a little gel on a toothbrush to manage fly-aways. Or go all natural and don’t shower every day! Second-day hair is more manageable than freshly washed hair, and it will play nicely for pinning up into a messy bun or an updo.

Having the right cut, aiming for healthy hair, and using fun time-saving styles that literally do your hair while you’re sleeping - these are hair care tips that a busy mum can put to use without too much fuss. That’s my kind of beauty routine.

What other tips have you used for natural summer hair care? Share them with us below!