Tame your hair with CURLS August 13, 2009 by Amanda
Mahisha Dellinger, curly hair expert and creator of the CURLS natural/organic line offers some End of Summer Hair Tips and an At-Home Milk & Honey Tress Smoothie Treatment to bring those dull tresses back to life. Along with those hot summer months comes the daily assault of taxing chlorine compounds, drying sea salt, and damaging sun rays – not to mention all of the havoc everyone does to their hair from daily styling. If there is a time to be extra gentle on hair, it is now. Chlorine and salt water both dry, discolor, and damage hair. Chlorine binds to the hairs cuticle layer, stripping it of its natural protein, and fills in gaps in the hair shaft with its damaging chemicals. Mineral deposits in salt water make hair brassy and brittle. Both, chlorine and salt water severely dehydrates hair. Imagine how these elements affect delicate curly, kinky, wavy, natural and/or relaxed hair which tends to be much drier than straight hair. Here are SIX of Mahisha’s summertime tips to help put damaged, split, brittle, frizzy hair at bay!
1. 1. Before entering a pool, lake, ocean, or any body of water, drench your hair with water and apply a coat of conditioner to protect and coat the hair. See below – Mahisha’s At-Home Milk & Honey Tress Smoothie (a pre and post conditioner). Made from pure coconut milk, avocado, olive oil and honey, this delectable delight will fill up the gaps in your hair shaft and act as a barrier from the chlorinated water.
2. Immediately after swimming in chlorinated or salt water, purify your curls with a clarifying shampoo. CURLS Pure Curls Clarifying Shampoo was formulated to rid the hair of these curl killing chemicals. It is the ideal summer cleanser to gently, and effectively remove chlorine. Pineapple extract nourishes as grapefruit extract adds sheen while removing buildup from unwanted chemicals. Follow up with a deep conditioner.
3. Over-shampooing and under-conditioning are common culprits to dry and frizzy hair…especially in the summer months. Shampooing more than 1x a week is not recommended on naturally curly hair. On “shampoo-less” days, simply do a conditioning rinse – rinse hair to remove styling products (this is when using the right products that are water soluble come in). Apply an ample amount of your favorite Conditioner (CURLS Curl Ecstasy Hair Conditioner), comb through, rinse, and proceed with styling. Doing so will pump much needed moisture back into your hair without stripping away essential nutrients, rinse away unnecessary dirt and oil, and give you a fresh, clean start.
4. Avoid products that contain synthetic oils such as mineral and/or petrolatum oil, as they sit on the hair, blocking out moisture further dehydrating your hair. Also avoid products that contain drying alcohol, such as hair spray, mousse and some gels. Instead, opt for a curl creams and lotions.
5. Pay special attention to the ends of your hair; after all, they are the oldest part of the hair. Mix a bit of a conditioner with a natural oil, apply, and comb through ends; leave in for extra protection.
6. Hydrate curls DAILY…this is very important! Quenched Curls Moisturizer is excellent as it softens the hair, eases comb ability, moisturizes and conditions, preps it for the next step, and leaves a little goodness behind. This product can be used daily under any styling product you use. Consider this “underwear for your hair. It is a great “2nd day hair” reviver as it tames “bed head.” All CURLS products can be purchased at www.curls.biz.
