Leading haircare specialist Anabel Kingsley has shared her top tips on how to keep your hair looking sleek and shiny as the seasons change and the warmer weather arrives
The warmer months are finally here and with it comes a change to our beauty regimes – including haircare. The sun is a natural source of vitamin D, which is essential, but it can also make our hair go a little bit wild, from frizziness to brassy blonde streaks. Sunny weather may mean you are styling our hair a little more as your social calendar fills up, and it’s important to keep our hair healthy.
The heat can cause frizz, while UV rays can also damage our strands, and chlorine can also cause the ends to dry out. Thankfully Anabel Kingsley, lead Trichologist and Brand President at hair care giant, Philip Kingsley, has shared her top tips on how to keep hair as healthy as possible as we move from winter to spring and summer.
READ MORE: ‘I’m a haircare expert – here are the reasons why your hair is greasy and how to combat it’
Frizz
The haircare expert said frizz-prone hair can worsen in spring due to the increased humidity or damp and rainy days. “When hair gets wet, the hydrogen bonds that help hold it in shape are temporarily broken. This is why you might find your hair gets frizzier during the hotter, wetter months.”
She recommends a re-moisturising shampoo for curly, frizzy and coiled hair, and use products that will coat the cuticle with hydrophobic (water-repelling) layer. “This not only keeps moisture out, preventing hair from becoming frizz, it helps to lock moisture into your strands, so they remain hydrated,” Anabel noted.
Brassiness
As the sun starts to (hopefully) come out more and more in the warmer months it will be a great way to get some vitamin D, but it could mean coloured hair may become brassy after sun exposure. To avoid this, Anabel said: “To counteract brassiness, use a purple shampoo and conditioner containing optical brighteners when you return from holiday. I recommend our Pure Silver Shampoo that tackles yellow tones in coloured blonde hair after just one wash.”
Heat protectant
While the change of seasons and warmer weather means you may start to have more of an active social life – concerts, holidays, festivals and weddings, you may be needing to style your hair more. “Make sure to use a heat protectant,” the expert says. She urged people to look for UV protection as well.
Oily hair
For those that struggle with oily and greasy hair, Anabel also shared some of her top tips to keep hair looking clean and fresh. While the importance of washing your face daily is well known, the same can’t be said for hair washing. Almost half of women (45%) wash their hair just two to three times per week, 21% every other day and only one in 10 daily.
This is not often enough, says the expert. The scalp is essentially an extension of the skin on the face, and sheds dead skin cells, produces sebum (oil) and collects dirt, dust, and sweat everywhere we go.
Every hair follicle has an oil gland attached to it which also produces sebum and failing to wash hair frequently can lead to a build-up of dirt, dead skin cells, oil and products, rendering locks lank and greasy, on top of clogging hair follicles which can impede hair growth. Shampooing also helps prevent scalp issues like dandruff manifesting.
Speaking to The Mirror, Anabel said: “The main cause of greasy hair is not washing it enough. Try to leave no more than two days between shampoos. You should spend approximately one minute gently but firmly massaging your scalp when you shampoo and pay attention to all areas – people often forget to massage the back of their scalp. Rinse well to ensure shampoo residue, and the dirt, oil, dead skin cells trapped in it are washed away.”
Anabel also said your hair texture can play a big part on how oily your scalp is. She explained that people with a finer hair texture will tend to have more hairs per centimetre compared to those with thicker coarser or coiled hair textures. This means there are more oil glands producing more sebum, and it’s the reason those with fine hair will often feel their hair gets greasier quicker and feel the need to wash it daily to avoid the appearance of flat, limp roots.
READ MORE: ‘REFY’s brow gel that I’ve used daily for five years has reformulated – and I have thoughts’