Top tips and summer hair trends

Reneé Potgieter, hair health activist and colour alchemist, is on a mission to change the way beauty is perceived. She knows, as an expert with over 25 years’ experience, that a less-is-more approach to hair is what leads to healthy, beautiful locks. She also knows that the summer season gives consumers the perfect opportunity to bring out their hair’s natural beauty.

It is summer, and many consumers are enjoying an easier laid-back approach to their beauty regimes – especially those working from home, who get to enjoy less stress when getting ready in the morning.

NO-HEAT STYLING

For anybody that wants to restore health, vitality, and strength to their hair, the absence of artificial direct heat on the hair is an absolute must. The no-heat method works because hair consists in part of hydrogen bonds and artificial heat manipulates the hair, thereby controlling its shape.

Constantly manipulating hair texture, like straightening curls with frequent blowdrying and flat-ironing, result in the bonds eventually forgetting their true natural form and, essentially, hair goes into crisis mode. The only way to prevent this is to work with the hair structure instead of against it. Enhancement and nourishment, in place of relentless manipulation, will bring out the best in the hair structure.

Leave-in nourishing treatments are also great. Of course, you won’t wake up with perfect hair, but they do help to nourish hair, leaving it healthier and more cooperative.

NATURAL STYLING PRODUCTS

Caucasian consumers often experience great hair after a day at the beach. There are two reasons for this. One is that there are no mirrors for them to consistently critique themselves, so they’re forced to embrace their hair and its reaction to the elements.

Two, the salt in seawater acts as a filler to help smooth out the microscopic ridges on the cuticle layer of the hair shaft which creates hair irritation, thereby acting as a styling aid. Broadly, a styling aid is a product that helps control irritation by smoothing the cuticle layer when the hair is left to dry naturally.

Despite popular belief, damage is the main contributor when it comes to creating unmanageable hair structure. Any hair that is in bad condition will suffer from frizziness and in an attempt to help it, consumers often use styling aids that do more damage than good. When it comes to the gazillion styling products on the market, less is more and many of them will become redundant once hair is in a healthy condition.

Quality styling aids are important in the beginning as they are formulated to not coat the hair with silicones or other chemical ingredients that do more damage than good. With any natural products, such as salt sprays, it is important to read the ingredients list to ensure that they are of high quality and truly cleaner.

Some of the worst build-ups on hair come from brands developed by traditional cosmetic companies that have ventured into hair care. To avoid this, ensure products are free from parabens, alcohol, and any other nasty chemicals that consumers struggle to pronounce.

MORE NATURAL COLOUR

Every time we colour our hair, we expose it to harsh pigments and chemicals no matterhow gentle the product. The more chemical exposure to the entire length of the hair shaft, the more compromised the entire cuticle layerwill become and the worse the state of the hair will be.

A less-is-more approach to colouring means being open to blending techniques such as balayage. This is a technique for highlighting hair which creates a graduated effect for asymmetrical, natural-looking results. The regrowth from this technique is far less stark and for an extended period between colouring sessions.

Being smart about colour choices also goes a long way. The variance between one’s natural colour and a chosen colour should be as minimal as possible. For the softest regrowth,the gap between one's natural colour and the altered colour shouldn’t be more than two shades. The bigger the gap, the more obvious there growth will be, ultimately requiring colouring more often and therefore compromising hairs condition.

HAIR FOOD

Elasticity and porosity are the building blocks of naturally good hair structure. It is important to care for these building blocks by nourishing the hair. Natural beneficial treatments formulated with botanical oils come in all sorts of forms such as masks and conditioners. This process doesn’t need to be another laborious step in the hair care regime and can be applied overnight.

Thankfully, natural oils are making a comeback, taking inspiration from numerous ancient traditions. Its better to use top-grade pure oilssuch as jojoba for moisture and almond for a strengthening protein boost. These natural oils are so pure they become solid when placed in the fridge, which is a great indicator of quality.

During summer, we often become more mindful of our blessings in life; it’s a time for consumers to sit back, relax and let their natural beauty shine through. We all have the hair of our dreams – we just need to let it down. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Reneé Potgieter is a natural hair health activist, colour alchemist and owner of the blog Naturally Reneé. Send an email to renee@gentleapproach.co.za for more info.