Summertime and the living is easy—except, unfortunately, for your hair. Strong UV rays, excessive heat, and too much time spent in a chlorinated pool or salty ocean can zap strands of moisture, leaving hair looking and feeling dry, frizzy and distressed. This is why embracing a summer hair care routine rooted in protective, nourishing hydration is critical. Cue: Aveda’s hyper-hydrating, superfood-packed nutriplenish™ collection.
Why is my hair so dry?
Let’s start with what dry hair looks and feels like, as you may unknowingly be dealing with dehydrated strands. Dry hair usually lacks shine and softness, tangles easily and can feel rough to the touch. Sound like your hair?
If your hair is dry, it’s because it has become depleted of lipids, a critical part of your hair shaft that protects and coats each individual strand. Lipids keep hair healthy, shiny, manageable and strong. You lose lipids as a result of normal wear and tear, usually via three common causes:
THE ELEMENTS
While nature is a life-giving force, it can be distressing on your hair. UV ray exposure, extreme heat, high humidity and wind can all suck vital moisture from hair. In the summertime, all of these forces are usually heightened—along with additional dehydrating factors, such as exposure to harsh chlorine and drying saltwater.
OVERWASHING
Washing too frequently can strip hair of its protective natural oils—especially curly and textured hair, which can be more prone to dryness. During the warmer months, overwashing can occur easily as we shower away sweat, salt and sand.
HOT STYLING TOOLS
Heat styling with a blow dryer, a flat iron or a curling iron—or all three—can have distressing effects, leaving hair looking dry and depleted. We often turn to heat styling to tame sun-frazzled strands, which can only exacerbate overly dry hair.
What is an effective dry hair treatment?
Remedying dry hair is actually a two-step process: It involves both hydrating the hair shaft and then sealing in moisture in order to leave strands looking healthy, shiny and strong.
STEP 1: HYDRATING THE HAIR SHAFT
Penetrating and nourishing hair from within the hair shaft is an important step to replace lost natural lipids and amp up moisture levels. Proteins, humectants and natural humidity in the air can all increase hair hydration.
STEP 2: SEALING IN MOISTURE
Sealing the hair cuticle (the outermost layer of the hair) is also critical for retaining moisture. Ingredients like plant oils and butters can help to do this, assisting in water retention by creating a physical, protective barrier between the hair cuticle and any outside factors.
The hair hydrating power of nutriplenish™
As the days get warmer, lean on our ultra-hydrating, 100% vegan nutriplenish™ collection for hydrated, visibly healthy hair all summer long. Whether you have tight, textured coils or stick-straight strands, our high-performance hair care collection delivers perfect-for-you hydration, moisturization and drying effects from UV rays.
