Tips to minimize damaging effects of summer, detox your scalp and give your hair some much-needed TLC

Middle East weather is amazing for a lot of reasons: year-round sunshine with loads of outdoor activities, barbeques, an opportunity to sport a delicious tan and the effortless style of air-dried beachy waves.

But, there are several factors that can wreak havoc on your hair: exposure to UV rays draws the moisture from your hair, causing itchiness and frizz, humidity makes hair feel dry, coarse and brittle and chlorinated pools and salt water are harsh on the gentle protein makeup of your hair and can cause discoloration.

Most residents complain of a decrease in their hair’s natural resilience over time and face issues such as a clogged, dry scalp. If you suffer from itchy scalp, you might think the problem is worse in summer as temperatures rise and you sweat more.

Here are 10 essential tips to protect your hair from effects of eternal summers:

1. Have your hair trimmed regularly and you will help prevent split ends and stop any that do form from moving further up the hair strands.
   
   
2. Try and avoid any style that is high or tight as it will increase tension on your hair and could cause it to break. Instead, wear your hair in a gentle up-do. Or try a casual, messy braid. It really is perfect for those relaxed summer days.
   
   
3. Your scalp can get sunburned too – a fool proof way to protect your scalp from the sun is with a hat made of UPF material or a scarf.
   
   
4. The easiest and most effective way to treat heat damage is using active cooling ingredients every time you wash your hair. Head & Shoulders Charcoal contains zinc pyrithione and cooling menthol to give you a fresh scalp, and healthy-looking, flake-free hair all day long.
   
   
5. Rinse your hair with cold water after you shampoo. It helps in closing the hair cuticle and allow the hair to reflect more light resulting in shiny hair.
   
   
6. Always follow up your shampoo with a conditioner (or a deep conditioner at least once a week, or biweekly) and a leave in, paying special attention to your ends.
   
   
7. Incorporate activated charcoal in your hair care routine. Our scalp is skin too, which means that just like the skin on our face and body, the scalp absorbs dirt, oil and has excess sebum which can hamper your hair’s quality. Activated charcoal helps cleanse all these impurities, removes the sebum and deep cleanses the pores to let your hair breathe.
   
   
8. Take advantage of the warm weather and air dry your hair whenever possible—it’s healthier.
   
   
9. Where you can, avoid styling your hair with heated tools, like tongs or a hairdryer. Your hair can do without the high levels of heat when you’re prepping for the summer.
   
   
10. You should be drinking water like a fish in the hot summer months to keep your body at bay. But just like your insides need water to function properly, your hair needs hydration to look, feel, and be healthy. Treat the problem at the source and hydrate your hair from the inside out- drink more water!