It's a common question we receive at Curl Warehouse: Do you need to deep condition your hair in the summer?
Yes you can - and probably should - deep condition your hair depending on your outdoor activities.
Winter is normally cold (and very dry here in Calgary). Deep conditioning is something we turn to help out our frozen strands and give them some extra needed protein, emollients, oils, butters etc. so our hair can hold onto the moisture from water effectively.
In the summer, the things that will be hard on our hair is different and include the heat plus the UV rays from the sun (see my blog on Summer Curl Care Tips for more information). This is also the season many of us enjoy the outdoor pool, lake or ocean. So between the sun and days of your hair being wet and dry over and over from being in the water, that happy hair you enjoyed over the warmer spring months might be gone. Add in chlorine from the pool or salt from the ocean and this can upset even the happiest curls/waves.
As you do in the winter remember to pay attention to how your hair looks, feels and responds to your products. Those of us in humid climates often look at lowering our use of glycerin(e) in products and add some hard-holding gels to keep the frizz at bay. But when we remove glycerin it can result in drier hair as it does provide hydration. Make sure you replace it with film-forming humectants like plant gels and some hydrolysed protein and oils to keep your hair flexible. Check out the blog where I answer the question "Do I Need to Change My Routine for Summer?" for more information.
If you need to wash your hair more often because of outdoor activities, consider alternating a cowash or just wash periodically with your rinse-out conditioner to avoid drying your hair out any further with shampoo.
Here are some suggestions for great deep conditioners suitable for summer moisturizing:
No Protein
- Bounce Curl Ayurvedic Deep Conditioner
- Ecoslay Banana Cream Deep Conditioner
- Curlsmith Double Cream Deep Quencher
- Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Hair Mask
- Curly Hair Solutions Silk Conditioner
- AG Hair Nourish Snow Mushroom Deep Conditioner
- Original Moxie Intense Quench Deep Conditioner
- TreLuxe Soothe & Restore Ultra Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
So the bottom line is this: if you spend a bunch of time in the sun without a hat and/or love to hang out in the water, keep your deep conditioning going. For some of us it might be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. If you are like me and don’t mind wearing a hat and go in the water rarely, then you might be able to stretch out your deep treatments a bit longer than you did over winter. If your hair is fine and low density and you feel like deep conditioners just weigh it down, use your regular conditioner and let it sit a bit longer. There are many levels of conditioner out there to find the one’s that right for you!
Happy Summer!
