While it's quite enjoyable to bask under the sun, especially during summer, it can be quite damaging to your hair when it's exposed to extreme heat or humidity. During the peak summer months, your healthy scalp and hair end up taking a lot of beating from the sun and other elements that you might not even realize the damage it's causing in the long run.
Effects of Heat and Humidity on Your Hair
For one, extreme heat makes your hair dry. At high humidity, hair is weaker and more susceptible to damage and breakage. Humidity allows sweat to evaporate less effectively, and sweat can trap bacteria, excess oil, dirt, and pollutants. These can quickly build up on your scalp and weaken the scalp barrier.
This is also why hot and humid seasons is also the time when you might get dandruff. The more you expose your hair and scalp to the elements, the more likely it is for dirt, bacteria and pollutants to get trapped and weaken your scalp's natural protective barrier.
If you've experienced this, don't worry because we've got you covered. Check out these no-fuss ways to maintain a healthy scalp and hair regardless of the heat and humidity outside.
How to Protect Your Hair and Scalp
- 1
Wear Protective Head Covering
The most sensible thing to do whenever your hair is exposed under the sun is to protect it as much as you can. Wear a hat or a bandana—even if you're just going out for a grocery run or sitting by the poolside. In choosing a head cover-up like a hat, go for a material that allows for proper ventilation so sweat would not build up as well. If your hair is exposed to the sun for a prolonged period, you can also choose to go for an additional layer of protection with hair sunscreen. Your scalp is also skin, so you should protect it as much as your skin.
- 2
Ditch Heat-styling Tools
Now's not the time to reach for your go-to styling equipment like the flat iron, hairdryer or curler. The last thing you'd want to do is to add on to the damage that excessive heat and humidity can do to your healthy scalp and hair. Minimizing the use of heat-styling tools can help keep each hair strand strong and less prone to frizz, breakage and further damage.
- 3
Wash your hair with a cooling anti-dandruff shampoo
Once summer season begins, it's just right to consider changing your go-to shampoo to adapt to the changing weather and conditions. We recommend using CLEAR Ice Cool Menthol, which is specially formulated to revive your healthy scalp and hair. It gives you that cooling sensation to keep you feeling fresh the whole day. It also has Triple Anti-Dandruff Technology that goes deep within your scalp to remove excess grease, dirt and bacteria, restoring life to your hair and making your scalp healthy once again. It even has Vitamin B3 that strengthens your scalp's defense against dandruff to end this recurring concern.
- 4
Relax and Destress
If the leading cause of your dandruff is stress, it would be helpful to seek out ways to rest and relax. This can be in the form of meditation, getting more rest, or having a better work-life balance. However, if your stress-triggered dandruff is due to an underlying medical condition, it is best to consult your doctor to get the right treatment.
- 5
Try Natural Home Remedies
There are a lot of natural remedies that you can try within the comfort of your own home. You find some dandruff solutions like tea tree oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, or aloe vera in your kitchen or garden. Each of these natural remedies has its own healing properties that can help get rid of dandruff and prevent it from ever coming back. For example, tea tree oil is commonly used for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, while coconut oil helps in improving skin hydration and preventing dryness. Just make sure to do due diligence and research on their usage to properly treat your dandruff issue.
- 6
Observe proper nutrition
Aside from using the right hair care products and other forms of hair protection, it's also essential to keep your diet in check. Eat foods that are rich in Vitamin B3 like poultry, salmon, tuna, legumes, and green, leafy vegetables. Adding other foods that aid in hair care like eggs and meat for protein, avocados for Vitamin E, Vitamin C-rich foods like sweet potatoes, papayas, and oranges can also help.
Got these all down? There's no reason to panic or stress just yet once you start encountering symptoms of dandruff or damaged scalp. It's all a matter of putting new habits in place that would help revive your once healthy scalp and hair—and of course, using the right products that are suitable in addressing your scalp and hair concerns.
