4 Summer Hair Problems Solved, Naturally: Eco Chick Tested
Summer is so rough on hair, especially if you have wavy or curly locks (see mine, untamed, above). And I’ve figured out that you can do one of two things—work with your hair and the weather that can make it crazy, or put it up in pretty braids and other updos. Anything else is just a losing battle. Over the last month, I have tested out a few new products to solve four of my distinct summer hair problems: Frizz, Flat curls, Shine, and Moisture.
The De-Frizzinator
John Masters Organics Rose and Apricot Hair Milk smells even better than its name suggests (it’s so delicious smelling that I end up purposefully pulling down a curl just to sniff it after I’ve used the stuff). And it softens and conditions—and gently defrizzes—my curly hair beautifully. I smooth it over my crown to keep errant hairs down, and work it into my ends to define and re-curl them when my hair is dry; you can also use it as a leave-in conditioner when hair is damp post-shower. Love it!
The Re-Curlifier
Green + Glam Waves Sea Spray is an all-natural, lightly scented way to get your curls—flattened by hats, perspiration, or blasted by wind—back to their curly loveliness. For my medium-curly hair, I spray very liberally, from top to tips, so that my hair is decidedly damp (the mistake I’ve made with curl sprays in the past is not using enough of them—you need to really spray hair down to get results for curly hair). Then I gently scrunch my hair from the bottom, and, if my ends are dry, add just a smidge of coconut oil to my fingertips, warm it up, and add it to the ends to protect them. You end up with soft (not crunchy), curly, volumized hair that smells great.
The Shine-It-Up
Mineral Fusion Beauty Balm for Hair comes in several varieties, but if you are looking to shine up locks that have gotten dull from too much sun or time in the pool, try the Vibrant Shine Beauty Balm; it is both moisturizing and defrizzing, and definitely gets your shine on. I don’t have naturally shiny hair, so I love the ability to add some in.
The Re-Moisturizer
Alaffia’s Shea and Virgin Coconut Enriching Hair Lotion is tops when it comes to moisturizing dried-out summer hair. Unlike lighter-weight products that promise moisture and don’t deliver (maybe those are made for people whose hair isn’t so dry, I don’t know, but it’s annoying), Alaffia’s hair lotion’s main ingredients are shea butter and virgin coconut oil that is diluted with a rooibos herbal infusion (to make it easier to work into hair) with the lovely scent of sweet orange and geranium. I drench my hair in this stuff and my curls love me for it.
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Starre Vartan
Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.
