Remember summer as a kid? There was a certain magical quality about being free from school and having endless days and months to enjoy yourself. While these special perks may be long gone (unfortunately you can’t take three months off work and you still have responsibilities) summer is still an exciting time.
Warmer weather however, typically means you’re enjoying the outdoors more and all that activity in the heat and humidity can be potentially damaging to your natural curls and coils. Natural hair is much more prone to damage and dryness as it is but during summertime the threat of hair becoming fried, damaged, and dehydrated is much more prevalent.
Opting for a protective hairstyle is the perfect solution for defending your tresses against the sun’s harsh rays. These styles help keep hair hydrated and maintain your hair’s overall health. Not to mention that summer is the best time to refresh your look and shake things up with a more playful hairdo.
If you’re more active or spend more time outside during the summer, protective styles are a great way to get up and go with nothing more than a quick touch up. An easy chunky box braid look with our Extra Hold Braid Gel or a cute twist out with our Bouncy Curls Pudding can give your hair a break from daily styling and lock in moisture for weeks at a time. If you don’t usually do your own hair at home, this may just be the right time to start trying out some new styles to grow your skills. Keep reading to see why natural, textured hair requires extra love in the warmer months, plus how to get the best protective hairstyles for your natural hair.
Why Natural Hair Needs Extra Protection in the Summer
Protective styles have their benefits year-round, but they can be especially helpful for your curls and coils during the summer months. Why? Well, protective styles do just that, they protect.
In addition to keeping hair off your neck and out of your face, they help keep your delicate ends and drier strands safe from excessive dryness. They also help keep your hair moisturized and tangle-free while retaining their natural strength and length.
For instance, if you’ll be in the pool a lot and exposing your hair to chlorine, a protective style can work as a protective barrier. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays can also damage the hair cuticles.
Sun damage can cause dryness, brittle hair, split ends, thinning, and frizz. The summer humidity is also obviously enemy number one for any hairstyle, rendering all of your efforts useless unless it’s a protective style.
Styling With Black Castor Miracle Braid, Loc & Twist Gel
When it comes to protective hairstyles let’s start with an old faithful: box braids. They are so versatile in terms of length, size, color, design, and style. An elegant high bun or a fashionable high ponytail are ideal for keeping the hair off your neck to keep it cool in the heat.
For a cute summery look, tie your hair up with a cute scarf or bandana instead of a hair tie. Knotless box braids are also a super popular style to DIY because they start with your natural hair instead of adding extensions at the root. They’re easier to accomplish, more comfortable, and less likely to cause breakage for your natural hair.
Cornrows are also a great style for versatility and long-term wear. Rotate between big and small ones for an updated look that will keep your scalp nice and cool all summer.
How to Use Black Castor Miracle Braid, Loc & Twist Gel
Get a super shiny and neat finished look with our Extra Hold Braid Gel that will nourish hair with black castor oil and coconut oil for as long as you keep your protective style in.
The gel smooths frizz and flyaways to keep the styles tight and long lasting. To use, simply apply a small amount to your roots or hairline on either damp or dry hair and style as desired. After use, you can air dry or sit under a hooded dryer to help set your style.
Get the Perfect Twist Out With African Pride Bouncy Curls Pudding
As the more laid-back cousin of the braid, twists are a super easy look for at-home styling. Smaller twists take more time to do, but they’ll also last longer and frizz less. Twists are extra versatile because you have several options for looks solely using your natural hair.
For your own hair, mini twists, chunky twists, and flat twists are all great for keeping your hair tight and moisturized against the elements and any dry heat. If you’re using extensions, the type of hair you use often distinguishes each style of twist, whether its Marley twists, Senegalese twists, passion twists, crochet twists, or others.
You have a lot of choices but always make sure to make them tight so that they’ll last through all your summer activities. If you’re looking for an easy two-for-one style, a twist out offers you a look you can rock as twists and then later as a twist out.
How to Use African Pride Bouncy Curls Pudding
This helpful tutorial shows how to get the best twist out using African Pride Bouncy Curls Pudding. The shea butter and herbal oil extracts nourish your kinks and coils while setting them for continuous wear in a fabulous style. Twists are pretty simple and easy to accomplish so definitely add them to your repertoire for the busiest months of the year.
To use, rub a generous amount of pudding between your palms and gently comb through your hair, section by section, from roots to ends. You can continue reapplying, stretching and elongating curls until you’ve reached the perfect definition.
Other Unique Styles for a Fresh Summer Look
You’ve got tons of choices for protective styles that will shield your hair from the elements of summer and update your look. Faux locs are a cute option for a pool party or the roller rink but opt for chunky ones because they’re a bit lighter and lend themselves to quicker maintenance.
Goddess locs are similar but require silkier hair and have unsealed, curly ends. If you want something with very little maintenance, wigs and weaves are still great protective styles when they’re installed correctly.
They will keep it cute through humidity and heat and you can fully personalize a style unique to you. A classic headwrap also gives the hair a break from daily manipulation and can even protect against UV ray damage from the sun too.
Spend Less Time Styling and More Time Living
When it comes to home styling the hair any type of way, be sure you’re using the proper products to moisturize and protect your curls and coils.
If you’ve already installed your style and you’re going to manipulate it into a bun or ponytail, rub an oil like our 5 Essential Oils blend on your palms to cut down on friction and breakage. Be sure to use a water-based leave-in conditioner daily to moisturize the hair and a natural sealant weekly to calm and protect the scalp.
No matter which protective summer style you’re rocking, African Pride has gentle, moisturizing solutions and products that will nourish, strengthen, and help style your hair in the healthiest (and cutest) ways possible. Happy summer!
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at care@africanpride.com
