Want Glowing Skin and Flowing Hair? Here Are the Best Summer Tips to Follow! 

Harsh summer heat not only saps your body of its energy, but it also takes its toll on your skin and hair. Often referred to as sun-induced stress, severe summer heat can cause healthy hair to become dry and brittle, discoloured and develop split ends. Depending on the nature of your hair, the damage can be mild or severe.

Likewise, while vitamin D is good for you in small doses, strong summer heat can cause sun burns, tanning and dry patches on your skin. It can also trigger rosacea, loss of collagen and in extreme cases, skin cancer.

In addition, excessive sweating can culminate in rashes, itchy scalp, bacterial infections and more, so it’s important that you know how to care for your skin and hair. Take a look at our top tips for healthy hair and skin below.

Tips for healthy hair

Incorporate the following hair care tips into your routine to beat damage caused by the sun.

Wear a hat

If you’re likely to spend a lot of time outdoors, the best thing you can do is tie your hair into a bun and wear a hat. Apart from preventing dryness, scalp burns and scorched hair, it will also protect your ears and neck from sun exposure.

Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar

Use moisturising hair products

Owing to sweat, dust and heat you’re likely to wash your hair more often during summers. If this seems unavoidable, opt for a shampoo and conditioner full of moisturising ingredients. This will help restore some of the moisture sapped by the sun, and also by frequent hair-washing.

Focus on your diet

Add foods to your diet that promote hair growth, moisturise the scalp and aid in repair. For instance, you can snack on berries. They are rich in antioxidants that protect hair follicles from free-radical damage. Similarly, increase your intake of spinach. Apart from boosting hair growth, it helps moisturise your scalp and also assists with hair repair.

Avoid hairstyling tools

One of the best hair care tips is to refrain from using a blow dryer, hair straightener or hair curler during summer months. Much like the sun, these hot tools damage your hair, and aggravate frizziness, hair fall and hair breakage.

Nourish with a hair mask

Try this DIY hair mask to soothe your hair after excessive sun exposure. To a puréed avocado, add a few drops of lemon juice, 2tbsp of honey and 3tbsp of olive oil. Apply this on to your hair and wash it off after 20–30 minutes. This mask assists with restoring keratin bonds that are impacted by the sun.

Best glowing skin tips

Here are our best glowing skin secrets that will help you prevent and combat sun damage.

Keep ice packs handy

Stock your fridge with ice packs, and ice your face or other body parts after long hours of sun exposure. The cool ice helps soothe sunburns and minor irritations. Simultaneously, don’t apply heavily-perfumed creams or physical scrubs until your skin is completely healed as they can irritate your skin further.

Wear loose clothing

You sweat more during summer than any other season, and lingering sweat on your skin can cause rashes, fungal infections and prickly heat. So, wear loose clothing in light fabrics to stay sweat-free, and change your clothes as soon as you come home. Also, wear long sleeved clothes as much as possible and carry an umbrella with you to limit your skin’s exposure to the sun.

Cool your skin naturally

One of the best glowing skin tips an all-natural, DIY mask made of chickpea flour (besan), yogurt, honey and a pinch of turmeric. Honey and yogurt moisturise, while turmeric acts on inflammation and besan offers anti-bacterial and anti-fungal benefits.

Apply sunscreen

Applying sunscreen is one of the best ways to safeguard your skin from UVA and UVB rays that can cause severe skin damage and even skin cancer. Choose a high SPF sunscreen that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. Apply a generous layer and remember to reapply it every few hours when you are outdoors. In addition, apply a lip balm fortified with sunscreen. Most importantly, even if you are at home, don’t skip sunscreen. If your home receives a lot of light or you spend plenty of time by a window, your skin can suffer from sun damage.

Pay attention to what you eat

In addition to topical treatments, focus on what you eat. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated and supplement it with fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe. As collagen keeps your skin plump and elastic, and harsh sun lowers its levels, here’s one of the best glowing skin secrets: eat healthy fats such as olive oil and avocados. These fats keep your skin supple.

While these tips will go a long way in helping you maintain healthy hair and skin, if you have a problem that persists, be it a sunburn, itchy scalp or rash, contact a skin and hair specialist. A dermatologist will be able to prescribe fast-acting medication that will offer you instant relief. Use Bajaj Finserv Health to find the best doctor at the earliest. Book a video or in-person appointment and enjoy discounts and offers via our extensive healthcare partners.