The Ultimate Guide to Summer Hair Troubles

The Summer Hair Up-Do

The summer hair up-do is a necessity simply because the heat of the season can make it wildly uncomfortable to allow long hair to hang loose. Of course, the summer conditions can also make all types of hair frizzy and uncontrollable, and the up-dos can be of tremendous use at such times. All of this necessity has led to a lot of stylish results, and in this guide we are going to look at the summertime up-do and consider a lot of the extras that can enhance this, typically, simple, effective and appealing look on everyone.

Quick Summer Hair Up-Do’s

If you turn to fashion experts, they have a lot of advise about the trendiest and easiest up-dos for this summer season. The top options, in addition to iconic looks like the ballerina bun and double braids pinned in place include:

• Double buns – Channel your inner Princess Leia a bit with this look. It is sleek and yet fun, ideal for almost any summer event or look. Start by applying a generous coat of hair spray to ensure your hair has a sleek look and finish. Part your hair either from the front to nape, or make a side part from the front to the crown and then move the part center before heading to the nape. Secure each side into a low ponytail, using elastics. Twist each of these ponytails into a snake and then coil it into a spiral or bun shape and then tuck pins into position to hold the buns.

• A knotted ponytail – This falls to the side and is a tidy but free-spirited pony tail. This is a style for those with long, straight hair that can also get a bit frizzy in the summer heat. You just mist the head with texturizing spray and then section it into two horizontal sections (one above your ears and one below). Begin with the hair on the top, splitting it into two sections and tying them in a classic knot (keeping the two sections separate at the bottom). Then take the bottom section and split it into two segments and tie each of those to one of the two sections from the knot above. To finish, take the two sections and tie them into a knot, finishing with an elastic.

• Bun with a twist – This is a bit more time consuming but gives a very romantic look. You don’t need any pre-treatment but can begin by taking a 1″ section of hair just above the ear and start twisting it away from the face and towards the back. Keep doing it until you get to the back and then pin it into position. Repeat on the other side. Take each of these twists and all of the remaining hair and use an elastic to gather it into a ponytail. Coil this into a snake and then roll it into a large, loose bun held in position with pins. Secure and style up this look with pins crisscrossed above each ear to give a nice, accessorized finish.

• Casual French rope braid – This one also requires a few extra minutes but looks great with any sort of hair. You will want to mist it with a spray shine or primer and then part the hair down the middle. Take two sections of hair and twist each one direction before wrapping them together in twisting in the opposite direction. Continue adding more hair as you make your way around towards the back of the head. When you do pin it in place and repeat on the other side. Tug them gently to make them a bit loose and then finish with a light mist. This is a rather ethereal look that works with almost any fashion or style.

• Fishtail top knot – This requires very long hair and knowledge in fishbraiding, but looks wonderful. To do it, just pull your hair into a high ponytail and then fishbraid it to the very end. Pull the top to give it a looser look and then simply wrap the thick braid into a bun before pinning it into place. Clean and sleek, it is a truly elegant and easy way to get your hair up and out of the way on a hot summer’s day.

• Braidhawk – The mohawk made with a braid! Just apply a bit of hairspray to the hair and then flip your head upside down. Braid from the lower part of the hairline using a classic three-strand braid. Then as you reach the crown, keep going just as you would a normal braid. Tie up the end and flip it back so that the end is now at the base of the head, and pin your faux-hawk or braid hawk into place!
  Of course, you may not want to get started with your summer up do until you have your summer color locked down.

The Hottest Summer Hair Colors

It is a bit of cliché to call the ideal summer hair colors “sun soaked” or “golden” as not all are suited to summery blonde tresses. However, natural highlights, i.e. those that seem to be from the sun, do suit almost all complexions. So, as the experts at Cosmopolitan magazine advised, “It’s all about embracing (or mimicking what would be) your natural sun-kissed color.” That can mean going for a warmer brunette, blonde or red hue that add a sort of golden light to the skin rather than cooler wintery hues.

You might want to go to the opposite of natural and play with the pastel hued hair styles so popular these days. Everything from a pale pink or lilac to a bold aqua can work if that’s your fashion sense. There are also the acid colors that are explosive opposites of the pastels and range from fuchsia pink and tangerine to blues and teals.

Related: Liquid Lipstick 101

If you are not daring enough, you can try one of the other options that take your summer hair from a natural, complementary shade to one that is a paler version at the tips of the hair.

And once you’ve found the ideal summer color, you need to make sure that you can help it last the longest possible. Experts offer some fairly perennial tips no matter what color choices you’ve made. These include:

• Use a hair protector – Not a net or another physical protector but a hair protector product with SPF that can save it from the sun, but also retain colors even when exposed to chlorine or ocean water.
• Mind the heat – If you frequently use heated tools on your hair (blow dryers, straighteners, etc.) try to refrain from them the first week after your new color is done as this preserves the integrity of the hair color much longer. Also consider cooler showers as this keeps the cuticles of the hair more tightly closed and preserves the hair color a bit longer.
• Don’t wash so much – Wait up to 48 hours after a hair coloring treatment to wash hair as it allows the color to really setup and set in.
• Get deep – You also want to use a deep conditioner more often as that keeps hair healthier and seals up the pores that are typically dried out by coloring treatments.
• Glaze it – One of the most common methods for preserving hair color is to glaze it with a color glaze product that adds shine but also seals in the color for much longer.

And What If You Are Not All That Excited About Salon Coloring?

Can you also get summer hair naturally lighter without using chemicals or other unwelcome ingredients? In a word: yes. To do so is easy, and if you were a teen in the late 1980s or 90s, you might even remember trends in which these household ingredients were used to get the same effects as the chemical product known as “Sun In”. Consider applying the following ingredients to your hair and then sitting in the sun to get some natural highlights:

• Lemon juice – When diluted 50/50 with distilled water and applied to the hair, it adds a sun soaked tone to the upper most layers.
• Apple cider vinegar – When diluted 50/50 with distilled water and sprayed over the hair or applied to specific strands, it brings light reddish tones.
• Peroxide – This is a bit more chemical and quite strong, so use with caution. When diluted 50/50 with distilled water and then applied directly to the hair it will lighten it without drying it out, but only if left on for 15 to 20 minutes at the most.
• Baking soda – Create a paste with water and 1/2 soda and then apply to the hair. Leave it for 15-20 minutes and check to see the color. Remove as soon as you see the hues you want.

You can also try henna, honey, honey and olive oil, cinnamon, honey and vinegar, rhubarb, salt and other combinations to tinker with your hair color and make summer hair highlights.

Fighting the Frizz

Of course, you can find the ideal style and color, but it might all be for nothing if your hair has become the victim of uncontrolled frizz. Fortunately, there are many way to tame this typical summer hair dilemma, and they include:

• Let a few days pass between shampoos or switch to a dry shampoo every other wash as this allows oils to rebalance
• Use deep conditioners every time you wash
• Never use a towel to roughly dry the hair
• Prevent heat damage by avoiding the use of heating tools or by using heat protecting sprays
• Skip products with alcohol and use a silicone serum
• Use shine sprays to get all of the flyaway hair under control
• Try brushing the hair often to redistribute natural oils along the shaft
• Keep longer, straighter hair safe by dry brushing nourishing oils with a mixed bristle brush
• Consider the risks of the summer sun and protect it leave in conditioners packed with sunscreen. Yes, there are many hair products with SPF and you should really start using them at all times of the year to prevent sun damage

Naturally, frizzing and tangling are different and you’ll also need to develop an anti-tangling strategy for the summer. Many of the anti-frizz tips apply here and include brushing consistently and conditioning, but also consider the use of some of the summer hair styles we described above to hold the hair in place (whether sleek or more wispy) and keep the summer breezes and outdoor activities from causing tangles, too.

Summer hair accessories are great for this. You’ll want to consider such stylish accessories as hair bands worn with buns, oversized barrettes, multiple bobby pins rather than just one or two, beautiful ribbons, and the latest “rings” such as woven rings in many sizes.

In the end, summer hair has to be about feeling good and lighthearted. Take things to a different place this summer by updating your look using the many different styles, colors and tips here. Just remember to keep the hair protected at all times with sun block, conditioning and even a hat if you are going to be out in the sun all day, after all, it works wonders for your skin, too.

Related: The Essential Guide to Self Tanners and Sunscreen

More Great Hair Resources:

8 Ways to Save Your Hair Color

15 Life-Changing Ways To Tame Frizzy Hair

The 10 Commandments of Hair Accessories