Hair Spray
Whether or not hair spray is good for natural hair in general is up for debate, but it definitely is not the best choice during the summer. Personally, I am a fan of hairspray but there are a lot more cons than pros, so I find myself holding off on it more often than not.
Hairspray can hold styles in place for hours, but that doesn’t mean a thing when most of them contain harsh alcohols that can dry out your hair to the point it is stiff and brittle. Not only that, but it’ll make your hair start to poof up if you’re rocking a straight hairstyle, and make your hair crunchy when it’s curly!
Severe dryness mixed with humidity? Disaster! You don’t need to get rid of hairspray completely but it would be in your best interest to find alternatives or invest in high end products. My favorite method is rubbing lightweight styling pomade over my kinks or curls; or simply spraying Aveda Air Control hairspray into the palms of my hands and fluffing my hair with it.
High-end hairspray goes for about $30 a can, but it does not make your hair hard, flaky, or stiff and lasts for months; so in my opinion, it is worth it.
If you don’t like applying anything to your hair after styling, make sure you use maximum hold and anti-humidity products during your styling process.
Heavy Creams
Hair creams like leave-in conditioners and moisturizers help make hair more manageable, moisturize/hydrate, soften, and some of them even help with humidity. But just like any other product, when the formula is too heavy, it can weigh down your hair.
When your hair is weighed down, it won’t be able to fully benefit from moisture, pores can clog, and it’ll leave your hair looking lifeless, greasy, undefined, and a number of other things. This is particularly awful in the summer because excess sweat on your scalp plus a heavy cream equals a buildup nightmare. And in some cases, dandruff!
Instead, opt for a moisturizing spritz or lightweight cream. If you aren’t a big fan of light sprays, add a tablespoon of your favorite cream and 6 oz of water into a bottle, shake well, and spritz on your hair. Most times you don’t have to buy a whole new product, you can just make the best of what you have.
If you are going to use something like shea or cocoa butter*, make sure you add an emulsifier into the mix so that the water doesn’t seperate from the solids.
