7 Natural Hair Tips for Spring to Refresh Your Routines
While summer is typically my favorite season of the year (I live in NY), what I like about spring is it is the perfect time to refresh your routines. The natural hair tips for spring you’re about to read will help.
During the colder months, you likely used heavier styling products and hair products that were richer in oils and butters. As the weather tends to warm, it’s important to make adjustments to a typical daily hair routine for natural hair to match the season.
If you are on a new hair journey of embracing your natural hair, this may be new to you. Not to worry. Below you’ll find all the natural hair tips for spring you need to transition from winter hair care to Spring.
1. Spring Clean Your Hair Routine
To kick off your healthy hair routine for spring, you want to first make some assessments:
- Have you been doing the most with your hair over the winter? (ex: straightening more frequently). If you answered yes, please stop if you want to see a healthier head of hair in your near future.
- Have you been doing the least? That’s ok. We’ll all been there. Sometimes less is more but if you are looking to improve the look and feel of your hair, you need to be a bit more intentional and it starts with your hair routines.
Then, declutter your hair products:
- Toss out old products
- Restock on hair care essentials like moisturizing shampoos, lightweight leave-in conditioners, and scalp treatments
Plus, refresh your hair and scalp:
- Clarify and detox your hair and scalp for better natural hair growth and to remove product build-up.
- If you haven’t been doing scalp massages, add them to your natural hair routine 3-4x a week. When you do so, use oil blends that contain rosemary and/or peppermint. These stimulate circulation in the scalp leading to improved hair growth.
Try This Fine Hair Mask
And because, this blog is really focused on fine natural hair, I’d be remisce in not sharing a hair mask that you should include in your hair care regimen for spring.
Here’s a simple recipe you can whip up in 5 minutes or less:
- 1/2 of a ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 teaspoon of jojoba oil
Instructions are easy:
- Mash up the avocado so its smooth
- Mix in the remainder of ingredients
- Apply to damp freshly washed hair and allow to sit for 30 minutes
- When it’s time to rinse, do so thorough with warm water.
This recipe will add moisture to your hair while also strengthening it and boosting shine without weighing your hair down. This hair mask will also promote hair growth.
The avocado and honey will help with moisture while the aloe vera works on the scalp. The oils will lubricate your hair and promote shine.
2. Keep Your Hair Hydrated & Moisturized
As the weather warms, humidity in the air begins to build up. It won’t be as humid as summer temps but you still need to adjust your moisture routine which is key for healthy curly hair.
Here are some quick action steps for adjustments in your natural hair routine:
- Don’t skip out on deep conditioning on wash day. It’s an important step for sustained hydration to keep your hair healthy and in good condition.
- Swap the heavy hair butters for lighter oils that seal in moisture so you can keep your natural curls soft and pliable without buildup.
- Use either the LOC/LCO method for maintaining the hydration you give your hair on wash day. Making sure you have adequate moisture is a game-changer – especially for type 4 hair.
I don’t want to assume that you know what the LOC/LCO method is so…
L= Liquid, O=Oil, C=Cream.
You apply these to your hair in the order in which they are listed. The L is pretty easy. It’s water and it’s the best source of moisture.
3. Keep Doing Protective Styles
Even though the weather is warming, you still want to protect your hair from damage. This could be environmental damage (ex: sun exposure) or mechanical damage (ex: the ends of your hair rubbing on your clothing).
Protective styles that work well year-round but especially in the Spring are:
- medium-sized twists
- medium to large braids
- buns (provided you don’t set the bun in the same way each day. Also, be careful about how much tension you use to do them.
Protective styles not only help maintain length – provided they don’t stress or dry out your hair (avoid synthetic hair). They also help keep your hair more manageable which is essential as you spend more time outdoors.
4. Spring Shedding & Trimming
If you haven’t figured it out by now, spring is the season for getting rid of the old to make room for the new. This includes your hair.
Seasonal shedding is a normal occurrence and can be a little more during this time of year. Just focus on your scalp health and maintaining the integrity of your hair with strengthening treatments.
Some things for healthy hair and scalp to have on hand:
- A scalp exfoliating brush: this silicone one is great for use in the shower
- Collection of moisturizing hair products that includes a shampoo, deep conditioner, protein treatment, light oil, and leave-in treatment.
- It’s a good idea to use all products from the same line as they are typically formulated to work well together.
- A good pair of hair scissors to trim away split ends or knots. This will keep your hair looking fresh and your ends healthy. Regular trims (as needed) are a key part of any good natural hair care routine.
- Satin or silk scarf
- Satin or silk hair scrunchies
These are black hair essentials. Check out Essential detangling tools here.
5. Spring Natural Hair Tips: Adjust Your Wash Day Routine
While you can likely keep your wash days on the same day and during the same interval for Spring, it’s something you should personally evaluate based on your lifestyle.
However, these spring natural hair tips tend to be universal for inclusion in a daily hair routine for natural hair:
- Use light leave-in conditioners
- Use a clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup at the start of the season if you’ve heavily used hair butters or kept your hair in a long-term protective style
- If you did hot oil treatments and steamed your hair a lot throughout the winter, you may be able to ditch those treatments altogether. Just don’t skip deep conditioning.
6. Nourish Your Hair Starting from the Inside
Spring is also a great time to refresh your diet by starting to include foods you may have neglected for more comfort foods over the colder months.
Some foods that nourish your body to boost hair growth include:
- leafy greens
- berries
- eggs
- sweet potatoes
- carrots
- avocado
- seeds and nuts: pumpkin seeds and macadamia nuts are good choices due to being rich in healthy fats and other nutrients that support a healthy scalp and growth
For the foods that have more carbs, consume in moderation.
Also, drinking more water will hydrate your internal organs which includes what’s beneath your scalp.
BONUS: Hair Growth Tips for Black Women
Spring also brings with it the opportunity for increased hair growth.
I’ve written numerous articles on hair growth for black women since I’ve experienced a lot of hair growth on my own. Here are a few very in-depth articles for you to read and gain more insights:
- Hair Growth Hacks That Women Try for Long Hair
- 7 Hair Growth Secrets for Black Hair
- 3 Herbs for Maximum Hair Growth
- Best Oils for Growth
Remember…
Consistency is key to having healthy hair, especially for natural hair. If you wear your hair in its natural state, your afro hair care must be on point if you want to see sustained and long-term growth.
One of the best ways to ensure that your natural hair care routine suits your needs is to adjust it with the seasons. Let Spring be your spring board (no pun…maybe a little) to jumpstart a hair journey that you can look back on and know that it’s working for you.
Hopefully, these natural hair tips for spring have helped. If they have, consider pinning the article to Pinterest to share with others:
