There's a lot of discussion in the skincare world when the seasons change. "Summer is coming, switch your oil cleanser for a foaming one and put away your rich face cream" is the common recommendation. But what about your scalp and hair? Does humidity change what we should be using? Should we treat our hair and scalp the same as we treat our skin? Can hair "get used" to a certain product and does it help to change them regularly? These are all questions that we will be addressing in this blog post!
What is the reason of shampoo and conditioner?
Our cleanse and condition routine is the foundation of a healthy hair and scalp (and trust us, finding the right one can change your life!). Its primary role has been remove dirt, impurities and other products from our hair and scalp, ensuring it can breath, as well as helping it retain hydration and soften with moisturizers. But this isn't all these two products do. Did you know that many shampoo and conditioners contain different balances of minerals, amino acids, emollients, proteins, moistures and much more that are all working to provide optimum balance for what your hair needs? And having this balance is the thing that makes it life changing. When hair has the right balance of all of these ingredients, you will find that your styling stays longer, your hair feels good, your scalp is balanced and your hair becomes easier to work with. So what happens when the hair is "full" of the specific chemistry of your current shampoo?
Can my hair get used to shampoo?
Yes and no. Some folks find their haircare routine, and they never find the need to change, some folks like to change a 1-2 times a year, and some like to have multiple options to choose from in the shower, depending on what they need that day. All of these answers are correct! We are big believers in finding what works best for EACH person and going with that. When people talk about their hair "getting used" to a shampoo and having to change it, generally what is happening is either the season has changed, their needs have changed or their hair has been "filled up" with the specific chemistry balance of their shampoo. This isn't a bad thing! When we change to a different formulation (whether in the same line or a different one), our hair will feel slightly different due to the different balances of the ingredients we touched on before. Our preference, is actually re evaluating seasonally and going with the flow of what the hair is telling us.
When to change your haircare products
The need to change your haircare routine can come in many different ways:
1. Season or climate/weather change
2. Changing your hairstyle (long hair vs short hair vs styling)
3. Colouring, highlighting, relaxing or any other chemical service
4. Stress, health and hormonal changes
All of the above will change the needs of your hair and MAY require you to change how you're treating it. More moisture in the air, can mean you want a stronger cleanser or a different balance of hydration and moisture. Long hair usually requires more moisture, as the hair is older the longer it is and has been through more cleansing, sun and manipulation, while short hair may need more frequent cleansing and less moisture. Colouring, highlighting or relaxing your hair generally will mean it may need some extra protein and moisture. And finally - many changes in our health (illness or even simply stress or hormonal changes) create changes in our hair. This can be more dryness, lack of protein due to lack of nutrient absorption, or excess production of oils.
How to change shampoo for the seasons
If you do want to change your shampoo this summer, here are our general recommendations (send us an email if you have more specific questions):
1. You might want to switch your shampoo to a slightly less moisturizing and/or slightly more cleansing one. Summer means sweating, swimming and sunscreen, so making sure your hair is cleansed well becomes very important. If you use Innersense, we recommend Pure Harmony Hairbath or Colour Awakening Hairbath. From High-End Hippie Wellness, we recommend Awaken, Soothe or Clarify.
2. Your hair may need less moisture in the conditioner as well, but there's a catch. Due to more humidity in the air, you may find your hair gets weighed down by moisturizing products, so changing it out to a lighter conditioner can be a great idea! However, the summer sun can be hard on hair so we do recommend possibly adding in a Hydrating Hair Mask to your routine monthly or as needed. This will ensure that your hairs protein and moisture balances stays intact.
3. We haven't touched on styling products yet in this blog post, but it is a part of the conversation! For higher humidity seasons, curls will usually do well with higher hold products (aka stronger hold gels, less leave ins or moisturizers), and for straight or fine hair that is prone to oiliness in summer months, we love the I Create Waves Sea Salt Spray as a root volumizer before blow drying to balance oils as they arrive.
Meet your hair where it's at
A huge part of holistic haircare, is meeting the hair where it is, and deciding what it needs in that moment, without a fancy new ingredient or a marketing trend. What is your hair telling you?
Summer Haircare Essentials
Here you'll find what our team is loving for the summer season! You can also shop our Summer Essentials Collection.
Hydrating Hair Mask
I Create Shine
Continuous Spray Bottle
Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
Detox Hair Mask
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