Summer is the literal height of living for most people. If there is one season where we want to be outside for the weather, look our best, and experience outdoor events, it's summer.
Sunlight is healthy for you. When you are safely exposed to direct sunlight, the beneficial nutrient Vitamin D is created in the skin cells of the human body.
People naturally want to wear their best outfits to be seen in the summer. Summer is the month to be seen, make new connections, and make great memories for most people.
And most importantly, summer is the month to make your hair look its best for all to see. And that is still a pretty hard thing to accomplish because the summer months can wreak havoc and compromise the stability of hairstyles.
Intense heat, humidity, and a combination of the two cause scalp sweat, hair frizziness, the proliferation of hair rot, scalp fungus, and many other problems.
And these summer hair problems can worsen by multiple factors when it comes to black hair.
If you have dreadlocks, first of all, we want to commend you for having the strength and courage as a black woman to wear your hair in its natural beauty in a society and world that may not appreciate it.
And we also want you to know that having dreadlocks does not preempt you from styling them in various ways. As long as you get some length to your locs, which can take years, there are many diverse ways in which you can style your locs.
But most importantly, because dreadlocks are an ancient and natural hairstyle, you never have to worry about applying unnatural and toxic hair care products to your locs. You could wash your locs once or twice a week with organic shampoo and conditioner and save hundreds or thousands annually as a benefit.
So, firstly we want to present to you several loc styles you can style yourself quickly and then be out the door to enjoy the summer season.
And then, we want to explain why it is beneficial to wear a natural hairstyle and avoid hair care that is specifically towards black people and black women. There are scientific studies that have proven that hair care products marketed explicitly toward black women have toxic chemicals known to cause cancer.
So, take care of your dreadlocks. If you don't have dreadlocks, you need patience, but you can grow them within a few months to two years. Enjoy your natural hair and health every summer by rocking dreadlocks and using organic hair care products.
Lion Locs offers the best organic and vegan dreadlock grooming products on the market. Try us today.
Related: How To Grow Dreads Faster
Loc Bun
You can perfect the look of the bun hairstyle by manipulating your locs according to the style you want. The bun is a regal and aesthetically provocative hairstyle that attracts the eyeballs of everyone who sees it.
Your dreadlocks should be long enough to reach your shoulders or the middle of your back to approximate this style for optimum dramatic effect. And this effect will be better achieved with thinner and medium-width dreadlocks than with sparse and thick-width dreadlocks.
And you will need a dreadlock-safe hair ribbon, twist-tie, or hair clips to hold the hairstyle in place.
You could start by braiding some cornrow tracks that then feed into one massive bun at the top of your head. Or you can also part your locs down the middle of your scalp and create two large buns on your head behind each earlobe.
And since you are going to the beach, why not go for maximum dramatic effect? Why not create a classic "beehive" extension to your bun?
You or a hairstylist can insert a small, lightweight styrofoam ball, circular or oval-shaped, on the top of your head and wrap your locs around it. It may take practice, but you can strategically use hairpins to secure the style. You can also utilize Marley hair or dreadlock extensions to help stabilize the look too.
Go for the classic "Princess Leia" look, which is two buns on the side of the head as popularized by the sci-fi film but updated with dreadlocks.
There are many ways to utilize the bun look to grab all the attention at the beach.
Fulani Dreadlock Tuck
The Fula people are an ethnic African tribe that is located all over Africa. The "Fulani" is also the name of a French hairstyle. Since the French are colonizers, the two influences may have contributed to the creation of this hairstyle.
The Fulani is kind of a hybrid hairstyle that combines the side-swept style with the beehive and mutes the flamboyant aesthetics of each style into a regal look. You may have seen the partners of heads of state wearing this hairstyle and not even realized it.
Instead of sweeping your locs over one shoulder, they are half-swept on the back of your head and then flattened on one side. The strategic use of bobby pins or hair clips will keep the look in place.
You can add a thin piece of styrofoam to accentuate and exaggerate the style a bit more. And you can also let the locs at the bottom of your head flow naturally to add to the style as well.
Related: Locs at the Beach: The Dos and Don'ts!
Beware of Hair Care Products Marketed to Black Women
There are many ways that you can style your locs for the summer. But the most important aspect is that your locs were grown naturally and don't require the use of toxic, unnatural products.
Most black hair-themed products contain toxic chemicals. Parabens is a toxic chemical that is added to cosmetic and hair products to prevent the proliferation of bacteria and mold in the product.
But parabens have also been scientifically proven to cause cancer, and especially breast cancer.
Hair and cosmetic products, like hair relaxers, shampoos and conditioners, hair dyes, and more targeting the black community demographic have been proven to contain harmful and toxic ingredients. Here is a list.
So, as you enjoy your summer, remember that you are better off with natural dreadlocks than straightening your beautiful natural hair with toxic chemicals.
Lion Locs dreadlock grooming products don't contain parabens or any other toxic ingredients or chemicals. Try our organic and all-natural products today.
Related: The Benefits of Having Locs