Surviving Hubli summer: a hair routine

Sweat on the scalp is salt and water. Left to dry repeatedly, it leaves a residue that combines with sebum and dust, and for many people that is the direct cause of summer scalp itch.

The instinct is to shampoo every time. That works but is drying if the water is hot and the shampoo is strong. A plain water rinse removes most of the salt without stripping anything, and it is usually enough between proper washes.

The exposed line of a parting is skin with no protection, and it burns. Repeated sun exposure also degrades the hair shaft itself, roughening the cuticle and fading colour.

• Cover up in strong midday sun: a scarf, a cap or an umbrella.
• Change your parting occasionally so the same strip is not always exposed.
• If you spend long periods outdoors, a leave-in with some UV protection is worth considering.
• Do not rely on hair alone to shade the scalp. A parting is a gap.

A necessary piece of safety equipment that creates a warm, damp, enclosed environment on your scalp for the length of your commute. That combination suits neither scalp comfort nor hair.

• Dry the lining between uses. A damp lining put back on a damp scalp is the problem.
• Rinse your scalp after a long ride where you can.
• Do not tie hair tightly under a helmet, which adds tension to the friction.
• Wearing a thin cotton cap underneath, washed regularly, keeps sweat off the lining.

Wear the helmet. Manage the scalp around it.

People wash more often in summer, and often with hot water out of habit. More frequent washing at higher temperature strips lipids from hair and scalp, and the resulting dryness gets blamed on the weather.

Lukewarm water, applied more often, does far less harm than hot water applied the same number of times. This is one of the cheapest improvements available.

1. 01Rinse with plain water after heavy sweating, without shampoo.
2. 02Shampoo two or three times a week, lukewarm, concentrating on the scalp.
3. 03Condition the mid-lengths and ends every wash.
4. 04Oil before washing, once or twice a week, focusing on the ends.
5. 05Cover your parting whenever you are out in strong sun.
6. 06Chelate every week or two if your water is hard.