My Current Summer Hair Routine
The air dry months.
*The Prose products have been gifted, but I am not being compensated/required to post about them. I also use affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.
This past winter I shared my very easy blow dry routine. But now that the weather is finally heating up, it’s gotten even simpler: wash and air dry. Traditionally, this hasn’t been great for my bleached Asian hair — it usually gets very frizzy. But I’ve found some new products that have made my locks manageable while keeping my body temperature cool.
I was already familiar with Prose’s custom hair care, since pretty much every podcaster or YouTube influencer has been advertising it for years. So when they offered to gift me with some samples, no strings attached, I was a little skeptical. It’s just shampoo/conditioner right?
Wrong! They honestly feel so good (the right amount of lather is important to me) and I’m really happy with the results. Which makes sense, since they have all been tailored specifically to my thick, color-treated, and relatively long locks… then again, Abe has been using them too, and even though he has the complete opposite hair type his hair looks extra good.
Here’s my once-a-week summer routine for 2025:
WASH DAY:
Hair Mask — I only do this once a month. I find if I put this near the top of my head, my roots dry flat. So instead, I dampen just the middle to the ends, coat them with a generous amount of the product, tie it up in a loose bun, walk Miles, and hop in the shower.
Shampoo — I alternate between the Prose version and the Roz Foundation Shampoo that I picked up during the Credo sale. Once a month I use K18’s clarifying shampoo, or Davines Salt Scrub Cleanser.
Conditioner — Every other week I skip the Prose conditioner and use Living Proof’s Triple Bond Complex, which I love because it is a leave-in. I’m also a huge fan of Maya Chia’s The Mane Agent spray but it’s $$$.
Towel — I use two microfiber towels. A fluffy VOLO one for the first wrap while I do my skincare for five minutes. Then I’ll apply some type of leave-in product (see step 5) and wrap it all up again in my older/thinner Aquis towel. By the time I take down towel #2, my hair is just slightly damp.
Products — I’ll brush out my hair/bangs with a Wet Brush, then scrunch some product into the rest. I’ve heard a lot about the Roz Milk Serum so I did buy that during the sale as well. It definitely lives up to the hype — it feels good going on, and combats frizz without heaviness. You can also use it on dry hair. But since it’s so expensive (and I share it with Abe) I try not to use too much every week. Other weeks I’ll use Mise en Scene’s Perfect Serum which is 1/3 of the price, but a lot more slippery/slick — I also don’t love its scent. I also have a tube of JVN’s Air Dry Cream that I keep forgetting about, but that’s pretty good too.
It takes a little less than an hour to completely dry. I’ll usually secure my bangs with creaseless clips so they’ll lie flat at my cowlick.
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK
Brush + Product: I brush my hair every morning (this $20 Drybar one has never failed me) and massage Prose’s Scalp Serum into the roots, which also magically lifts and gives them extra fullness/volume. If my hair is really thirsty I’ll add more Roz Milk Serum or Prose’s Oil. If my bangs/flyaways need more control I’ll use a tiny bit of Tancho.
Heat Style: I’ll curl my bangs with a flatiron (I’ve been very happy with CHI's original version which is basic but great) so they’re not stick-straight (how-to at the end of this video). Contrary to everything I’ve heard about fringe needing to be refreshed every single day, I only need to do this once. On other days, I just brush them in the morning and rock the bed head look. If I want to look more presentable, I’ll use Briogeo’s heat protectant and run the WavyTalk thermal brush through everything to smooth it all out.
Also, I can’t forget to mention the HAIRMAX LaserBand 82 ComfortFlex Hair Growth Device (listen to me rave in this video and this podcast). I still use it religiously, every single day. I’m now on month nine, and I’ve definitely seen a significant improvement in hair growth and the thinning of my hair part.
P.S. More hair.
P.P.S. Since taking photos for this post, I’ve gotten my hair cut/colored! This is fresh from the salon chair and heat styled, but my air-dry routine at home is staying the same.
