This Ayurvedic DIY hair mask will keep your strands strong all summer long

You might love summer, but your hair definitely doesn’t—and not just because of the frizz-inducing humidity. The season can be a very damaging time for your strands, whether it’s the extra exposure to harmful UV rays or the stresses of swimming in super-drying chlorinated water. Luckily, there’s a fix that will keep your mane strong for months to come.

In her recent newsletter, Pratima Raichur—an Ayurvedic physician and the beauty OG behind Pratima Skincare (whose body oil Jenna Dewan calls “heaven in a bottle”)—shared how she keeps her hair healthy come summertime. And it’s all about starting before the damage shows up. “Prevention is better—and more effective—than correction, so don’t forget to take care of your strands as temperatures begin to rise,” she writes.

“Prevention is better—and more effective—than correction, so don’t forget to take care of your strands as temperatures begin to rise.” —Pratima Raichur

And her go-to prevention method? A trusty DIY hair mask. To create it, Raichur says to whip up a paste using 1 teaspoon each of triphala—the cult-favorite herb that’s great for digestion—neem, sandalwood, and licorice powders, as well as 10 teaspoons of water. Then, simply apply the paste to your scalp and leave it on for 30 minutes, rinsing thoroughly with warm lemon water once the time is up. After using the mask, she promises you’ll be left with bouncy, healthy-looking strands—and seasonal hair woes will be a thing of the past.

Meet the hair oil that’s like a multivitamin for your strands. Also, here’s how the sun can damage your hair.