Ah, summer—the season of beach days, poolside lounging, and outdoor adventures. While we relish the warmth and relaxation, our hair often pays the price for our sun-soaked activities. The combination of UV rays, chlorine, saltwater, and heat can do a number on our strands, leaving them dry, brittle, and lackluster. Luckily, there are ways to protect against summer hair damage, so you can enjoy healthy-looking locks all season long.
Environmental Factors Can Affect Your Hair Health
The warm summer sun and cooling water may be restorative for the soul, but they can have the opposite effect on your hair…particularly if it’s been colored or otherwise compromised. Each of these environmental factors can contribute to summer hair damage:
- Heat from styling tools or hot weather: Whether it’s from the hot tools you use to fend off frizz or the hot, dry air that comes with summer in certain climates, excess heat can leave strands parched and brittle.
- Chlorine and saltwater: Both chlorine and salt can strip your hair’s natural oils, leading to dryness and breakage.
- UV rays: Just like the sun cause damage to skin, it can wreak havoc on your hair. UV rays can break down hair’s proteins and damage its cuticle, leaving it weakened, dull, and more susceptible to breakage and split ends. Sun exposure can also fade hair color.
- Pollution and smoke: Air pollutants, which can be more prevalent in summer, along with smoke from campfires, firepits, and barbecues, can cause free radical damage to hair, causing it to look lackluster.
Tips to Protect Your Hair During the Summer
You don’t have to choose between making the most of your summer and having shiny, healthy hair. With a few simple strategies, you can shield your hair from seasonal hazards…and still enjoy your time in the sun.
Prevent damage before you dive in...and after. Coat your hair with conditioner before going for a swim to protect it from salt or chlorine in the water. Wear a swim cap for even better protection.
After your swim, rinse your hair with fresh water to remove salt or chlorine residue, and comb a leave-in conditioner through your hair to reduce tangles and lock in nourishing moisture. Look for a product with UV protection if you plan to dry off in the sun.
Embrace the shade. The best way to prevent sun damage to your hair is by avoiding it. Seek shade under an umbrella, or cover up with a hat or headscarf.
Protect your assets. Choose a protective hairstyle like braids or twists to prevent tangling and to minimize the need to heat style your hair. Combing and styling your hair, particularly when it’s wet, can contribute to damage and breakage…so the less you manipulate your hair during the summer, the better.
Stay hydrated. Your hair and scalp are part of your whole body, and are affected by your overall nutrition and hydration level. It’s easy to become dehydrated in the heat or to let healthy eating fall by the wayside while on vacation. But drinking plenty of water and choosing nutrient-rich foods will help you feel and look your best.
Your Perfect Routine for Healthy Hair All Year Long
No matter the season, your hair and scalp need the right ingredients to help them thrive. That’s why we carefully formulated the products in our Volumizing Hair Collection with hair health in mind:
- Thickening Shampoo: Our unique formula features therapeutic ingredients to optimize scalp health while protecting hair from environmental stressors. Made without sulfate detergents, our shampoo cleanses hair of impurities (goodbye, damaging salt and chlorine) while fortifying the hair cuticle and improving hair shaft thickness.
- Thickening Conditioner: Give your hair the hydration and nourishment it craves after a day at the beach or pool. Our phyto-infused formula replenishes moisture and transforms hair to feel fuller, look thicker, and perform better.
- Volume Enhancing Foam: If summer humidity has left your hair falling flat, our physician-developed foam can help. This formula features the same BioPeptin Complex® used in our best-selling lash serum to boost hair’s vitality and intensify natural volume. It adds shine and body and improves elasticity to help combat breakage, so you can worry less about summer stressors affecting your strands.