How to protect hair in the summer sun and heat

How to protect hair in the summer sun and heat

The days of fun in the sun are here at last. But before you run out the door, remember last year? The drying sun and the harsh pool chemicals? If you’ve been careless, your hair probably ended up dry and full of split ends. And if your hair is dyed or permed, that means you’ll need to take extra precautions to keep hair looking its best through the summer months. Luckily, with the tips below, it should be easy to protect hair in the summer sun and heat.

Invest in a trendy hat: The easiest option is to get a hat to protect hair from the sun, especially if you have dyed hair. Darker colors will fade out in the sun, and red shades will be zapped away by the sun in an instant. A trendy scarf could also work.

Remember the swim cap: Nothing’s more damaging to hair than pool chemicals. Especially if you have light-colored hair and you swim a lot—then you risk getting green hair. So use a swim cap.

Make sure to deep condition: If you’re really, really not the swim cap and hat sort, make sure to keep up on the deep conditioning treatments at least weekly.

Leave your conditioner on for a couple minutes: One easy way to boost luscious locks, even in summer, is to leave your conditioner on in the shower while you wash your body and shave.

Use a mild shampoo: Make sure you invest in a mild shampoo this time of year. Look for sulfate-free varieties, which won’t be as prone to stripping your hair of its natural oils.

Invest in products that revitalize sun damaged hair: Lines like the Kerastase Soleil Collection breathe life into sun-damaged hair.

Avoid harsh treatments: Try to plan your hair treatments, like coloring and perms, before summer is in full swing so you’re not adding further stress to hair.

Wet hair before the pool: If you allow hair to soak up moisture before you hit the pool, that’s less chlorine and other chemicals your hair is instantly absorbing in the pool.

Go lighter on the shampoo: On days when your hair is just greasy near the scalp, try to only wash your roots, while letting the shampoo run down the rest of your hair while rinsing. That’s less moisture that’s being taken out of the length of the strands themselves.

Switch your part: One issue with summer fun that is easily forgotten is the hair part sunburn, making washing and brushing hair a painful experience. Switch your part on different days to avoid nuking one part of your scalp.

Use a leave-in conditioner on water days: If you’re having a day at the pool or beach, make sure to be sporting a good leave-in conditioner to make sure hair stays as hydrated as possible.

Tie hair into protective styles: Style hair into tight buns, braids or even ponytails to keep your hair more protected from the sun.

Get spray products: You can find leave-in sun spray that’s formulated for protecting hair with moisturizers and SPF for the scalp. Just search for “sunscreen for hair.”

Skip the heat styling tools: One of the most damaging and drying habits you can have for your hair is to blow dry or heat style it. So when hair is already prone to sun damage, let your hair dry naturally, if you can.

Balm up before you lie down: To help hair overnight, apply Ojon balm into your hair to bolster it for sun exposure and help hydrate it after sun exposure.