Beauty
The best tips to combat summer hair damage
Kerastase PARIS
Beauty
The best tips to combat summer hair damage
Turns out winter isn't the only season that can damage your hair.
Even if you don’t heat style or colour your hair, spending more time outdoors in the summer months means that your locks are exposed to sun and wind, which will help weaken your strands and can result in less shine and brilliance, not to mention friction and breakage. “The air and free radicals create a slow oxidation process, resulting in more sensitization and fading of colour,” says Colin D. Ford, Kérastase Paris Education and Artistic Director.
“Plus damage is further accelerated when wet hair is exposed to the elements,” he adds. So, while you might think that air-drying your hair all summer long is saving you heat damage, sitting out in the sun with wet hair isn’t much better. That, coupled with wind and chlorine from pools (which can result in flat, dull and lifeless colour), can lead to seriously damaged strands come Labour Day.
What’s a girl to do? Armed with the right products and a few tips from Ford, you can help maintain—or even improve—the condition of your hair.
Prevention
Ford’s top tip for taking care of your hair in the summer? “Always dry it before sun exposure.” If you will be exposing your hair to water outdoors, make sure to consider added protection. Shampoos and conditioners with UV filters and oils, and masks that protect and nourish your hair, will all help to combat the damage of the sun, while also allowing your strands to soak up important nutrients.
The damage is done
If your hair has taken a beating this summer, try at-home treatments that will help bring your hair back to its luscious state. Start with a product that exfoliates and purifies your scalp and then try an intensive hydrating mask that will help soften and smooth your strands. Ford's advice? “When heat styling, it is important to use a leave-in conditioner or styling product with a strong heat protectant.”
Maintain your locks during the winter
Winter's cold outdoor temperatures combined with indoor heat does a number on your hair, leaving it dry and susceptible to breakage. Basically, it's hard for your hair to hold on to moisture in the winter (the same goes for your skin). To avoid dry, dull hair, Ford recommends paying special attention to your scalp, which can become very dry in the cooler months, and suggests adding leave-in conditioners and masks to your regular routine.
Hair still not looking on point?
Try an easy updo to hide some of the damage. Ford recommends a simple chignon or—this season’s hottest hair trend—a braid. “One of the easiest ways to wear hair that is damaged is to braid it.”
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