10 Best Ways to Repair Hair from Summer Damage
1. Replace lost moisture-Dry hair is the number one issue we face come summer. "Hair can't repair itself, we have to put back in what was taken out," Jennifer says. If your hair feels dry and even crunchy, she recommends using an intense hydrating mask like Moroccan Oil Masque, weekly. After shampooing, apply the mask. Step out of the shower and blast hair with a blow dryer set on medium heat to help the hair expand, allowing the product to penetrate the hair shaft. Once your hair is warm, let the mask set for another 10 minutes then rinse.
2. Add life to your color"Salt, sun and chlorine" are what Jennifer says cause certain hair colors (mostly blondes and redheads) to turn brassy. In order to restore your hair color to its former glory, she recommends heading to the salon for a gloss or glaze treatment. Once your color is repaired, use color protecting shampoos and conditioners and always apply a UV blocking styling product before heading outdoors.
3. Minimize frizz. If your hair seems frizzier now then it did when summer started, Jennifer recommends swapping your regular styling products for straightening cream -- even if you don't straighten your hair. They are designed to fill in the hair's cuticle so that it looks smoother (as in frizz free)
4. Treat areas that need to be treated. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many women complain that moisturizing conditioners weigh their hair down, so remember, if your hair is fine or tends to lay flat on top, only apply conditioning treatments from your mid shaft to your ends. "Generally hair isn't dry at the roots," Robert says, so you can skip that area.
5. Use swimmer's shampoos in moderation. Jennifer explains that swimmer's shampoos (like Kiehl's All Sport Swimmer's Cleansing Rinse for Hair and Body, $18) are designed to break down chlorine, which is great, but that they can be extremely drying to hair. Use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner on the days you don't use the swimmer's shampoo. If you swim regularly and have blonde hair, use a swimmer shampoo twice a week. If you're a brunette, you'll likely only need to use it once a week.
6. Get a hair color prescription. If your hair color has faded or changed due to exposure to chlorine, sun, etc., visit your stylist at Artisan Salon and have them help you decide on a course of action and specific products to use at home in order to get your color back where it started. "Different hair colors react differently," says Jennifer when asked how women can "fix" color at home. She warns that taking matters into your own hands could leave you with less than desirable results.
7. Look for moisture-infusing ingredients. Air conditioning and sun exposure can suck the moisture out of hair. In order to hydrate it again, "use Panthenol and Vitamin E," Robert says. Products containing these ingredients will add moisture, protect hair from heat styling and make hair more elastic so it's less prone to breakage, top-rated products that contain these star ingredients are best subscribed at the salon.
8. Detangle with care. Hair that's been abused by summer's elements may be difficult to comb out. And according to Robert, if you harshly comb out tangles, you may cause your hair to break. He recommends using a wide-tooth comb and starting at your ends and working up to your roots. To make detangling even easier, Robert recommends also using a multi-tasking product like PUREOLOGY ESSENTIAL REPAIR CONDITIONER. It detangles, adds moisture and shine, and protects hair from heat styling. It's the "magic bullet for detangling hair without making it flat," Robert says.
9. Trim split ends. Split ends can be caused by a whole host of issues, including heat styling, which we all are doing more and more (especially when battling summer humidity). Unfortunately Jennifer says the only way to get rid of split ends is to trim them off or they'll continue to split.
10. Rinse with cool water"Rinsing with cool water seals the cuticle," Robert says. He suggests doing this after every cleansing to help make the cuticle lay a bit flatter so hair looks shiny and healthy (not frizzy).