Essential Summer Products & Styling Tips

Summer destroys hair. Sun exposure, chlorine, salt water, humidity, and constant heat styling all damage your hair faster in summer than any other season. The four products that actually protect your hair are leave-in conditioner with UV protection to prevent sun damage, dry texture spray for styling without more heat, dry shampoo to reduce washing frequency, and purple treatments for blondes to fight brassiness from sun and chlorine. I am going to show you what summer actually does to your hair and which products will protect it without adding more damage.

Summer is officially here, and everyone is excited about beach days and outdoor events. But summer is brutal on hair. The combination of sun, chlorine, salt water, and humidity creates the perfect storm for damage, frizz, and color fading.

I'm Bri, a stylist at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield. Every summer I see clients come in with fried, faded, broken hair because they did not protect it. Then they spend the fall trying to repair the damage. Let me show you how to actually protect your hair so you do not end up in that situation.

When Summer Destroyed Her Hair

My client Lisa came to me in September with her hair in terrible shape. She is a 28 year old teacher in Montclair who spent the whole summer at the beach and the pool. Her hair was dry, brittle, breaking at the ends, and her blonde highlights looked green and brassy.

"Bri, I do not understand what happened," she said. "My hair was fine in June. Now it is a disaster. I used the same products all summer."

I looked at her hair. Severely sun damaged. Chlorine buildup that turned her blonde green. Split ends everywhere. She had not changed her routine at all for summer. She was washing her hair after every swim without using any protective products first. She was heat styling in humid weather without anything to seal her cuticle.

"Summer is not the same as winter," I told her. "Your hair needs different protection in summer. Sun, chlorine, salt water, they all damage your hair differently than cold weather does. We need to cut off these dead ends and completely rebuild your summer routine for next year."

What Summer Actually Does to Your Hair

Sun exposure bleaches your hair and dries it out. UV rays break down the protein structure in your hair, making it weak and brittle. If you have color treated hair, the sun fades it faster. Blondes get brassy. Brunettes get orange. Color disappears.

Chlorine strips your hair and creates buildup. It bonds to your hair proteins and breaks them down. This is why blonde hair turns green in pools. The chlorine bonds to copper in the water and deposits it on your hair. Chlorine also makes your hair feel straw like and tangled.

Salt water is dehydrating. It pulls moisture out of your hair and leaves it rough and dry. Combined with sun exposure, it is a recipe for damaged hair.

Humidity causes frizz. When your hair is already damaged from sun and water, humidity makes it puff up and frizz out. You end up with a dry, frizzy, damaged mess.

Lisa experienced all of this. Her hair was sun bleached, chlorine damaged, salt water dried, and humidity frizzed. By September, her hair was destroyed.

Leave-In Conditioner With UV Protection

If you only get one product for summer, make it a leave-in conditioner with UV protection. This protects your hair from sun damage, adds moisture, and creates a barrier against chlorine and salt water.

Apply it before you go to the beach or pool. Spray it on damp hair and leave it in. Reapply after swimming. The UV protection prevents sun bleaching and protein breakdown. The conditioning ingredients add moisture and detangle.

I put Lisa on Aluram Leave-in Conditioner for next summer. It has UV protection and hydration without weighing hair down. She applies it before every beach day now.

Look for leave-in conditioners with ingredients like quinoa protein, nettle extract, or keratin. These strengthen your hair while protecting it. Skip heavy oils if you have fine hair. They will make it greasy in the heat.

Dry Texture Spray for Styling Without More Heat

Summer is not the time to be using your flat iron and curling iron every day. The combination of heat styling plus sun damage will destroy your hair. Use a dry texture spray instead to add volume and waves without heat.

Dry texture spray adds grit and texture so your hair has volume and movement. You can spray it on dry hair and scrunch for beach waves. Or spray it at your roots for volume. It gives you that lived-in summer look without a hot tool.

Alluram Dry Texture Spray is lightweight and adds texture without making hair feel dry or sticky. It has oils like baobab and pomegranate seed that nourish while giving you hold.

If you absolutely need to use heat, use it less often. Air dry more. Embrace your natural texture. Your hair will thank you.

Dry Shampoo to Reduce Washing

The more you wash your hair in summer, the more you strip it. But summer makes your hair greasy faster because you are sweating and using more products. Dry shampoo lets you go longer between washes.

Spray dry shampoo on your roots when your hair starts looking oily. Let it sit for a minute, then massage it in or brush it through. It absorbs oil and gives your hair volume. You can stretch an extra day or two between washes.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo absorbs oil without leaving white residue. It has charcoal for oil absorption and smells fresh.

But listen, dry shampoo is not a replacement for actually washing your hair. If your scalp is itchy or you have buildup, you need to wash it. Dry shampoo is just a tool to extend the time between washes, not skip washing altogether.

Purple Treatments for Blondes Fighting Brassiness

If you have blonde hair, summer is brutal. Sun exposure, chlorine, and salt water all turn blonde hair brassy, yellow, or even green. You need a purple treatment to neutralize those tones and keep your blonde looking fresh.

Lisa's blonde was green from chlorine and brassy from sun exposure. I put her on Keune's Blonde Savior Mask as a weekly treatment. It neutralizes yellow and orange tones while adding moisture. Her blonde stayed brighter and healthier all summer.

Use a purple mask or treatment once a week, not every day. Too much purple will make your hair look dull or even purple tinted. Once a week is enough to keep brassiness under control.

If your blonde is already green from chlorine, you need a clarifying treatment first to remove the buildup. Then use the purple treatment. Purple alone will not fix green.

What Happened With Lisa

We cut off Lisa's damaged ends in September and she committed to protecting her hair better the next summer. She started using leave-in conditioner with UV protection before every beach day. She stopped heat styling as much and used dry texture spray instead. She used dry shampoo to reduce washing. She did a purple mask weekly to keep her blonde bright.

The next September, her hair was in completely different shape. Still healthy, still blonde, no green tint, minimal damage. She finally understood that summer hair needs different care than winter hair.

"I wish I had done this from the beginning," she said. "I could have avoided so much damage."

Your Summer Hair Questions

Do I really need UV protection for my hair?

Yes, especially if you spend a lot of time outside. UV rays damage hair the same way they damage skin. They break down protein, fade color, and dry out your hair. If you are going to be in the sun for more than 30 minutes, use a leave-in conditioner with UV protection or wear a hat.

How do I get chlorine out of my hair?

Rinse your hair immediately after swimming. Do not let chlorine sit on your hair. Use a clarifying shampoo once a week to remove buildup. If your hair is already damaged or turning green, you might need a professional treatment to remove the chlorine and copper buildup. Prevention is easier than fixing it after the fact, so always wet your hair with clean water and apply leave-in conditioner before getting in the pool.

Why does my hair look worse in summer even though I am doing the same routine?

Because summer damages hair differently than other seasons. Sun, chlorine, salt water, humidity, and heat all attack your hair at once. Your winter routine is not enough. You need products that specifically protect against summer damage like UV protection, moisture barriers, and treatments to fight brassiness and buildup. If you are not adjusting your routine for summer, your hair will suffer.

Protect Your Hair Before Summer Destroys It

Lisa learned the hard way that summer hair needs different care. By the time she came to me in September, the damage was done. We had to cut off inches and spend months repairing what was left.

Do not wait until your hair is destroyed to start protecting it. Use leave-in conditioner with UV protection. Reduce heat styling and use dry texture spray instead. Extend time between washes with dry shampoo. If you are blonde, use a purple treatment weekly to fight brassiness. Your hair will stay healthier all summer and you will not spend fall trying to repair the damage.

If your hair is already damaged from summer or you want help building a summer protection routine, book a consultation. I can assess your damage level and recommend exactly what you need. Follow me on Instagram @themanebri for more seasonal hair tips.

Book at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield at 1275 Bloomfield Ave, Building 1, Unit 3 by calling 973-500-4536.

Protect your hair now or repair it later. Your choice.