Damage Control: Summer Hair

Damage Control for Summer Hair

It happens to me every summer. In May, I get a gorgeous sandy blonde hair color with a meticulously-painted sprinkling of baby blonde highlights, courtesy of whichever hair guru I’ve been stalking for an appointment since spring. I leave the salon with a much lighter wallet and a heavy shopping bag full of the requisite hair cleansers and potions, determined to preserve my color perfection for as long as possible – at least until July 4^th. Yet, within a few weeks, my spun gold color has withered and worn into a brassy yellow. I can’t blame the colorist nor the fancy products when the fact is that I have only myself to blame. A couple of afternoons at the beach, maybe a swim or two plus those seemingly innocuous morning walks and I’ve ruined my hair for the rest of the summer. But what’s the alternative? Avoiding every activity that makes summer so much fun? Sporting a hat 24/7? Taking up night swimming?

Yes, it seems that even with the best intentions, our hard-won, luminous hair color and silken texture are destined to become a thicket of parched, sun-bleached, weakened and frayed strands by fall. While the constant stream of cutting-edge sun protection for skin can keep our faces and bodies relatively shaded from the sun’s damaging rays, the choices for sun shields made specifically for hair are a much smaller pool. However, there is hope. Some of the best luxury hair-care brands are addressing the need for summer-induced damage prevention with targeted products for pre-and post-sun, (and chlorine and salt) protecting the hair’s natural gloss and vitality.

Stock your summer beauty kit with any of these hair protectors to avoid the hair horror show come Labor Day. I’ve taken my own pledge of diligence this time around and vow to never enter pool nor beach party without them.

PhytoPlage L’Originale Protective Beach Spray ($18, www.sephora.com) screens UV rays while infusing hair with potent olive oil extract for a great sheen while in the sun and a soft brilliance later.

Philip Kingsley Swimcap ($42, www.amazon.com) is applied pre-beach as an ultra-drenching conditioning cream that prevents color fade and renders sun, chlorine and salt virtually harmless to your hair. Let it do its work while you surf, sun and stroll and you’ll have softer, shinier hair by dusk.

The Rene Furturer Apres-Soleil Collection (available at www.beauty.com), uses a KPF, or Keratin Protection Factor, system to indicate the percentage protection of keratin, which is an essential component of hair that is broken down by the sun’s rays. Product picks: Huile Nutritive Spray KPF 90 ($23), which, when applied pre-sun/swim, screens the hair from UV rays and prevents salt and chlorine from depositing on the hair. Afterwards, the Apres-Soleil Shampooing Nourrissant ($23) is a must to restore clean, shiny, supple hair, thanks to a super-soothing formula of palm butter and soybean, finished with the Apres-Soleil Baume Nourrissant ($23), which nourishes and repairs split, damaged ends before they have the chance to creep up the whole hair shaft.