Summer is wonderful for the soul, but it can be a real challenge for your hair. Strong UV rays, frequent dips in salt water and chlorinated pools can quickly transform soft, flowing hair into dry, frizzy, sun-bleached hair with split ends.
By adapting your routine with the right summer hair care, you can enjoy the sun and swimming without compromising your hair quality. In this guide, we’ll explain how summer affects the hair shaft and what you can do to keep your lengths moisturised and shiny all season long.
How do sun and swimming affect your hair?
| Summer factor | What happens in the hair shaft | Effect on the hair |
|---|---|---|
| UV radiation | Breaks down the hair’s natural proteins (keratin) and bleaches the pigments | The hair becomes brittle, weak and loses its colour |
| Salt water | Salt crystals draw all the moisture out of the core of the hair shaft as they dry in the sun | The hair feels rough, dull and tangled |
| Chlorine from pools | Chemicals settle in the cuticle and can create green tones in bleached hair | Extreme dryness and discoloured lengths |
1. Rinse your hair with fresh water BEFORE swimming
One of the simplest and most effective tricks for your summer hair care is to always wet your hair with regular tap water before jumping into the sea or pool. Dry hair acts like a sponge and quickly absorbs salt and chlorine. If the hair shaft is already saturated with clean water, it is much harder for chemicals and salt to penetrate.
2. Wash gently after sun and swimming
After a day at the beach, salt and sunscreen residue need to be washed away so your scalp can breathe. Avoid strong sulphates, which dry out the sun-sensitive cuticle even further. Wash your roots with our mild, pH-balanced shampoo bars from foam.nu. Read more about what to consider in our buying guide to the best solid shampoo.
3. Moisturise with concentrated nourishment
Sun and wind drain moisture from your hair at an incredible rate. To restore its softness, you need to add nourishing oils that seal the surface. Work our water-free DREAMY hair conditioner bar into the lengths after every wash. Read more about giving your hair an intensive treatment in our guide to hair masks for dry hair.
Do you have highlighted or bleached hair that has become extra frizzy during the summer? See our specialised advice for highlights in dry hair.
4. Seal in moisture with hair oil & avoid heat styling
Before going out in the sun, you can apply a few drops of hair oil to the ends. The oil forms an invisible shield against dryness. See our recommendations in the guide to the best hair oil.
Since your hair is already exposed to intense heat from the sun, you should avoid straighteners and hairdryers as much as possible. Create beautiful summer waves completely without heat damage with heatless curls.
5. Protect your hair while travelling and at night
Going away on holiday? Pack easily with your solid shampoo bars and conditioner bars – they take up minimal space and don’t count as liquids in your hand luggage! Read our best packing tips in the guide to hair care travel kits.
Don’t forget your nighttime routine during warm summer nights, either. Protect your strands from friction with accessories from our satin product collection.
Summer tip from foam.nu: Wear a sun hat, cap or scarf when the sun is strongest in the middle of the day! It’s the absolute simplest and most effective sun protection for both your hair and your sensitive scalp.
Summary: Enjoy summer with healthy-looking hair
Successful summer hair care is essentially about preventative protection and intensive moisture. By rinsing your hair before swimming, washing with gentle sulphate-free products and working in pure nourishment, your hair will stay soft, strong and shiny all summer long.
Discover gentle, water-free hair care at foam.nu!