Heat and humidity are great at the beach, but not so amazing when you’re trying to get on with life and you need your hair to look fresh. I have coloured hair which, if it’s not at least a little bouncy, can look lank in high temperatures. And my blonde can also get a little dull, especially if I am in and out of water on hot summer days. Thankfully, there are things I can do though to keep my strands looking good. Here are five of them.
1. Get a cut at the start of summer
You probably have heard this one on repeat but booking in for a cut with your hairdresser before you head off on holidays really will help your hair get through the hot months without looking like straw. Blunt ends will prevent hair breakage and split ends and will keep your style looking fresh, which is why I always book in for a cut in mid-December. I also embraced 2024’s obsession with the bob and cut my hair to just below my chin (thank you Nasser at Salon Her) and it has really helped with the health of my hair. Yes, I do have to book in every six weeks for upkeep but my hair looks thicker and stronger as a result.
2. Invest in a leave-in product
I have long loved a post-shower leave-in product to detangle my hair and make it more manageable. The new generation products now offer added strand-strengthening abilities in the form of bond building formulas that help restructure damaged hair. I use Redken’s Acidic Bonding Leave-in Treatment regularly for adding hydration and strength to my hair as well as offering heat protection. I also like Revlon Professional’s UniqOne leave-in which has multiple benefits such as detangling, shine and hydration.
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave in Lotion, $53 at Adore Beauty
Revlon Professional Uniqone Hair Treatment, $25 at Adore Beauty
3. Get your scalp checked
Knowing your scalp up close can give insight in terms of what you need to fix issues such as tightness, redness and itchiness. I went to Sloans Salon in Lane Cove the other day and they put my scalp health under new technology by Kérastase. Called KSCAN, it’s an AI powered smart camera which can asses the health of my scalp in minutes. My hair stylist used the device to take a reading of my scalp (the process was completely painless) and I found out things that I wasn’t expecting. The good: I have thick strands – I always thought my strands were on the thinner side.
The less exciting: my scalp is lacking some microbiome, which are needed for a fully functioning head of hair. When we get to the basin, after a thorough shampoo and conditioner prescribed by the AI, I am given a dose of Kérastase’s famed Fusio Booster Reconstruction shot, a fortifying booster which helps prevent breakage. Back in the chair, my stylist adds some Kérastase Spécifique Potentialiste Vitamin C Hair And Scalp Serum, which helps to balance my scalp and boost my microbiome health. And the results weren’t only for my head, my blonde also looks shinier, my hair is more manageable (my style holds until my next wash) and that tightness on my scalp has gone thanks to added microbiome.
Kérastase Spécifique Potentialiste Vitamin C Hair And Scalp Serum, $92 at Kerastase
4. Apply a mask
I admit, I can get lazy with hair masking, especially when it involves the faff of an endless shower. So I make sure when I am in the bath (which is at least once a week), I apply a mask for 10 to 15 minutes while I soak. It does so much for hydration and hair manageability, so the wait time is worth it. Try Hask’s Keratin version which is not only budget-friendly but also adds strength and healthy shine to hair.
HASK Keratin Protein Smoothing Deep Conditioner, $6 at Priceline
5. Protect your hair
My hair can get dry if I expose it to too much sun so on the weekends I wear a hat and use a UV-filter leave-in treatment like Oribe’s Invisible Defence Universal Protection Spray to protect my colour against the elements and prevent dryness. I also like to swim laps so I tend to wear a swimming cap to keep the chlorine or salt off my hair. I’ll follow up with a deep conditioner (Briogeo has this great one) to get my hair shining again.
Oribe Invisible Defense Universal Protection Spray, $69 at Adore Beauty
Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, $65 at Mecca
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