5 Products That Will Help You Reset and Reinvigorate Your Hair from Summer Damage

Daily doses of sun and surf may be good for your mood, but for your hair? Not so much. As much fun as it is to spend time in the summer elements, if you’re not using the right protection products before you head outside, you run the risk of damaging your strands come Labor Day. UV rays, humidity, salt, sweat, and chlorine (in short: all of the most fun things about summer) can all have deleterious effects on your lengths, which means you’ll need to stack your routine with products to help you deal with each.

To help you suss out what, exactly, you should be using, we sifted through products to reset and reinvigorate your hair, no matter which summer situation it’s up against. Keep scrolling to shop ’em.

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1. Sun

Flow Haircare RadiantARMOR™ Heat Protect Spray, $21

We often talk about the damaging effects that exposure to the sun has on our skin, but it’s worth noting that all that UV exposure can create problems for our hair, too. “The light from the sun damages your hair by causing alterations to the protein of the strand itself,” Kevin Manusco, Nexxus global creative director, previously told Well+Good. “That’s when you see things like your color lightening, and stiffening because your hair becomes more porous.” The UV rays damage the outermost layer of your hair, which leads to broken lengths, split ends, and discoloration. Because of this, it’s key to protect your strands every time you step outside. Opt for a heat protectant, like this one, to stop the damage before it has the chance to start.

2. Humidity

Naturalicious Hello Gorgeous Hair Care System, $56

Humidity is the kiss of death for frizz-prone hair—a fact that many of us know all too well. That dreaded poof happens when moisture from the environment penetrates the cuticle of your hair, which tends to happen more frequently in dry, damaged hair types. The key to combatting the issue is keeping your hair well hydrated, which means stacking your routine with moisturizing products—and this three-product system delivers everything you need to do exactly that. It’s got a shampoo, conditioner, and hydrating spritz, and using them all together will help you protect your strands and prevent frizz for the rest of the summer.

3. Salt water

Bogavia The Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment, $20

Though a dip in the ocean can leave you with some seriously glorious waves, over time it can have some damaging effects on your strands. Because the salt from the water crystalizes when it gets inside the pores of your hair, it can have a drying effect on your strands. Plus, it can also cause the color from your hair dye to oxidize more quickly. First and foremost, the best thing you can do to mitigate this damage is rinse your hair immediately following your swim session. Then, to give your strands even more TLC, add a deep conditioning mask like this one into your routine. It’s made with aloe, which will rehydrate your hair without weighing it down, plus natural proteins that will help fortify the outer layer of your strands.

4. Chlorine

One Ocean Beauty Ultra Hydrating Algae Oil, $72

Nobody wants to deal with the dreaded “chlorine green,” which means you’ll want to load up your hair with protective ingredients before you go for that cannonball into the deep end. Your best bet is to coat your strands with an oil, like this one, which will create a layer around your hair cuticle so that the chlorine can’t penetrate as easily. It provides intense hydration, and in addition to fending off chlorine damage, it can also protect against pollution.

5. Sweat

Christophe Robin Natural Purifying Shampoo, $38

Our scalps are inevitably a lot sweatier during the summer months than usual, and it’s important to properly remove said sweat to avoid any nasty buildup. While the sweat itself doesn’t technically make your hair dirty, if you leave it on your scalp for too long it can mix with bacteria and fungus, which can lead to a few issues you probably don’t wanna have to deal with. To make sure you’re getting a proper cleaning every time you lather and rinse, opt for a clarifying shampoo, like this one, which will remove sweat, regulate excess sebum, eliminate dandruff, and calm itchiness.

Check out the video below to help you hack your haircare routine to offset damage even further.

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