This might be your favorite time of year, but your hair probably can't agree. Between the heat, humidity and chlorinated pool water, your summer hair care regimen is having to work overtime. But just because the warm-weather months throw in a few challenges doesn't mean you can't work the glossy hair of your dreams; simply follow these steps to give hair a summer glow, minus the frizz and sun damage...
How Do I Take Care of My Hair in Summer?
1. Prioritize Anti-Frizz Products
If you find that summer hair means frizzy hair thanks to high humidity levels, you need a smoothing regimen that keeps moisture levels topped up. Hot-weather frizz happens when the hair cuticle is thirsty, as it soaks up the damp air around you, causing bad hair days and flyaways that can be tricky to tame.
Enter ULTIMATE SMOOTH. Packed with oil-rich Squalane and Omega-9 fatty acids, the moisturizing Shampoo Opens in a new tab, creamy Conditioner Opens in a new tab and Intense Mask Opens in a new tab each deliver dialled-up nourishment with megawatt shine. Use the Shampoo and Conditioner for every hair wash day, then add the Intense Mask when lengths are feeling especially dry. Its supercharged formula drenches parched hair strands in nourishment to keep hair healthy, silky and glossy.
2. Pack this Multi-Tasking Oil
Whether you're jet-setting or not, you want a streamlined summer regimen. Multitasking products are essential for keeping your style (and your suitcase) as light as possible while taming frizzy hair. So, try adding a nourishing hair oil to your daily ritual, like ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum Opens in a new tab. It smooths, protects, and fights frizz, adding moisture during and in between hair wash days. Here are some ways it multitasks:
As a Pre-Shampoo Treatment
If you have oily hair that needs washing but your lengths are feeling dry, apply a few pumps of ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum Opens in a new tab to damp hair before shampooing. The oil will protect the mid-lengths and ends while your scalp gets a much-needed refresh, so you strike the perfect moisture balance from root to tip.
As a Hair Mask Booster
Even the most nourishing hair masks benefit from an added boost of moisture, so try cocktailing ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum Opens in a new tab with a deep treatment, like ULTIMATE SMOOTH Intense Mask. First, blot clean, wet hair with a microfiber towel to soak up excess water, then get a scoopful of the mask in the palm of your hand, and add a pump or two of the oil. Smooth your custom blend through the mid-lengths and ends of your hair and allow it to absorb for up to 10 minutes. The silky softness you feel after rinsing is a game changer for frizz-prone manes.
As Part of a Power Pair
Damaged hair and frizzy hair often go hand-in-hand, so team one miracle with another by layering your oil with ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue Opens in a new tab, as seen at Victoria Beckham’s Paris Fashion Week show. The lightweight leave-in treatment is packed with Omega-9 and AHA to give each strand inside-out care, and the blend is so potent that it's able to repair hair damage in 90 seconds¹. Mist it through clean, damp hair from root to tip, let it absorb for 90 seconds, and then apply ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum Opens in a new tab over the top to lock in the results.
As a Hair Oil-Meets-Hair Serum
Of course, you can also use ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum Opens in a new tab on its own. Applied to wet hair before blow-drying or dry hair in between washes, it dials up the glow through lengths and ends. So, not only do you get that summer-ready, glossy look that radiates health, but you'll also achieve nourishment in 30 seconds with smoothness that lasts up to 3 days².
Image Credit: @georgie_quecolour Opens in a new tab
3. Keep Hair Nourished with a Treatment Bun
Sleek, nape-hugging buns are officially trending for summer, and they come with some major benefits: the protective style keeps your neck cool, prevents tugging on fragile strands, and lets you work a treatment bun. Simply smooth your go-to deep conditioner or spray ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue through the mid-lengths of clean, damp hair, comb hair into a bun with a wide-tooth comb, then secure with a silk scrunchie or spiral hair tie (no snagging elastics). Leave the mask in throughout the day, then rinse thoroughly in the evening. We love this trick for a beach day, followed by an 'everything' shower before you dress up for the evening.
4. Turn Down the Heat
Intense heat is an endless battle for hair through the summer season. When it's not the sun beating down, it's your hair dryer and hot tools. You could cut back on heat styling, but you don't have to if you're not ready to kick the habit yet. Instead, aim to minimize heat damage Opens in a new tab by making these simple tweaks:
- Adjust the heat setting on your styling tools. You might be using a higher temperature than needed, so as a general rule, we recommend switching to 250-300°F for fine or damaged hair, 300-350°F for medium or wavy hair, and 350-390°F for thick or curly hair.
- Use a heat protectant that suits your hair type. Apply ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In if hair is damaged, ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum Opens in a new tab for a glass hair glow or EIMI Thermal Image for a suits-all-hair-types protective layer.
Image Credit: @werner_wella Opens in a new tab
Image Credit: @treehousehair Opens in a new tab
5. Prevent Salt Water and Chlorine Damage
Chlorine from pools and salt water from the sea are bad news for hair health, but there is a way you can protect strands – no swim cap needed – when taking a summer dip. Before you dive in, soak your hair with fresh water from the nearest tap or shower. Because your strands can only soak up so much moisture before they reach saturation, that clean water creates a kind of protective barrier through your hair. This means salt and chlorinated water aren't able to penetrate as deep, so you can swim care-free. For extra protection, mist wet hair with a leave-in treatment, like ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue Opens in a new tab.
6. Don't Forget a Hat
Wide-brimmed hats are all over the summer runways – but that's not the only reason to wear one. They're also great for shielding your hair (and your skin!) from harmful rays on hot summer days. Wear it to the beach, the pool, or every day if it suits your style. Silk scarves are also great for covering hair when temperatures start to rise.
7. Top Up Colored Hair at Home
The summer heat wreaks havoc on your hair color, and if you don't act fast, brassiness can take hold, leaving hair with a dull yellow or orange tinge. A hair oil will take care of the shine, but when overly warm tones appear, you also need a color-depositing conditioner to refresh and revive your shade. Try Color Fresh Mask Opens in a new tab, which comes in a range of radiant tones, from naturals to bolds to pastel hues. Whether you're cooling down blonde hair with Pearl Blonde or enriching brown hair with Chocolate Touch, it takes just 10 minutes to top up your tone through clean, damp lengths. Simply apply your mask, let it develop, and then rinse thoroughly. You'll see the results instantly – the perfect pick-me-up in between salon visits.
8. Protect Your Hair at Night
At the end of a long, hot day, sun-scorched strands may be extra vulnerable to hair damage, so give your lengths some extra care before you head to bed. Beach season can also mean breakage season – a problem exacerbated when you toss and turn at night – but ULTIMATE REPAIR Night Serum Opens in a new tab delivers the overnight protection your hair craves.
The rich, gel-like serum nourishes lengths and ends with defense polymers that minimize the impact of friction, while AHA and Omega-9 ensure you wake up to more manageable hair. For extra night-time TLC, sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase. The smooth fabric is gentler on the hair shaft than cotton, helping to reduce hair breakage over time.
9. Add a Salt Spray to Your Kit
We can't talk about summer hair care without calling out our go-to salt spray, EIMI Ocean Spritz Opens in a new tab. Infused with natural mineral salt, it levels up your natural hair texture while protecting delicate strands against dehydration. Not only does it add grip and guts, but it also transforms straight hair into beachy waves. Mist it through damp or dry hair, braid the lengths, leave the braids in for a few hours, then scrunch and release. Your surfer style is locked in.
Looking for more ways to upgrade your hair care regimen? Discover our new virtual consultation tool Opens in a new tab and it will build your bespoke care system. Healthy hair has never been simpler.
¹ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.
² When using ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum, if unwashed for 3 days, vs. untreated.