How to protect your hair in the summer

During the summer months, our hair is exposed to a host of external aggressions that can damage it, making it look lifeless, drier, weaker, brittle, and dull. They can even make it fall out since the adverse effects of summer affect both the hair and the scalp equally. During these months, it’s hard to keep up your hair health, so you must know how to take care of your hair in an optimal fashion. Therefore, at Insparya hair clinic in Madrid, we have taken the opportunity following our recent international opening to put together a set of ten recommendations and prevention measures that will help mitigate damage and safeguard the health of our hair during the hottest months.

Hydration. Exposure to the sun, pool chlorine, and sea salt leaves hair dry and lifeless. That’s why it is essential to moisturise the hair at this time of year with products that improve the hair’s structure and restore shine. Keep in mind, though, that you have to pay close attention to the formula of the products: collagen is an ingredient that is always a plus, as it strengthens the hair and helps it grow.
Hats and caps. Wearing these is beneficial since they protect the hair from ultraviolet radiation. However, these supplements should not be over-used as they can suffocate the scalp, which also needs to ‘breathe.’

Avoid pulling back your hair. In summer, updos are popular because of their comfort, but this habit damages the hair, especially if it is still wet. Continuous tension on the hair, either from hair bands or overly-aggressive brushing, can also lead to hair falling out: so-called ‘traction alopecia.‘ When using hairbands to pull hair up, it’s important to check out what material they are made from. Silicone bands and those coated with a material that doesn’t damage hair are preferable.

Dry the scalp. Though air drying is okay in summer, using a hairdryer is always best for drying the scalp, as long as it is kept a hand’s length away from the head, with cool air or the lowest heat setting.

Wash after swimming. After exposing hair to the sun, the sea, and the pool, it must be washed with warm or cool water; hot water dehydrates hair and damages hair proteins.

Wash before swimming. Running the hair through water before going into the pool makes it absorb less water, so it is exposed to fewer substances like chlorine, a disinfectant that damages keratin in hair.

Nutrition. Proper nutrition choices are always an excellent hair treatment. During the summer, it’s important not to forget foods like sardines, mackerel, nuts, and salmon, which are rich in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, nutrients that promote hair texture; citrus (vitamin C improves circulation to the scalp); and carrot, pumpkin, peach, and apricot, whose nutritious carotenes are crucial for preventing dandruff and hair loss. Of course, drinking plenty of water is essential to hydrating the internal structure of the hair.

Avoid dyes. Generally, dyes damage the hair. Using them in the summer is not the right choice. After a colour treatment, dye, perm, or highlights, hair is at its most vulnerable. That’s why it is advisable to avoid the pool for at least a week so that the chemical compounds settle, thus preventing any chemical reaction with chlorine and other products that can cause the hair to stain green, have premature discolouration, dehydrate, or break, to name a few consequences.

Use sunscreens for hair. During the summer, it’s important to use sun protection for our hair regularly, just like with our skin. Always follow the application instructions so that the physical barrier for our hair is always active. The best ones have UV filters and soft, natural ingredients that don’t attack the scalp but protect it.

Chlorine protectors. Some sun protection products for hair also incorporate agents that protect against chlorine, offering more complete hair protection while also hydrating and repairing hair fibres. These products create a film that protects hair from the sun, dehydration, and loss of colour that contact with chlorine can cause.