How To Protect Your Hair That’s Been Colored From Heat, Humidity & Beach Days In The Summer

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While the summer is definitely the most fun season filled with beach days and sun, it comes with some repercussions that can sometimes damage your hair. Between chlorine, salt water, UV rays, and everything in between, your hair may be feeling not up to par, and luckily, we have tricks to help protect and revive your hair.

We spoke to celebrity hairstylist, Stephen Knoll of Stephen Knoll New York, who shared his tips for protecting your hair that has been colored from heat, humidity and so much more.

Since the summer is not over just yet, Stephen shared some ways to protect your hair from the heat this summer, explaining, “Summer can be rough on hair, as the high heat, humidity, and exposure to sunlight can dry and damage even the healthiest of the tresses. So, I recommend my clients embrace their natural hair texture. Let your hair air dry and avoid using drying and styling tools such as flat and curling irons during the summer months. If you must use them, apply a good leave-in treatment such as my Concentrated Hair Serum, and don’t over-dry your hair!”

One of the biggest hair concerns caused by summer is without a doubt frizz from humidity. Stephen said, “There are many things you can do to protect your hair from the humidity, but the number one is to keep it moisturized!” He continued to explain, “It might sound counter-intuitive, but when dry or damaged hair is exposed to humid conditions it soaks up moisture in the air causing the hair shaft to swell and the cuticles to split open, resulting in frizzy hair. By keeping your hair moisturized, it will not soak up the moisture in the air.”

His tips for staying moisturized include investing in a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and “never leave home without applying for a good leave-in conditioner.” He recommends the Smooth Finishing Treatment from his own brand which, he said, “will dramatically moisturize and soften the strands, leaving the hair with frizz-free smoothness and incredible shine.”

So you colored your hair this summer and now it’s damaged. If you’re wondering how you can reverse that damage, Stephen revealed, “One thing you need to keep in mind is that coloring is a chemical, stressful process to the structure, and it will damage your hair. Moreover, the damage done is cumulative.”

Stephen admitted, “I am a firm believer that you must do a pre-color treatment to help to minimize the damage the color processing will do to your hair. Pre-treating is a best practice before any hair color service where you will be pulling color through to the ends of the hair, and the prescription at my salon is using a good purifying shampoo the day before coloring to remove any product buildup and to help even the hair’s porosity. Follow that with a deep conditioner to replace any moisture that may be lost during the process. You should skip the shampoo on the day of the service, to allow the natural oils in your hair to protect the scalp from irritation.”

Considering the sun has ultraviolet rays that bleach your hair and make it lighter, Stephen admitted there is no way to reverse the damage caused by that so it is very important that you take preventative measures.

As for Stephen’s most important tips for keeping your hair healthy, he reiterated, “Moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize again!” He went on to say, “Hair needs moisture at the best of times, but even more so during the summer, so a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner can really save the day. And don’t forget to give some extra love to your ends: they are older and more prone to damage, so run a few pumps of my Ultra Shine Treatment Oil through the tips of your hair to help seal split ends and restore dry heat-damaged hair, while protecting and preventing color from fading.”