Summer can do wonders for your mood, but it can be a lot for your hair. Sun exposure, chlorine, salt water, humidity, extra washing, heat styling, and travel can all leave hair feeling dry, faded, frizzy, or harder to manage.
As a professional hair stylist, I see this a lot with clients during the summer, especially those with colour-treated hair, highlights, or curls.
But you don’t need a complicated routine to combat this. Small changes can make a big difference to how your hair looks and feels when you get home, or at the end of a long summer.
In this blog, I’m going to share my top tips on how to keep your hair in the best condition while you’re on holiday. You’ve just spent over £200 on your haircut and colour for your holiday the last thing you want is for it to get ruined. So here are my best tips to help prevent that from happening.
Quick answer: How do you keep your hair healthy in summer?
To keep your hair healthy in summer, protect it from UV exposure, rinse before and after swimming, use colour-safe shampoo and conditioner, avoid excessive heat styling, keep hair hydrated with masks or leave-in conditioner, and use gentle styles that do not pull or damage hair.
For colour-treated, blonde, curly or already dry hair, it is worth planning your summer haircare before you travel rather than waiting until your hair feels damaged.
What summer does to hair
As usual, there’s a science behind what happens to your hair during summer. It all comes down to a few common stressors.
- UV exposure can make colour fade faster and leave hair feeling drier, especially if it is already lightened or highlighted.
- Chlorine and salt water can strip moisture from the hair and make it feel rough, brittle or tangled.
- Humidity can lift the cuticle, which is why hair often looks frizzier or less smooth in hot weather.
- Extra washing and styling can make dryness worse, particularly if you wash after swimming or at the beach and blow-dry more often.
- Travel and hard water can also affect how your usual products perform, which is why your hair sometimes feels different even when you are using the same shampoo and conditioner.
The important thing is to protect your hair before damage happens, and then add moisture back afterwards. Being prepared is the best way to preserve the health of your hair, so…
What should you do before travelling?
If you want to book a colour before a holiday, try not to leave it until the day before you fly. For most clients, I would usually suggest having colour done around one to two weeks before travelling. This gives your hair time to settle, lets you wash it a couple of times, and means any toner or colour adjustment can be sorted before you go.
If your hair is already dry, brittle, or very lightened, a trim or conditioning treatment before your trip can also help. You do not need to cut lots off, but removing dry ends before a week of hot weather and harsh water can make your hair much easier to manage while you are away.
10 expert tips for summer hair
1. Use a heat protector with UV protection
Invest in a heat protector that helps prevent your colour from fading. A great one to look out for is a heat protector with UV protection this will also help prevent a burnt scalp!
The one I always recommend is Unite 7 Seconds. It’s a leave-in conditioner, heat protector, and UV all in one. You can even get a mini version that fits in your hand luggage or beach bag.
A word on coloured or highlighted hair
Colour-treated hair usually needs a bit more protection in summer, especially blondes, balayage, highlights, and vivid colours. Sun, chlorine and salt water can all make colour fade faster, while chlorine can leave blonde hair looking dull or brassy.
If your hair is coloured, pack a colour-safe shampoo and conditioner, use a UV-protective spray, and rinse your hair with clean water before and after swimming. If your blonde tends to go warm or yellow, you could take a purple shampoo, toning conditioner or colour-safe mask with you. Do not overuse purple shampoo on holiday, though, it can make dry hair feel even drier if you use it too often.
2. Pack a good shampoo & conditioner
Make sure to take a good shampoo and conditioner with you especially if you’re travelling somewhere with hard water. Hard water alone can make your hair feel dry, so using good products will help restore moisture.
A great shampoo and conditioner that I recommend is the Wella Professionals Care Invigo Color Brilliance Colour Protection.
3. Treat hair before swimming
If you’re going in the pool and like to go underwater, dampen your hair with clean water first, then apply a leave-in conditioner or conditioning mask. This creates a barrier to help prevent colour fading and damage from chlorine or salt water.
4. Rinse after swimming
Always rinse your hair thoroughly after being in the pool or sea. Chlorine and salt can strip your hair of its natural moisture and fade colour.
If you’re away for two weeks or more, use a detox shampoo once a week to remove any build-up and keep your scalp fresh.
5. Wear a hat
Try to wear a hat during peak sun hours. If you’re not a hat person, even just wearing one during the hottest part of the day can help. This is where your heat protector with UV protection really becomes essential.
6. Be gentle with hair bobbles
If you have long hair and want to tie it up, tie it loosely to avoid putting too much tension on your hair. Instead of elastic bobbles, try using a clip or scrunchie this helps prevent breakage and split ends.
7. For curly hair
Summer can be the best time for curly hair, as it tends to dry well in warm weather. But remember, naturally curly hair is often drier than straight hair.
Use a leave-in conditioner along with your curl-enhancing products, and make sure to comb the product through evenly for full protection. If your curls drop or lose shape in humidity, try refreshing them with water and a small amount of product rather than fully washing every time.
Protective styles can also be useful on holiday, but avoid tying the hair too tightly. Loose plaits, soft buns, claw clips and silk or satin scrunchies are usually kinder than tight ponytails or elastic bands. Check my article on festival hairstyles for ideas.
8. Limit heat styling
Try to avoid using too much heat when styling. After a full day in the sun, the last thing your hair needs is more heat from straighteners or curling tools.
9. Dry shampoo tip
Apply dry shampoo right after washing your hair, not just when it’s greasy. Think of it like deodorant you wouldn’t apply it after sweating.
Doing this can help your hair stay fresher for longer and reduce the need for daily washing (and heat styling).
A great dry shampoo I would recommend is a Moroccanoil dry shampoo they do one for light hair with slight violet undertones in so that your blonde hair doesn’t go brassy.
Moroccanoil also do a dry shampoo for dark hair meaning that the dry shampoo still leaves the hair looking shiny and vibrant
10. Sleep on silk or satin pillowcase
If you can, bring a silk or satin pillowcase with you on holiday or even a silk scarf to wrap your hair at night. These fabrics cause less friction than cotton, which means less breakage, frizz, and moisture loss while you sleep. It’s a small change that can make a big difference, especially in hot or humid climates.
How to deal with oily scalp and dry ends on holiday
This is very common in the summer or when you’re in hot countries. Heat, sweat, sun cream, swimming, and extra product can make the scalp feel oily or coated, but the ends still feel dry.
If this happens, focus your shampoo on the scalp and your conditioner on the mid-lengths and ends. Let the shampoo rinse through them instead, then use conditioner where the hair actually needs moisture.
As mentioned above, dry shampoo can help between washes, but it should not replace washing completely. If your scalp feels itchy, heavy, or uncomfortable, it probably needs a proper cleanse.
Holiday haircare packing list
You do not need to take your whole bathroom cabinet. A few well-chosen products are usually enough. If you want to keep things simple, these are the products and tools I would pack for most summer trips:
- UV-protective spray
- Your choice of shampoo and conditioner
- Hydrating mask or treatment
- Wide-tooth comb
- Silk or satin scrunchies and pillowcase
- Claw clip or soft hair ties
- Hat or scarf for strong sun
- Mini dry shampoo
- Heat protector, if you plan to style your hair
- Purple shampoo or mask only if your stylist recommends it for your blonde hair
FAQS
Will my hair colour fade in the sun?
Yes. The sun’s UV rays break down the pigments in your hair, which leads to a bleaching effect and can make the hair appear lighter over time.
Can swimming damage my hair?
Yes, if you don’t protect your hair while swimming, chlorine can build up and strip your hair of moisture and colour—leaving it dry and brittle.
How often should I wash my hair on holiday?
It depends on your hair type and what you are doing. If you are swimming, sweating, or using lots of sun cream and styling products, you may need to wash more often. If your hair gets dry easily, try rinsing after swimming and using conditioner, rather than fully shampooing every single time.
What should I do if my hair feels dry after a holiday?
Start with a gentle wash, a hydrating mask and a break from heat styling. If your ends feel rough, your colour looks dull, or your hair is tangling more than usual, book a trim or treatment with your stylist. Sometimes a small tidy-up is enough to make the hair feel much healthier again.
How long before my holiday should I get my hair done?
I recommend having your hair done about a week before your trip. This gives your hair time to settle, and ensures you’ve trimmed off any dry or split ends. If you go away with split ends, heat exposure can make them worse, and they may travel up the hair shaft—meaning you’ll need more cut off later.
One last tip
If you already have professional products but the bottles are too big for travel, you can buy small reusable bottles and fill them with your favourite products so you’re not buying everything twice. You can find travel bottles here
About the author:
I’m Rebecca, a freelance hair stylist in Manchester with 12 years of experience working with colour, highlights, cuts and everyday haircare. I do not sell products in the salon, so my advice is based on what I genuinely find useful for clients, not what I am trying to push.
If you are planning a summer colour refresh, a big change, or you are not sure how your hair will cope with sun, swimming or travel, you can book a free, no-obligation consultation before your appointment.