Summer haircare advice and products

We all know how harmful the sun’s ultra-violet rays can be to skin, and too much sun exposure can also be extremely damaging to hair. While it’s tempting for your clients to soak up the sunshine and give their locks a naturally sunkissed look, it can wreak havoc with the structure of their strands. Add salt walter and chlorine to the equation and the problem only intensifies, as top trichologist Philip Kingsley explains…What effect does sun exposure have on hair?Exposure to the sun breaks down the protein structure of the hair, dramatically weakening the hair shaft and reducing its elasticity, which means it breaks more easily. The sun’s bleaching effects also roughen the texture of the hair, like a chemical bleach, which can leave it looking dull and lacking shine.Why is it important to protect hair against the sun?While our skin turns pink in the sun as a warning sign that we’ve been sunbathing for too long, our hair is dead, so there’s no way of telling that it’s harmed until it’s too late. Even in dreary weather, ultra-violet rays still filter through the clouds, so clients should defend their hair every day. Just as many people choose everyday skin products with a sun protection factor (SPF), now many hair styling products are available with similar protection.How should clients care for their hair when they’re out in the sun?In the daytime, it’s important to use styling products that contain UV protection. Then, after a day in the sun, put back into hair the moisture and elasticity that the sun strips out. Clients should rinse their hair thoroughly before delivering extra care with nourishing products. How can salons increase their average client bills in summer?Salon owners are missing out if they don’t tap into the extra revenue stream that offering specialist post-holiday treatments can bring to the business. In my trichological clinic in Harrods, London, we get through buckets of my reparative treatments in the autumn, undoing all the damage the sun has caused to my clients' hair all summer.

Summer Haircare Products

	Alterna’s new Caviar Anti-Aging Blonde Conditioner is a god-send for fair-haired sun-lovers as it keeps highlights looking perfect and adds UV protection. Price: £30.50		Aveda’s new Sun Care After-Sun Hair Masque is a deliciously fragranced five-minute wonder to repair and condition. Price: £15
	The new BC Color Save Conditioner is enriched with ingredients to moisturise and repair, plus UV filters to protect after washing. Price: £8.65		Intensively moisturising, the Biolage Sunsorials After-Sun Shampoo removes traces of sea salt and chlorine. Price: £6.95
	Canopy from the Nexxus Phyto Organics range gives hair shelter from the heat and protects from UV damage. Price: £9.90		The C-Straight Smoothing Shine Lotion from mop combines UV protection with weightless, reflective shine. Price: £12.95
	Shake to mix up the Revlon Equave 2-Phase Perfect Summer Conditioner and spritz through hair to give shine and sun defence. Price: £8.99		The Innova Glamour Shine & Hold Spray offers volume, shine and hold with UV filters Price: from £2.99
	Banish brittle hair and replenish the structure of damaged locks with the K-Pack Sun Therapy Treatment Masque. Price: £10.95		Lifetex Sun Color Preserve Cream Lifetex Sun Color Preserve Cream makes coloured hair summer-proof and prevents sun damage. Price: £7.95
	Milk_shake’s Sun & More Deep Hair Treatment Beauty Mask fights dehydration and deep conditions. Price: £13.90		Make hair waterproof and weatherproof with Philip Kingsley’s Swimcap. The cream conditions and protects all day. Price: £16
	Redken’s UV Rescue Shimmering Oil is a leave-in UV-shielding formula with gold mica particles for glistening on-the-beach glamour. Price: £14.85		Make hair waterproof and weatherproof with Serié expert’s solar sublime advanced protection conditioning spray nourishes and safeguards strands. Price: £11.65
	The new S-Factor Silky Smooth Moisture Serum contains sunflower seed oil to condition and shield against UV rays. Price: £13.30		Kérastase Soleil Défense Ultime is a powerful leave-in cream with a strong UV filter, to protect rebellious, highlighted or bleached hair. Price: £16.50
	New from KMS California’s Solperfection range, After Sun Rescue is an intense treatment to reverse the damage caused by sun, sea and chlorine. Price: £21.95		System Professional’s new Moist-in Elixir is hair first-aid in a bottle, to rehydrate sun-parched strands. Price: £9.80