A Summer Hair Warning (How I damaged my hair on holidays)

Summer is my favourite season, but it’s also the harshest on your hair. Learn from my mistakes and take even better care of your hair in summer.

I’m away at the moment on an incredible beach holiday in Thailand (you can read about it on mrandmrsromance.com). I’ve been taking extra care of my hair and it reminded me of that time I killed my hair on holidays.

At the time I didn’t realise the damage I was doing. I was having a brilliant time at the beach and my curls were so springy with all the salt water. When I came back, my hair was in such a state that I didn’t even know how to get started to repair it.

Don’t make the same mistakes I did and follow these tips below for better hair after summer.

Tip 1 – Avoid sun damage to your hair

We all know how damaging the sun can be to our skin and I’m sure you’re all wearing sunscreen every day or staying out of the sun as much as possible. But are you doing the same for your hair?

Too much sun dries out your hair, fades your colour and can make your hair brittle as well. Plus when you combine the sun damage with some of the other issues below, you can end up with really dry and damaged hair by the end of summer.

My best tip for this is to invest to a beautiful hat that you will love to wear every day. Love this wide brim and this classic fedora or shop my faves below.

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Tip 2 – Chlorine and hair don’t mix

Chlorine is pretty necessary for keeping a clean pool, but it’s not going to do your hair any favours. As a blonde, you may find that your hair can go green after swimming in the pool too.

This isn’t always chlorine’s fault though it always takes the blame. The real culprits are the heavy metals in the water that are attracted to your hair such as copper and iron. It’s these mineral deposits from the swimming pool that leave those green tones behind in your hair.

But just as the chlorine will sting your eyes, it’s also going to dry out hair too. If your hair does go green from the pool, I have an unconventional trick that will fix it straight away. It involves ketchup, and you can watch my video tutorial on how to get rid of the green in your hair here.

Better yet, to prevent the green, rinse your hair with cool water before you hop in the pool. Saturating your hair first will stop your hair absorbing any more of the water from the pool. You can also put a little bit of conditioner in your hair to help protect it before swimming as well. Then as soon as you get out of the pool give your hair a rinse again so that you don’t let the chlorine dry in your hair.

Tip 3 – Salt is good in moderation

Salty hair, don’t care? Maybe you should.

I often get some of the best curls after I’ve been swimming in the ocean. Those sea salt curls are what I try to recreate during winter with sea salt sprays. However, when you go swimming as much as I do and without washing your hair in between, that salt can take a toll.

This is how I killed my hair that summer. I ended up creating so much damage in my hair when I went to Mexico. The place where I was staying at was in the jungle and didn’t have a really fresh water supply. So I would be swimming in the ocean in the morning and then washing my hair in slightly salty water in the shower as well. This meant that for over a week, I didn’t have any fresh water in my hair. I had some pretty amazing curls and definition, but just towards the end I really started thinking “my hair is feeling a little bit dry”.

When I got back back to the States I went for a blow dry and the hairdressers were all so shocked at the quality of my hair. I couldn’t believe that it had deteriorated so quickly. I had to have an emergency treatment at the basin and be really gentle with my hair for the next few months.

I don’t tell you this to make you nervous of sea salt or sea salt sprays, but just to make sure that you’re rinsing your hair when you’re going swimming.

That salty hair is great but over time, when you’re not rinsing with fresh water in between, it will really build up in your hair. Then it can really dry out your hair. I don’t mind letting the salt water dry in my hair unlike with chlorine after the pool, which I really have to rinse out. Sometimes I leave the salt there and really enjoy those beach curls. But the next morning if I’m going for a swim again, I’ll make sure that I will rinse my hair and give it a condition before heading out into the surf again.

That’s the key point here: salts are okay in moderation, but you have to make sure that you’re rinsing your hair and conditioning just to make sure that you’re not letting your hair become too dry. Don’t make the mistake I did and have to do treatments every three days for months afterwards.

So, just as I’m saying goodbye to this summer in Australia, my Northern Hemisphere friends, enjoy every minute of the warm weather and take care of your hair while you’re out in the sun. Hopefully I will try sneak North again to get some more summer during our winter.

Have you ever damaged your hair on holidays? And what’s your number one tip for taking care of your hair in summer? Tell me in the comments!