Summertime Hair and Skin:
Essential Tips

Summertime is synonymous with sun-soaked days and poolside fun. But, it also brings unique challenges for our hair and skin. The heat, humidity, and exposure to elements like chlorine and UV rays can wreak havoc. They can lead to dry, damaged hair and sunburned, dehydrated skin. But fear not! With the right care and a few handy tips, you can keep your hair and skin healthy and glowing all summer long.

In this article, we’ll share some practical tips for summer hair and skin care. From protecting your locks against UV damage to soothing sunburned skin, we’ve got you covered. So, whether you’re a beach bum, a pool enthusiast, or simply someone looking to up their summer beauty game, read on.

Hydration: Your Summer Hair and Skin Best Friend

Starting with a quick one, hydration is key to maintaining healthy hair and skin during the summer. Depending on your region, the summer heat can quickly dehydrate your body, leading to dry, brittle hair and parched skin. Although in general many people, an estimated 75% of adults in the US (1), aren’t adequately hydrated. Keeping hydrated also extends to your hair and skin.

To keep your hair hydrated, consider a leave-in conditioner. It helps lock in moisture with the added benefit of protecting your hair from harsh elements like chlorine and saltwater (more about that later). For your skin, a hydrating moisturizer is a must. Look for one with hyaluronic acid, a powerhouse ingredient that can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water.

Here are a few hydration tips to remember:

  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
  • Include water-rich foods in your diet, like cucumbers and watermelon.
  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they can dehydrate your body.
  • Use a hydrating mask for your hair and face once a week.

Sun Protection: Not Just for Your Skin

Sun protection is a must in any summer skincare routine. It’s not just about applying sunscreen, but also remembering to reapply it throughout the day. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 (no shame in going higher, especially based on the summer conditions of your region). This can protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Don’t neglect your lips and the delicate skin around your eyes. Use lip balm and eye cream with SPF too if you plan on prolonged exposure.

Sunscreen isn’t just for your skin; your hair can also be damaged by UV rays. UV rays can damage your hair, leading to dryness, and breakage. UV penetrates the hair’s outer cuticle and damages the inner layer leading to protein loss, weakening the hair structure. It also causes color fading, especially in dyed hair.

So, something like a hat can provide some protection, but it’s not enough. To protect your hair from UV damage, use a hair sunscreen or UV protectant. These products form a shield around your hair strands, preventing UV rays from penetrating and causing damage.

Also consider using hair products with built-in UV protection like conditioners containing ellagic acid, a natural antioxidant with photoprotective qualities. This can passively help shield your hair from sun damage.

Some quick sun-related tips:

  • Don’t use products with alcohol or fragrance on sunburned skin.
  • Don’t expose sunburnt skin to even more sun.
  • Aloe vera is a classic go-to for dealing with sunburn-related discomfort.
  • Burned or not, after-sun care is also crucial, hydrate your skin with a good moisturizer.
  • Remember to especially protect your hair if swimming in the pool since chlorinated water amplifies color damage when combined with UV (2).
  • Your scalp can get sunburned too, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your partline and hairline.

Chlorine and Saltwater: The Hidden Culprits

Swimming is a great way to cool off in the summer. But the chlorine in pool water can wreak havoc on your hair and skin. Chlorine dries out your hair and skin by stripping them of their natural oils. Without oil, hair becomes brittle/porous and skin is left rough and irritated; when getting out of the pool for a bit it’s not uncommon for hair to frizz out and experience breakage and skin to be dry and itchy.

Saltwater, on the other hand, draws water out of your hair and skin. This dehydrates your hair, making it dry and brittle. It can also cause your hair color to fade faster and cause skin rashes. Both chlorine and saltwater can cause your hair cuticle to lift. This makes your hair more porous, leading to frizz and further damage. But don’t worry, swimming doesn’t have to mean damaged hair. With the right care, you can protect your hair and still enjoy your summer swims. Let’s look at each in a vacuum and discuss some preventative measures.

Pool Hair, Don’t Care? Think Again!

The effect chlorine has on your hair is often referred to as “swimmers hair”. Hair appears almost waxy but dry, brittle, and coarse. To prevent this is surprisingly pretty simple. To protect your hair, just wet it with non-chlorinated water before swimming and apply regular or leave-in conditioner before you dive in. This creates a barrier between your hair and the chlorine, hindering the chlorine from penetrating.

Quick tips to prevent and treat swimmers’ hair:

  • Rinse your hair with fresh water before and after swimming.
  • Use a clarifying shampoo once a week to remove chlorine buildup.
  • Apply a deep-conditioning hair mask regularly to restore moisture.
  • Consider wearing a swim cap to protect your hair.

Chlorine’s effect on skin is also equally important to consider, especially for those with sensitive skin. Similar to the way it affects hair, the oils in your skin are stripped by the chlorine. Pre-swim body lotion is a product specifically designed to protect your skin from chlorine. While this may not be necessary for everyone, if you find yourself submerging in chlorinated water often or have sensitive skin, it’s great. Otherwise, make sure to rinse off well after swimming and get out of your swimsuit ASAP.

Aftercare is important for both hair and skin and plays a large role in how much damage is done by the chlorine. So here is a hair and skin post-care lightning round to sum it up:

  • Take a true post-swim shower and incorporate products with high amounts of humectants.
  • Time is of the essence, seriously make sure to rinse off as soon as you can (especially for your hair, as mentioned in the UV section), the earlier you wash off the better the results.
  • If you have a skin condition, make sure to use a no-nonsense moisturizer for your skin after exposing yourself to chlorine.
  • Bring a trusted leave-in conditioner if you plan on hanging around the pool for a while after your swim.

Avoid The Beach Blues

While saltwater isn’t nearly as impactful as chlorine, you do still need to consider care when swimming at the beach. Instead of chemically stripping your hair of oil and protein like chlorine, saltwater directly absorbs the water content of your hair. The actual water content of the salt water is lower being saturated with salt. So the water in your skin and hair, being at a higher concentration, wants to transfer itself to the saltwater outside of you. This is a process called osmosis and is a property of water, but we don’t need to go into full detail.

What is important to take from how saltwater affects our body is the serious loss of moisture. This puts us in a weird spot because we can’t simply put in any leave-in conditioner before we swim in the ocean, considering the harmful effects the chemicals in the product could have on nature (even sunscreen has shown to be very detrimental to the ocean). So similarly to how to handle chlorinated water, the best solution is to simply saturate your hair with water before entering to create a barrier.

The key to ocean-related cosmetic care is to resupply the hydration afterward. Think of it like this, the saltwater steals from you and you have to resupply. However, the larger of two evils at the beach is the UV exposure. Unlike the pool, you’re almost guaranteed to experience prolonged sun exposure while swimming. This can be alleviated by bringing an umbrella to the beach but this doesn’t really apply if you’re in the water. Here is where having a good sunscreen and solid swimming cap is clutch. Unless you’re trying to look cute and show off your hair; in which case consider not wading deep enough to wet your hair and having some of the UV-protective hair products discussed in the “sun section”.

Here’s a summation and then some:

  • Purchase an eco-friendly sunscreen brand for your purposes (lower if you want a tan, higher for more protection. Waterproof or not.)
  • Shower before entering the water.
  • Rinse the salt off soon after and reapply moisture to the skin and hair before showering at home.
  • When showering at home use deep-conditioning products to compensate for the extra moisture lost during your swim. 
  • Consider bringing some form of cover (umbrella, hat) and “hair sunscreens” even if you’re not going for a swim.

A Hot Consideration

One last summer factor to consider is the actual temperature. This matters more or less depending on how hot the summers get in your area. Personally, I have to deal with Florida summers, so it’s a much larger consideration for me.

Here are some final considerations if you have to deal with sizzling hot summers, like me:

  • Consider hairstyles like braids, buns, and twists since certain hairstyles not only protect your hair and keep you cool but are also stylish and easy to maintain.
  • Take it easy with the heat treatments (straightening iron, hair dryer).
  • Consider the use of a hat, especially for those with darker hair.
  • Staying hydrated helps maintain body temperature, so drink up!

Wrap-Up

Summer is a fantastic time to enjoy the outdoors and relax, but don’t let the seasonal elements wreak havoc on your hair and skin. Summer beauty care is a journey, not a destination. It requires consistency, patience, and a willingness to adapt to your body’s needs. But with the right knowledge and tools you can keep your hair lustrous and your skin glowing. Remember to hydrate, nourish, and protect, and you’ll be well on your way to looking and feeling your best all summer long.

  1. Adult Dehydration
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/?report=reader
  2. Hair Color Damages Caused by Exposure to Chlorinated Water in the Presence of Ultraviolet Radiation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236109930_Hair_color_damages_caused_by_exposure_to_chlorinated_water_in_the_presence_of_ultraviolet_radiation
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