We know you look forward to taking a vacation and unplugging from work or other commitments. Lots of planning and preparation goes into taking a trip, and this remains true for protecting your hair while away. Chlorine from pool water, salt water from the ocean, and UV rays from the sun can all cause damage to your hair, leaving it dry, brittle and lifeless. As the temperature soars, make sure to protect your locks (and stay hydrated) with these tips for maintaining healthy-looking hair when you're outside all day long.
How Can I Protect My Hair?
At The Hair Lab, we take a custom approach to hair care that aims to identify the entire spectrum of your hair needs and create a custom hair care solution to solve them. The best way to understand how to maintain healthy-looking hair on vacation is to learn about your hair biology through our quick and easy Strands Test.
In the meantime, here are six key steps you can take to keep your locks healthy-looking and damage-free throughout your trip:
- Limit Exposure to Sun, Chlorine & Salt Water as Best You Can
- Rinse and Wet Your Hair With Cold Water Before Swimming
- Apply a Layer of Conditioner
- Give Your Hair a Good Rinse
- Moisturize Your Hair and Scalp
- Prevent Future Damage
1. Limit Exposure to Sun, Chlorine & Salt Water as Best You Can
First and foremost, just like caring for your skin, it's important to limit your hair's exposure to the sun, chlorine and salt water. When you know you'll be spending time in any of these elements, take measures to protect your hair proactively.
For example, if you'll be spending time on the beach, wear a cute sun hat or scarf to keep your hair from being overexposed to UV rays. If you're hitting the pool and need to protect hair from chlorine, invest in a quality swim cap that will keep your strands from coming into contact with chlorine.
2. Rinse and Wet Your Hair With Cold Water Before Swimming
In addition to investing in a good swim cap that won't pull too much on your hair cuticles, it's important to pre-wet your hair with clean water before diving in. Whether you’re hitting the beach or the pool, be sure to rinse with cold, non-chlorinated water before swimming. This will help close your hair cuticles, which helps ensure your hair shafts absorb less chlorinated or salt water.
You can also treat your hair before going in the water with a shampoo that’s customized with a special dose designed to prevent breakage and give your hair an extra boost of resilience. This will help to restore elasticity and minimize damage caused by exposure to the elements.
3. Apply a Layer of Conditioner
Another way to help protect hair while swimming is to apply a layer of conditioner to wet strands before getting in the pool or ocean. This will help to create a barrier between your hair and the damage-causing elements.
For your convenience, we recommend choosing a leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle that you can take with you to reapply throughout the day.
If you prefer not to use a leave-in conditioner because it's not ideal for your hair type, instead apply your regular conditioner to coat the hair before swimming. At The Hair Lab, we customize our conditioners according to your hair type. Our Well Balanced Conditioner offers optimal moisture levels for medium-textured hair. Our Deep Conditioner provides added moisture for coarse-textured strands. While our Lightweight Conditioner offers hydration that won’t weigh down finer strands. It’s important to test your hair to understand which conditioner is best for your hair texture, sun or no sun.
4. Give Your Hair a Good Rinse
After you've enjoyed your time in the pool or ocean, it's important to wash your hair with clean water as soon as possible. This will help to remove any residual chlorine, salt water or other chemicals that could cause damage. If you opted to add in conditioner before swimming, be sure to rinse that out as well.
For best results, we recommend using a quality, sulfate-free shampoo like our Revitalizing Shampoo. Formulated with antioxidant-rich rice water, it helps maintain optimal moisture levels for scalp balance while removing impurities. For oil-prone scalp and roots, reach for a Clarifying Shampoo.
5. Moisturize Your Hair and Scalp
One of the best ways to protect your hair on vacation is to make sure your scalp is properly moisturized. This means not only using a quality conditioner, customized for your hair texture, but also investing in a good moisturizing shampoo to gently cleanse and soothe your hair follicles without stripping hair and scalp of vital nutrients.
If your Strands Test shows that you have a dry scalp, you may need to further customize your shampoo with an intensive, vitamin-rich, moisture-boosting shampoo formula to help hydrate, detangle and nourish your scalp and hair alike.
6. Prevent Future Damage
Finally, one of the best ways to protect your hair on vacation is to take preventative measures, taking into account your unique hair needs. For example, if you have coarse-textured hair, and you know you'll be spending a lot of time in the sun and water, make sure to deep condition at least twice a week. Think about boosting the power of your shampoo and conditioner by customized them with targeted treatments that give your hair the best care it can receive. Our Rebuild Boost Dose Set is a great option to help rebuild strands, strengthen hair and minimize future damage.
This targeted treatment features a powerful blend of vegetable protein designed to help repair and fortify your strands and help you achieve strong, healthy-looking, beautiful hair.
How Can I Learn More About My Hair Type?
By following these simple summer hair care tips, you can help ensure that your hair is protected from damage while enjoying your vacation. With the right care, you can come back from your trip with healthy-looking, lustrous locks.
For more information about your hair type and texture, we recommend taking our free hair test. This will decode your hair biology and match you with the best customized hair care products for your specific needs.
Remember: Take care of your hair, and it will take care of you!
Click here to Test Your Hair and find the custom regimen for your unique hair.