Here are some simple tips for maintaining hair and hair color during summer by Les Haverty, Artistic Director of FHI Heat, a manufacturer of professional hair tools.

“It’s almost that time of the year again” states Les Harvey “The beach, the swimming pools, and many outdoor activities are about to cause aggravation because they can adversely affect your hair’s moisture and color. These days the nice thing is that we have many helpful options to protect out investment in our hair.

Shampoo with hydrating color safe, sulfate-free shampoos: “These are usually the safest for daily use. I recommend sulfate-free shampoos because they use natural cleansers to clean the hair without using the harsh sulfate detergents that are responsible for degrading the color or low-lights you spent your hard earned money on. I would also recommend an acidifying conditioner. These are usually citrus-based conditioners which have a PH value between 3.0 and 3.7, and remember that hair’s natural PH is 4.5 to 5.5. Acidifying conditioners help seal the cuticle around the color molecules on the hair shaft and allow the color to last longer.”

Wash hair with tepid or lukewarm water: “…Washing with too hot water can actually open the cuticle removing the hair’s natural moisture and further dry out the hair making it feel like card board or a corn stalk. It also contributes to color loss…This can be done daily (for oily scalps), but if you are one with a dry scalp, every other day is okay as well. On in between days, try using a natural bristle brush and brush the hair from scalp to ends allowing the natural oils or sebum to cover the hair…VERY IMPORTANT, make sure you shampoo immediately following swimming in the pool.

Les Haverty, Artistic Director of FHI Heat. 

The chlorine and bromine used in today’s swimming pools can strip hair and discolor it. In the summer the sun can amplify these chemicals increasing the stress on the hair, leaving it very brittle. Also, wash your hair right after…ocean time. The Ocean contains massive amounts of salt, which can cause your hair color to fade as well. Add the sun’s solar energy to the mix and you will start to see the bleaching effect on hair, the sun is like a bleach factory…”

Conditioning hair: “I stick with the acidifying type for daily use…I would also try a hydrating conditioner once every two weeks to maintaining the softness and condition of the hair…for extremely dry and brittle hair try keeping a comb in the shower as well…comb the conditioner through the hair. This makes sure that the hair…absorbs it.”

Style hair with alcohol-free and silicon-free products: “…I would stay away from mousses, gels, and sprays containing alcohol. The non-alcoholic products work just as good, if not better because they are not damaging…For styling products I recommend serums that contain no drying silicon, but instead natural moisturizers, such as FHI’ Heat’s Hot Sauce which contains jojoba crystals…”

Finish hair with UV enriched sprays: “…Be careful not to apply too much as it will weight the hair down and the sun’s heat may actually make the hair look greasy.”

Use gentle heat styling tools featuring far-infrared heat (gentle, healthy heat), such as FHI Heat blow dryers, styling irons, and curling irons.

Les Haverty at-home tip for summer beach hair and skin spray:
-Boil 2 cups of bottled water.
-Add 4 tablespoons of SPF 40 or higher sunscreen (lotion or cream works best).
-Stir until well emulsified.
-Let cool.
-Put into a clean spray bottle with sprayer nozzle.
“I use this in my hair at the beach and also on my skin for a recharge in battling the sun’s harmful UV rays…it also gives my hair that nice shiny look!”