Is The Summer Causing Damage To My Hair?

Summertime is full of awesome activities that we all love to partake in. Going to the pool, the beach, and just plain being outside! But something I’ve realized most don’t know is that a lot of these activates can be really harmful to your hair. This post is going to explain the 4 main ways the summer is causing hair damage and what you can do to avoid it without staying indoors all summer long!

Why is my hair damaged in the summer?

Is hot weather bad for my hair? Not exactly, but there are factors that come along with hot weather that can cause hair damage. So it’s important to make sure you know what to do to keep your hair healthy in the warmer months. The four main reasons that the summer is causing hair damage are:

1. The pool & ocean
2. The sun & tanning beds
3. Hair ties & sunglasses
4. Wet hair

1. The pool & ocean dry out your hair

First up, the water you go into may be causing hair damage. This may be the most obvious reason because we ALL know that chlorine is not good for your hair or skin.

If you can feel your skin dry out after stepping out of the water, just imagine what it’s doing to your hair.

Have you seen a blonde turn green after swimming in the pool? Yeah, that’s not a good thing to have happen. And even though brunettes don’t turn green, that doesn’t mean that no damage is done. The chlorine is still causing hair damage regardless of the color.

Chlorine is a form of bleach, so if you have a freshly colored mane, say good-bye to the color after dipping it into the water. It will literally pull your hair color right out. If you spend good money on having your hair colored, this is equivalent to throwing your money in the trash.

But what about salt water pools you ask? Salt water pools are not quite as bad as a highly chlorinated pool, but they are still harmful. They still contain some chlorine, just not as much.

And keep in mind, the ocean is on here as well, salt water is very drying to our hair and skin. If I had paid to have my hair colored, believe me my hair would stay clear of any type of pool or ocean.

And while the ocean won’t turn your green, that doesn’t mean that it’s not causing hair damage. Salt water will still dry it out and fade the color. It may not be quite as drastic as the pool, but it will still happen, guaranteed.

2. The sun & tanning bed fade hair color and cause sunburn

The sun causes hair sunburn

Our hair is an extension of our skin. That being said, sunshine is harmful to our hair just as it is to our skin. Keep in mind that hair can get sunburned just as easily, except it doesn’t repair itself. When the damage is done, that’s it. It will either need to be cut off or will break off.

Lighter colors and highly processed hair are at most risk of being burned by the sun as pale skin is. If your hair is already fragile, then the sun can cause some severe hair damage.

Like chlorine and salt water, UV rays also fade your hair color, QUICKLY. Have you ever left a piece of clothing in the sun for too long and it faded to a funky color?? Welp, you guessed it, the same thing happens to your hair. It will typically turn into a brassy color that all of my clients call “red-orange”.

Tanning beds fade hair color FAST

Tanning beds are even worse than the sun because they are stronger and much more direct. This is not something that most people think about before entering a tanning bed.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I was 16 in beauty school. The tanning bed literally faded my magenta hair to a light pink in one session. I looked like a different person walking out of the tanning salon than the girl that walked in!

If you’ve gone to a tanning bed, do you ever wonder why they give you the towel? Well I wrap that towel around my hair like a turban, and keep my hair covered. This will reduce the effects of the rays, but it won’t take them away completely. Those lights are strong, and some of it will travel through the fibers on the towel.

3. Hair ties & sunglasses cause breakage

Anything that puts tension on your hair isn’t good for it. If you wear your hair up in a messy bun or tight pony every single day, I guarantee that you are causing hair damage from it.

I notice this very frequently in my clients hair. There are times when I can pin point exactly where the hair tie, elastic headband, or clip sits on their head by damage patterns.

Sunglasses–especially aviators–can cause damage as well. You shouldn’t ever put aviators (or glasses in general) that have the disconnected nose pads on top of your head. We’ve all done it and had our hair get stuck to those things and the hair can actually be ripped out.

Hair can also get stuck on the sides where the hinges are at the frame of the glasses. You have to be really careful putting them on and taking them off to be sure you aren’t catching your hair.

4. Wet hair is more fragile

Summer activities typically involve water. Whether it’s from the pool, ocean, a hose, or even just showering more frequently.

Your hair is much more fragile when it’s wet. ESPECIALLY when it’s wet with chlorine or salt water. I have seen people break off large chunks of hair while vigorously brushing their wet hair.

This also means you need to be extra careful while using hair ties with wet hair. If you are in the pool and your hair is wet, don’t put it in a tight pony tail.

Actually, don’t put your hair through anything rough while it is wet. This also includes vigorously drying with a towel.

How can I protect my hair from damage during summer?

I know what you’re thinking, I basically just listed every reason why you shouldn’t go outside this summer and just become a hermit instead.

BUT I have some solutions for you that will help to avoid hair damage during summer months.

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

How can I prevent hair damage in the summer?

1. Don’t get your hair wet.

It is doable to avoid dunking your head in the water every time you’re near it. If you can, wear it up in a LOOSE braid or pony.

I like to throw mine up into a big floppy hat when I know I’ll be outside to avoid getting it wet when dipping into the water to cool off.

2. Use leave-in conditioner before getting your hair wet

If you know that you won’t be able to avoid getting your hair wet it is OK, there are still options. If you soak it in conditioner or a leave-in conditioner, your hair will absorb the conditioner and not as much of the water. This will help stop your hair from drying out, as well as turning green!

If I plan on going into the water, I wet my hair, put a crap ton of conditioner in, and then put it in 2 french braids.

My favorite leave-in conditioner that actually is made to minimize the affects of chlorine can be found here.

3. Wash your hair immediately upon getting out of the water

Whether you prepared beforehand with the conditioner or not, you MUST shampoo your hair ASAP after getting out of the water. Never ever ever let chlorine sit in your hair for an extended amount of time. Bad news bears.

If you have blonde hair, you’ll want to use a purple shampoo, conditioner, and treatment after a day out in the sun. This will help to neutralize any brassiness that the sun and water may have caused.

Protecting your hair from the sun & tanning beds

1. Cover your hair from the sun

Whether you cover your hair with a hat, turban, towel, bandana, or even a shirt; wrap it up. Whatever you can do to avoid the sun & UV rays from hitting it, do that.

2. Stay in the shade

I know that no one wants to hear this one, but sitting in the shade works too so you don’t look like a weirdo with your boyfriends shirt wrapped on your head. Sit under a cabana if you take your hat off for a little while. Your hair and skin will thank you later.

3. Use a hair UV blocker

Yes, they make UV blockers for your hair too! I would still recommend covering your hair, but this is good to use if you aren’t going to keep it covered all day long, and it’s also good for everyday use. Especially if you live somewhere sunny like Arizona or Florida!

My favorite leave-in conditioner with UV blocker is Nevo Intense Therapy made by Pravana. If you notice I listed this product above as the leave-in conditioner I recommend for before the pool. This stuff is my ultimate go-to to avoid hair damage during summer months. It’s the jack of all trades when it comes to hair care.

Minimizing hair damage from rubber bands & sunglasses

1. Wear your hair down more often

I know this is hard to do in the summer, but if you are inside try to leave your hair down as much as possible.

I often can tell exactly how a client puts their hair up by the breakage patterns in their hair. There is often a noticeable line where the breakage begins, and all the hair below that line is frizzy.

If you do need to pull it back, wear it in a low pony instead of a messy bun on the top of your head. With a low pony there is less weight pulled on your hair than when the pony is high up. Use gravity to your advantage here.

Keep in mind that a cute messy bun is not worth breaking your hair over.

2. Wear loose braids

Loose braids are my favorite in the summer. They get your hair off of your neck but aren’t putting a whole lot of tension on main sections of your hair.

A hair tie at the ends of your hair does not have as much tension on it as one that’s holding up the weight of all your hair.

This is also a great way to create heatless waves in your hair. I recommend putting the braids in when your hair is dry rather than wet. If the hair is wet, they may come out too crazy. You also don’t want to brush the hair after they come out of braids, just lightly comb through with your fingers.

3. Switch up the position of your pony.

If you must wear your hair up, whether its for work or comfort, try not to wear it the same way every single day.

Switching the position of your pony frequently gives the high tension areas a break.

You can even alternate between using a large clip and hair ties to really give it some variation. Bonus points if you use scrunchies!

4. Don’t put your detached sunglasses on top of your head

Not only can your hair get caught on the sunglasses, but putting them on your head actually stretches them out and will make them not fit as well.

Get in the habit of not setting them on your head; hold them, set them down, or attach them to your shirt if you need to take them off for the time being.

If you absolutely cannot stop yourself from setting them on your head (guilty), just wear plastic ones without the detached nose pads instead. Problem solved!

Keeping your hair healthy when its wet

1. Don’t get it wet

SHOCKER!

This one’s pretty obvious, but if you can avoid it, do it. Use dry shampoo to push off washing it as long as you can.

Check out my blog post here if you’re wondering how often you should be washing your hair as well as tips to extend the time in-between shampoos.

2. Don’t try to brush hair that is wet with chlorine or salt water

Do not ever EVER brush your hair upon getting out of the pool. Wait until you can shower and shampoo your hair before attempting to put a brush or comb in it at all.

I also recommend a heavy duty conditioning treatment after its been in chlorine or salt water. You can get my favorite one here.

3. Be extremely careful when brushing wet hair

Even if your hair wasn’t just in chlorine or the ocean, it’s still more fragile when it’s wet. Spray it first with a leave-in conditioner and start at the bottom when brushing wet hair.

Always remember, small strokes, this is not a race.

4. Don’t wear buns or pony tails when your hair is wet

A combination of your hair being more fragile when wet and a tight elastic hair tie is a recipe for disaster. Just don’t do it.

It may also be helpful to check out my post on growing long healthy hair, a lot of the tips work across the board for all factors of hair care.

How can I fix sun damaged hair?

Unfortunately once the damage is done, it’s nearly impossible to reverse. You’ll need to start by cutting as much of the damage off as possible, and then making sure you use only high quality professional grade products. A proper conditioning treatment once a week, a leave-in conditioner, and avoiding heat completely.

Check out my post here for my best recommendations on keeping your hair healthy.

Summer Hair Damage Conclusion

To conclude, the summer months come with a variety of activities that can cause damage to our hair.

The four main ways our hair becomes damaged in the summer are:

1. The sun and tanning beds
2. The pool and ocean
3. Hair ties and sunglasses
4. Wet hair

To prevent your hair from becoming damaged while partaking in these activities you can:

1. Cover your hair from the sun
2. Avoid getting your hair wet
3. Be cautious of tight hair ties & sunglasses
4. Use quality products

If your hair has become damaged, the best thing to do is get a healthy hair cut, use conditioning treatments regularly, and avoid heat tools as much as possible.

If you have any further questions for me on this topic, be sure to leave them for me in the comments. And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!

Last updated 06/05/2023