How to Protect Your Hair This Summer

I feel like TikTok and Instagram have made protecting and caring for your skin more popular than ever before . . . but what about protecting your HAIR?? It’s so important to protect your hair from summertime elements like salt water, sun, and sunscreen, especially if you have hair extensions! 

First, let’s talk about ingredients in sunscreen that we want to avoid at ALL costs, avobenzone and oxybenzone. Abobenzone reacts with chlorine and can cause toxic reactions. It also breaks down in the sun after about 30 minutes, making it pretty useless in protecting your skin from the sun! It’s often paired with other ingredients to make it last longer, and that’s when it becomes more harmful. 

Oxybenzone is one of those ingredients. This chemical is BANNED in Hawaii because it was so damaging to the coral reef. It can also cause hormonal imbalance and is a known hormone disrupter. YIKES. 

Now, aside from being harmful to your body, avobenzone and oxybenzone are super damaging to your hair! Contact with sunscreen WILL cause discoloration in your hair extensions. You may have seen some of the TikTosk and Reels where sunscreen turns extensions a peachy color. I can assure you . . . these videos are accurate! 

So, what can you do to protect yourself from harmful chemicals AND hair extension discoloration? Here are a few tips:

  • Use mineral sunscreen! Check to be sure your sunscreen does not include avobenzone and oxybenzone. Bare Republic is a great brand, and you can grab it at Target!

  • Before swimming make sure to use a professional leave-in conditioner spray. Kevin Murphy’s Untangled is a great one. UNITE Seven Seconds Spray or Purology Color Fanatic are two other fantastic options!

  • Brush the conditioner through your hair and put it up in a top knot like I did HERE! A WetBrush® is best to use to distribute the leave in conditioner through your hair. It’s honestly the only brush I use whether my hair is wet or dry!

  • After you’re done swimming, make sure to rinse your hair right away. Shampoo and then follow up with a masque for best results. Chlorine and salt water are very drying to even our natural hair, especially the blondies!!

Remember, even your hair brushing your back or shoulders where you’ve applied sunscreen can be damaging! That’s why it’s crucial to keep it UP. This will also help prevent knots and matting.

If you have any questions about how to prevent summertime damage to your hair, send me a DM! If you follow professional advice, your hair extensions will never keep you from having fun in the sun!

Caroline Kalentzos