Summer Hair Products to Address Everything from Brittleness to Brass

Winter and all of its dry, cold air can cause serious issues for your hair. From static buildup to dryness, hair care is important in winter. But summer is no different.

While you might not have to worry about cold wind anymore, humid conditions can create their fair share of frizz. Ocean and pool water can alter your color and make strands brittle. Meanwhile, if you’re in the sun too much, you might also deal with dryness.

See? Hair care is important year-round.

To help you treat your summer hair care issues, we’ve rounded up some of the best hair care products to invest in as temperatures increase. Whether you’re worried about your blonde turning brassy or frizz ruining your perfect curls, here are the items you need.

Best for Brass: Amika Bust Your Brass Intense Repair Hair Mask

Whether you’ve gone platinum blonde, gotten highlights, or are gray, summer can cause red, orange, and yellow brassy tones in your hair worse. How? Exposure to sunlight strips color as does getting your hair wet with salt water (ocean vacay, anyone?) and the chlorine in pool water can also be responsible.

Thankfully, if you have beach or pool days planned, you can mitigate those effects and restore your color with Amika’s Bust Your Brass mask. The mask uses ultra-violet pigments to counteract the brassiness in your strands, and yes, it works on all hair types.

In addition to helping combat those unwanted warm tones, the mask has multiple plant butters that nourish the hair with vitamins and fatty acids. There’s also bond curing technology that works to repair the bonds in your hair for strengthened locks.

Before using, be sure to test a bit of this mask on a small piece of hair. Thre’s a lot of pigment in the product, and you want to be sure it works for you.

Most blondes should use the mask once per week for best results, but those with gray hair can use it every other wash. If you have textured, blonde hair, use it every time you’d typically use conditioner.

Best Dry Shampoo: Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a year-round staple for those of us who don’t like to wash our hair often, but in summer, it proves even more important. It can help absorb some of the sweat and oil your scalp produces.

Now, you should, of course, be washing your hair and getting rid of any product buildup and oils as needed, but during the in-between moments, dry shampoo can really do the trick. Batiste’s Dry Shampoo is a holy grail for many. Not only is it affordable, but it can add volume to hair that’s become flat and lifeless.

Plus, not only does Batiste work beautifully, but it also has a variety of delicious smells—like this summer-ready tropical one—, and if you were worried about a white cast in your hair, don’t be. You can always opt for Batiste’s dry shampoo for darker hair. Simply spray it in, let it absorb the oil, and rub it in with your hands.

Best Scalp and Hair SPF: Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Scalp and Hair Mist

You know you should be wearing sunscreen in summer, but are you also applying it to your hair? Much like how the sun can cause damage to your skin, it can also affect your hair. With long-term exposure to UVA and UVB rays, the cuticle gets damaged which can result in brittleness, thinning, and frizz. No fun, right?

That’s why you should be using an SPF like Sun Bum’s Scalp and Hair Mist. The spray features SPF 30 and is designed to protect against UV rays while also providing a bit of hydration with sunflower seed oil.

The mist is quick-drying, so you won’t need to worry about your hair looking wet. Just apply 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply throughout the day for maximum protection.

Best for Repairing Hair: Olaplex Hair Perfector Repairing Treatment

While taking preventative measures is always best, sometimes hair damage happens. That’s why having a good reparative treatment on hand is key, and Olaplex is a go-to for many.

Olaplex’s No. 3 Treatment is used before shampooing and designed to help repair broken disulfide bonds. Those bonds help determine your hair’s strength, so it’s important they’re healthy. More broken bonds mean weaker hair, and by repairing them, you can steel your strands against damage.

Using the treatment will cut down on how much damage is visible to the eye, help prevent split ends, and restore and protect natural hair texture.

Yes, it works for all hair types.

Best for Hydration: Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

Is your hair feeling dry? A deep conditioning treatment could be just what you need. Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair is one of the best out there and good for all hair types.

The treatment should be used after shampooing and allowed to sit for 10 minutes before rinsing.

During that time, vitamin C works to improve hair texture and shine, nourishing damage caused by styling tools and processing. Meanwhile, algae extract replenishes and strengthens, helping to prevent free radical damage. Rosehip oil provides fatty acids that help build hydration and fight frizz.

Best After Sun Care: Davines Su Hair Mask

It’s summer. No one expects you to fully avoid the sun. Where’s the fun in that? But that means you’ll want to be conscious of caring for your hair after it’s exposed to all those UVA and UVB rays. Davines’ Su Hair Mask can help.

In summer, your hair’s moisture can be depleted due to sun, chlorine, or saltwater exposure. The mask is a post-shampoo treatment that helps to re-up your tresses’ hydration. Plant-based oils like jojoba seed as well as sweet almond oils help to nourish while ingredients like shea butter add hydration.

After use, you’ll notice better controllability while styling, a shinier appearance, and moisturized strands.

Best Frizz-Fighter: R+Co High Dive Moisture and Shine Cream

If you plan to air dry your hair to avoid heat styling, you might want to tame flyaways and frizz for a sleeker look, you’ll need a frizz-fighting cream like R+Co’s High Dive.

The cream is meant to be worked through towel-dried hair after washing and conditioning. It will help seal in moisture and protect the strands while also combatting frizz. You can opt to air dry or blow dry, but regardless of which styling option you choose, the product won’t weigh down your hair or make it look greasy.

If you want a bit of hold to your style, though, you’ll need to add a mousse or texture spray as High Dive is designed for moisture and frizz-fighting as opposed to styling.

Best Clarifying Shampoo: Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo

During summer, many use salt sprays to give hair a beachy, worn-in look or turn to the dry shampoo we mentioned earlier to extend washes. Those things are great, but ultimately, you’ll need to get them off your scalp and out of your strands. That’s why you need a clarifying shampoo.

You shouldn’t use them every wash, but using a clarifying shampoo every week to two weeks can help eliminate pesky buildup. Ultimately, not clearing it out can cause everything from dandruff to greasiness.

Moroccanoil’s shampoo helps get rid of those old products but also nourishes hair with argan oil and restores shine using panthenol. For those with hair types amenable to proteins, it also contains proteins to help make strands stronger.

---

Whether you’re heading to the pool, have a beach vacation planned, or just love spending time in the sun, protecting your hair from summer’s ravages is almost as important as wearing your sunscreen.

Regardless of whether your strands need some extra moisture or a great SPF, these products will ensure your tresses stay gorgeous all summer long.