What is summer hair actually?

Summer hair is hair that dries out extra quickly due to sun, sea, chlorine, and heat. It can feel dull, be brittle, or just unmanageable. Compare it to your skin: it also needs extra care in the summer – and so does your hair.

How do I know if my hair is moisture-deprived or dehydrated?

Dry hair often feels light, frizzes easily, and looks dull. Dehydrated hair feels stiff and breaks easily. Are you in doubt? Dry hair perks up from products with water (like aloe vera), while dehydrated hair prefers nourishing oils.

Should I wash my hair every day in the summer?

Not necessarily. Washing too often can actually dry your hair out further. Try using a mild shampoo after a day at the beach or pool (like the NUXE SUN Shampoo) and possibly alternating with just rinsing and conditioner.

Can I just keep using my regular shampoo in the summer?

That can be, but a special summer or moisturizing shampoo really works wonders. They are often milder and focused on recovery after sun and salt, such as the shampoos from Kérastase Soleil or Christophe Robin.

What is the best way to care for summer hair while on vacation?

Use a moisturizing shampoo, rinse your hair with fresh water after swimming, avoid hot styling tools, and protect your hair with a hat or UV spray. And oh yes: make sure to drink enough water yourself – your hair benefits from that too.

Beauty

Caring for summer hair: this is what you need for shiny locks

By Lotte van Scherpenzeel | #!30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:005630#30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:00-5Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam202530 28am30am-30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:005Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam2025302025Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200005006amSaturday=9#!30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam6#06-28-2025#!30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:005630#\/30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:00-5Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam202530#!30Sat, 28 Jun 2025 05:00:56 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam6#

Now you might be thinking: what is summer hair? I always notice a difference in my hair, whether it’s summer or winter. In the summer, especially on vacation with sun, sea, and pool, it just has to endure a bit more than a day at the office. Not so strange, because that exact trio doesn’t make your hair very happy either. It dries out from salt and chlorine, and then gets further dried out by the sun. I used to love that; in fact, I even added a splash of lemon to refresh my natural highlights. If my locks could talk, they would probably have called for help. Result? Dry, parched, and craving hydration. A nourishing shampoo can’t hurt during these months. But what exactly is summer hair? And how do you know what your hair needs? Here it comes.

Summer hair is thirsty hair

Summer hair is thirsty. And not just a little bit. Think: running a marathon in the desert without a bottle of water. That thirsty is your hair after a day at the beach or pool. The trick? Hydrate, nourish, and especially protect. Because believe me, good care makes the difference between a bunch of straw and a shiny hairstyle.

What does the sun do to your hair?

Sunlight breaks down the keratin in your hair (that’s the protein that keeps your hair strong). Combine that with chlorine, salt water, and that slightly too hot hairdryer after showering, and you understand: your hair is in crisis. Therefore, choose a shampoo that hydrates and repairs.

Moisture-deprived or hydration-less hair? Yes, that’s really a difference

Okay, just a little technical talk but in a friendly way. Because moisture-deprived hair is something different than hair that lacks nourishment – although it sounds the same. Moisture-deprived hair literally lacks water. Think: frizzy curls, hair that is light and dull. This hair craves products with water-binding ingredients like glycerin or aloe vera. Hydration-less hair is often damaged, feels stiff, breaks easily, and needs nourishing oils like argan oil or shea butter.

How do you know what your hair needs?
Before you empty half the drugstore: first take a good look at whether your hair needs moisture or nourishment right now.

You recognize moisture-deprived hair by

Frizzy hair, especially in humid weather (hello, autumn frizz). It looks lifeless, dry, and dull. Often it feels light, but is difficult to style. And curls? They lose their shape and fall apart as if they no longer have any interest.

What helps?
Hydrating products with ingredients like glycerin, panthenol, aloe vera, or hyaluronic acid. And drink enough water yourself – your hair benefits from that too.

You recognize hydration-less hair by

Hair that feels stiff, straw-like, or rough. Split ends, brittle, and it seems to suck up everything you put on it, only to be gourd-dry again an hour later. The cause? Often color treatments, excessive styling, or sun and sea adventures.

What helps?
Nourishing ingredients like argan oil, coconut oil, shea butter, or ceramides. Treat your hair once or twice a week with a hair mask. Rinse it out well to avoid unnecessarily weighing your hair down. You’ll notice a difference right away.

Sometimes you have both
Yes, really. It’s not always distributed fairly. Especially thick, curly, or colored hair often has both thirst and hunger. In that case: work in layers. Start with a hydrating shampoo and conditioner and finish with a nourishing oil or serum on towel-dried hair at the ends.

Hydrating is like giving water. Nourishing is keeping the soil healthy. You need both for radiant, healthy hair and an even more enjoyable summer.

The best hydrating shampoos for your summer hair

Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
The favorite of Hollywood hairdressers and influencers with enviable hair. Hydrates, strengthens, and repairs damaged hair. And yes, you really notice it after just a few washes.

Kérastase Soleil Bain Après-Soleil
Specially developed for hair exposed to the sun. Makes your hair smooth, shiny, and wonderfully soft. Plus: the scent is pure summer in a bottle.

Davines MOMO Shampoo
For fans of natural products: this shampoo is packed with hydration and is also eco-friendly packaged. Love it.

Aveda Nutriplenish Shampoo Deep Moisture
With pomegranate oil, coconut, and mango butter. Sounds like a smoothie, works like a miracle for dry hair.

Keune Care Vital Nutrition Shampoo
Is your hair tangled from too much sun, salt, or styling? This shampoo with provitamin B5 and nourishing minerals intensely hydrates and repairs your locks from the inside out. Bonus: it also smells really nice and is in my bathroom.

Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo with Aloe Vera
Aloe vera calms and intensely hydrates, ideal after sun and chlorine stress. Makes your hair soft, shiny, and airy without weighing it down. This one is coming with me in my suitcase on vacation.

Virtue Recovery Shampoo
With Alpha Keratin 60ku® that repairs damaged hair and makes it stronger. Celebrity approved and a lifesaver after highlights, sun, and styling.

Philip B Forever Shine Shampoo
Praised for its shine-enhancing effect and wonderfully soft finish. Perfect for those who want to shine after a day in the sun.

Nuxe SUN After-Sun Hair & Body Shampoo
The ultimate 2-in-1 for vacation. Gently cleanses hair and skin after sun, sea, and sunscreen. Tropical scent, mild formula, and handy in your beach bag. What more could you want? May recently shopped it in Paris.