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#1 Hair Loss?
When humid air settles on fine, straight strands, it weighs them down and makes them look limp and lifeless.
Prevent It With Sunflower Seed Extract! The seed’s vitamin B-5 adds structure to the hair, allowing it to be lifted and lifted from the scalp for lasting volume. Plus, says hairstylist Daniel Koye, who has worked with Vanessa Williams and Susan Lucci, the plant’s fatty acids plump hair for an even fuller-looking mane.
Make: Spritz a sunflower-infused spray like Rusk’s PUREMIX Blooming Sunflower Volumizing Mist (Buy at Ulta Beauty, $18) on damp or dry hair.
Fix it with cornstarch! “The powder provides grit to support the strands at the root,” says Koye. And it soaks up bulky moisture that settles on the hair.
Make: Dust 1⁄4 teaspoon of cornstarch onto fingertips and massage into scalp for 1 minute.
#2 Frizzy curls?
Curly hair is normally dry and porous, so it reaches out for the moisture in humid air to quench its thirst – an excess causes the strands to swell and frizz.
Prevent it with this acid! Just as hyaluronic acid restores moisture to the skin, it also deeply hydrates the hair so it doesn’t look for more moisture. Even better? It seals the cuticle of the hair, making the strands look smoother. To do: Saturate damp hair from roots to tips with a hyaluronic acid hair conditioner like Not Your Mother’s Smooth Moves Instant Shine Lamellar Water Rinse (Buy at Walmart, $7.74) and leave on for two minutes, before rinsing it off.
Fix it with hand cream! The emollients replenish moisture and lightly weigh down the hair to eliminate puffiness. Application: Massage a pea-sized amount of hand cream into hair from the ears down. Gently tap the leftover cream onto the strands near the scalp.
#3 Greasy Roots?
The heat of the sun opens the pores on the scalp and increases oil production, quickly turning freshly washed hair from gorgeous to greasy.
Prevent it with this mask! A scalp mask made from bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar, both astringent, tightens pores to reduce oil production so roots look less shiny.
Make: Mix 1 tablespoon bentonite clay such as Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay (purchased from iHerb.com, $10) 1⁄2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1⁄2 tablespoon water. Rub onto a damp scalp; rinse after 10 minutes.
Fix it with micellar water! Water’s micelles (tiny cleansing components) are used to remove makeup and remove excess oil in an instant.
Make: Soak a cotton pad in micellar water like Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water (purchase from CVS, $10.99); tap on the roots.
#4 Lackluster locks?
While sunlight can reflect light onto our locks to make them look radiant, the powerful rays tend to strip hair of its natural oils for a dull, lackluster look.
Prevent It With Aloe! Saponins in the plant form a barrier over hair to prevent the sun from stripping away shine-enhancing oils, while its moisturizing aloins leave a youthful glow.
Make: Lightly spritz an aloe leave-in spray like Urban Hydration Aloe Vera & Cucumber Leave-In Spray Conditioner (Buy at Target, $8.99) onto damp or dry hair.
Fix it with coconut milk! Coconut’s moisturizing lauric acid penetrates deep into the hair to restore and lock in moisture to parched strands, says Kali Ferrera, a hairstylist in New York City.
Make: Apply 1⁄2 cup of coconut milk to damp hair and leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing.
#5 Faded color?
The sun is hair color’s nemesis as its heat lifts the hair cuticle and allows dye molecules to escape, causing the color to fade quickly.
Prevent it with SPF! A hair sunscreen like Coola Scalp & Hair Mist Organic Sunscreen SPF 30 (purchased from Sephora, $26) creates a protective shield over the curls to keep UV rays from penetrating the hair and altering its color tone.
Make: Spray onto damp or dry hair before going outside.
Fix it with tinted conditioner! The semi-permanent dye in these formulas deposits a light layer of color that enhances and revitalizes the hair’s tone with each shampoo.
Make: Apply a conditioner like No Fade Fresh Color Depositing Conditioner (available at NoFadeFresh.com; available in 13 shades) to damp hair and brush through with a wide-tooth comb to distribute evenly. let sit 10 minutes; do the washing up.
#6 Dirty gray?
We wash our hair a lot more often this time of year, and unfortunately, gray hair tends to take on color from the shower water, making it appear dull and disheveled.
Prevent it with a filter! A vitamin C shower filter like the VOESH New York Vitamin C Shower Filter (available at Voesh.com, $29) easily screws onto your showerhead to allow the vitamin to remove the water’s color-changing compounds before they reach your hair says colorist Gregory Patterson, who’s worked with Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. Bonus: Vitamin C seals the hair cuticle, preventing color-changing compounds like chlorine and product residue from entering.
Fix it with baking soda! The slightly abrasive powder removes discolouration. To do: Mix together 1⁄4 cup baking soda and a tablespoon of water. Massage into damp hair for one minute. leave for 10 minutes; do the washing up.
#7 Stray grays?
The drying rays of the sun exacerbate the already coarse texture of greys, making it difficult for paint to adhere and leaving a fresh tint dotted with silver that is still present.
Prevent it with this add-in! If you mix hair dye, infuse it with a malic acid treatment like pH Plex Protect & Repair (buy on Amazon, $4.89). The acid softens the cuticles on gray hair, allowing the color to penetrate more easily. It also “re-seals” broken hair bonds to prevent damage from coloring.
Fix it with “mascara”! A tinted concealer like No Gray Quick Fix (purchase at Walmart, $4.97; available in 6 shades) allows for precise placement of temporary dye that will hide random silver stains when needed. Smart too: switching your part helps disperse grays if they’re concentrated in a certain area.
#8 Brassy hair?
Patterson says excessive sun exposure and swimming in chlorinated water are to blame for blonde tresses taking on an unsightly yellow-orange tinge this time of year.
Prevent It With Shea Butter Oil! The oil’s antioxidants act as a barrier to prevent the sun or chlorine from penetrating the hair, giving it a non-stick brassy hue. Tip: Since many hair oils are yellow in color and can leave hair with a yellow tinge over time, opt for one that’s clear, like dpHUE Color Fresh Oil Therapy (Buy at dpHUE.com, $35).
Make: Work 3 pumps of the oil into damp or dry hair from root to tip.
Fix it with Toning Drops! “Because blue and violet are opposite orange and yellow on the color wheel, a violet toner neutralizes any brassiness,” says Patterson.
Make: Mix 3 toning drops like OGX Blonde Enhance + Purple Toning Drops (Buy at Ulta Beauty, $10.89) with a handful of your regular shampoo, then apply to damp hair. Leave it on for 5 minutes before rinsing it out.