How to Care for Your Hair Before and After the Beach – OLAPLEX Inc.

Key Takeaways

• During the summer, hair is often exposed to environmental damage from sun, heat, humidity, chlorine from pools, and saltwater from the ocean.
• Using bond-building products all summer long can prevent damage and maintain healthy hair as you’re exposed to the elements.
• Apply a leave-in conditioner and other protecting stylers prior to the beach to protect and moisturize hair.
• Wear protective hairstyles to reduce the amount of hair that’s exposed to the water and sun.
• Ensure you follow up with after-beach haircare products, such as a bond-building shampoo and conditioner and an intense moisture mask.

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How to Care for Your Hair Before and After the Beach

Summer and winter months are most notable for environmental damage to hair. Environmental damage is the kind of damage that gets forgotten about, as its effects are often gradual. By gradual, we mean, you know, three months in the sun, then come September, you notice the split ends and dryness. This summer, let’s skip to the good part by keeping the hair healthy all summer long for when you go to the beach. 

A Must: Add Bond-Building

To safeguard your hair all summer long, incorporate bond-building into your hair routine. Start with the OLAPLEX® Nº.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment—a professional-inspired treatment that primes hair for deep repair and rebuilds bonds while strengthening and protecting hair integrity. This treatment goes hand in hand with the classic OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair Perfector®, which you use as the follow-up to Nº.0. Apply Nº.0 to the hair, leave on for 10 minutes, then layer Nº.3 onto the hair for another 10 minutes, and enjoy until you’re ready to shampoo and condition out. Choose to wash and condition with OLAPLEX Nº.4 Bond Maintenance® Shampoo and Nº.5 Bond Maintenance® Conditioner, which nourish and hydrate for softer, shinier, and healthier hair.

Apply a Leave-in Conditioner

You’ve probably heard of people wearing leave-in conditioners to the beach, and it’s a smart move when you use one like OLAPLEX Nº.5LEAVE-IN™ Moisturize & Mend Leave-In Conditioner. This reparative leave-in conditioner provides instant results and continuous repair from cortex to cuticle. It creates an invisible, breathable barrier on strands to help repair and protect hair from damage. Apply this leave-in to clean, damp hair, then follow up with your favorite stylers.

Use Protecting Stylers

After using the leave-in, turn to OLAPLEX Nº.6 Bond Smoother®. Start with 1 pump and either comb through the hair or apply throughout and scrunch for a textured look. That’s it. Nº.6 moisturizes and eliminates frizz for up to 72 hours. Applying Nº.6 is the easiest way to ensure you’re rebuilding hair while keeping it tame and conditioned at the beach.

OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil is great, too, as it locks in moisture and increases shine; it’s the perfect companion to keep tucked inside your beach bag. Saltwater and chlorine can drain the hair of its moisture, leaving it feeling crunchy and frail. Apply OLAPLEX Nº.7 as needed throughout the hair for glorious shine under the sun. 

Wear Protective Hairstyles

Before you go to the beach, wear a protective hairstyle. Wearing your hair in a braid, braid crown, high bun, or cornrow is a smart way to ensure your look is on point while minimizing how much hair is exposed to the sun, salt, and sea.

Treat Your Hair Post-Beach

After the beach should be all about cleansing, repairing, and conditioning. Wash the sand and water away from your hair with Nº.4 and Nº.5 or Nº.4FINE and Nº.5FINE Bond Maintenance® Shampoo and Conditioner. A day under the sun can severely dry out your hair, so leave Nº.5 on a little longer in the shower for a mini-conditioning treatment to rebuild bonds and moisturize. Then, use OLAPLEX Nº.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask, which replenishes dry and dehydrated strands. Your hair will thank you (we promise).

Whether you’re on a day trip to the beach or a sun-filled vacation, keeping tabs on your hair as you spend time in the sun and sand is key to maintaining healthy hair. Take our hair quiz to get a comprehensive hair routine based on your needs.