How to Protect Your Hair from Damage All Year Round

Key Takeaways

• Adjust your routine each season to prevent damage from heat, humidity, and cold air.
• Hydrate your hair, especially in dry seasons, with deep conditioning treatments to maintain strength and elasticity.
• Use clarifying shampoos in summer and moisture masks in winter to address specific seasonal hair needs.
• Use bond-building treatments like OLAPLEX to reduce breakage from styling and chemical processes.
• Always apply a heat protectant before using styling tools to avoid dryness and split ends.

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How to Protect Your Hair from Damage All Year Long

As the seasons change, so do your hair’s needs. Learn about hair maintenance in winter, anti-humidity hair products for summer, and everything in between. Protect your hair from damage year-round and learn how to manage it during each season with help from OLAPLEX® haircare products.

Seasonal Haircare Tips: From Spring to Winter

Each season brings its own set of challenges when it comes to maintaining healthy hair. Here are specific seasonal tips to keep your hair protected all year long:

Spring

In spring, focus on transitioning to hair care for warmer weather and prepping your hair against summer hair damage. Consistent moisturizing, bond building, and styling maintenance can set you up for healthy, strong hair during the summer months.

• Your scalp produces more oil during the winter months to protect your hair against a dry environment, and as the seasons change, it takes your body some time to adjust to this transition. As winter turns to spring, consider a dry shampoo like N°.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo to help absorb the oils on your scalp. The increased humidity during springtime can mean that you need to pay more attention to the overall health of your scalp. Choosing a conditioner like N°.5 Bond Maintenance® Conditioner can help reduce breakage while strengthening and nourishing hair.
• Strengthen your hair by using Nº.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment and Nº.3 Hair Perfector® once a week. These two products, when used together, are clinically proven to repair and reverse damage done to your hair.

Summer

Fun in the sun, beachy waves (or other summer hair trends), and cannonballs into the pool—while summer is a time to kick back and relax, it’s also the most damaging season for hair.

We sweat more during the summer. This, combined with chlorine from pools, summer styling products, and wearing hats, creates the perfect storm for buildup on the scalp, clogged follicles, and hair breakage without proper care for your hair. Here’s what we recommend:

• Get rid of buildup by shampooing with N°.4C Bond Maintenance® Shampoo. This clarifying shampoo removes buildup and restores vibrant-looking hair.
• Use OLAPLEX Nº.5 Leave-In Moisture Leave-In Conditioner to protect hair today from damage done tomorrow. This leave-in helps protect against future damage and delivers up to 88% split-end sealing after one use. Start by applying one pump to clean, damp hair and follow up with any styling products.
• If you have wavy or curly hair, rock your texture pattern with a styling product like OLAPLEX Nº.10 Bond Shaper® Curl Defining Gel. This bond-building, curl-defining gel protects against heat, controls frizz, provides all-day flexible hold, and is non-sticky and non-flaking—the perfect styling gel to get you through the dog days.
• Hot summer days call for a trip to the beach. And while you might put sunscreen on your face, your hair can take a beating from the sun too! Protecting your hair is all about prevention. OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil™ can help protect your hair against heat up to 450ºF. Apply it to your hair before and during the day to continually protect from breakage.

Fall

Another transition season, fall is the time to help your hair recover from any summer damage and prep for cooler temps. It is less humid, so hair doesn’t hold as much water and is more prone to dryness, breakage, frizz, and static. Cut back on anti-humidity hair products and consider reducing heat styling and providing your hair with the TLC it needs to cope with the environmental changes. Focus on moisturizing to maintain elasticity and strength.

• The cooler temperatures can rob your hair of some of its natural moisture. Combat frizz and dryness and treat your hair with a leave-in conditioner for additional moisture and protection.
• Decreased humidity can leave your hair looking a little flat. The beachy curls and volume you experienced during the summer are long gone. Add a little volume with N º.4D Dry Shampoo and learn how this product uses innovative ingredients to leave your hair looking and feeling clean, while adding weightless body.
• All the salt sprays, sunscreens, and other products you used during the summer have likely built up on your scalp, leaving residue that contributes to scalp issues. It’s important to take care of your scalp by using a gentle clarifying shampoo like N º.4C that cleanses without stripping or drying.

Winter

Hair maintenance in winter may feel like a lot of extra work, but preventative measures during the year will set you up for success. Due to the lack of moisture in the air during the winter months, your hair can become dry and prone to static. Try these tips to help your scalp stay feeling healthy and your hair stay strong and hydrated all winter long.

• Winter hair care is all about hydration. A weekly moisture mask like the Weightless Nourishing Mask or Rich Hydration Mask can make a huge difference when it comes to dry, damaged hair. You might also consider running a humidifier in your home to combat the drying effects of having the heat on.
• Hot water strips the natural oils from your scalp and hair, making it more vulnerable to breaking. Avoid styling with heat, if possible, but if you can’t help it, make sure to protect your hair beforehand with OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil™.

Year-Round Hair Protection Tips

While you may spend a little more time thinking about hair maintenance during winter, there are a few tips that can help your hair no matter the season or how humid it is outside:

Wash Less Often

Protect your hair’s integrity with minimal washing. Washing your hair too often can lead to scalp irritation from dryness. We recommend holding off on shampooing daily, and when you do shampoo, use Nº.4Fine Shampoo to help cleanse, hydrate, and nourish hair and follow with Nº.5Fine Conditioner. You can also use Nº.4D in-between washes to absorb oils on the scalp without any white residue.

Use Heat Protection Before Styling

Before you pull out the hairdryer, make sure your hair is protected against heat. Styling tools can weaken hair strands, leading to dryness, split ends, and breakage. Apply heat-protection hair oil prior to styling. OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil™ is a highly-concentrated, weightless reparative styling oil that increases shine, softness, and maintains color vibrancy—all while providing heat protection up to 450°F. Or, use a serum like Nº.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum to shield hair from heat damage up to 450°F and reduce tangles and static.

Now that you know about protecting and managing your hair all year long, find your personalized haircare routine.

Sources

1. 1. https://www.imagesofprinceton.com/blog/seasonal-hair-care-tips-maintain-healthy-hair-all-year-long.html
2. 2. https://www.thecut.com/article/ask-a-beauty-editor-oily-scalp-causes-and-solutions.html
3. 3. https://goldielocks.com/blogs/news/fall-hair-care-tips
4. 4. https://www.hairclub.com/blog/10-best-winter-hair-care-tips/
5. 5. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/healthy-scalp