Sun, salt, chlorine… and why your hair suddenly asks for a great deal more gentleness
In summer, our hair leads a fairly eventful life. It sunbathes, dives into the sea, dries in the wind, goes back into the water, and sometimes spends the evening with salt all through its ends. We, meanwhile, think we look wonderful.
At the time, we rather like that slightly wild look. Lighter, fuller, almost Californian. Then September arrives. The ends catch, the lengths turn dull, and the brush meets a resistance it has not felt since June.
Our hair has nothing against going back to routine. It simply needs someone to finally take care of it.
The sun weakens the hair fiber
UV rays do not act on the skin alone. They also reach the hair fiber and can gradually alter its structure as well as its pigments. That is why hair lightens naturally over the summer.
With enough exposure, the scales that protect the hair lift. The fiber holds water less well, becomes more porous, and loses its suppleness. Hair then looks duller, feels rougher, and becomes difficult to detangle.
Colored, bleached, curly, or naturally dry hair is often first in line. It was already fragile before the trip. The sun did not really leave it time to rest.
Salt gives style, but not always softness
Sea water brings volume and that back-from-the-beach texture we then try to recreate in our own bathroom. The problem comes above all from the salt that stays on the hair after the swim.
As they dry, its crystals encourage the fiber to dehydrate. Add the wind, the friction of the towel, and hair tied up while still wet, and the lengths end up losing their suppleness.
The beach effect is still charming. Like many good things, it simply gains from not lasting until October.
Chlorine is not much kinder
Chlorine is what keeps swimming pools worth swimming in, for which we can all be grateful. Hair is a little less enthusiastic.
Repeated swims can disturb the hydrolipidic film that naturally protects the fiber and the scalp. Hair becomes drier, rougher, and sometimes more brittle.
On colored or very light hair, certain mineral residues present in the water can also shift the tone. Slightly green blond has its defenders, probably, but they keep a low profile.
Why do we only notice it in September?
On vacation, hairstyles are looser, the air is more humid, and our standards are noticeably lower. A dry end goes largely unnoticed when you are wearing sunglasses and holding a cold drink.
Back home, habits change. We start using the blow dryer again, the brushes, the hot tools. Hair rubs against collars and light scarves. The damage built up over several weeks becomes far more visible.
So it did not dry out overnight. We were simply too busy ordering ice cream to notice.
A gentler routine is often enough
After summer, there is no need to turn your bathroom into a laboratory. Hair mostly needs gentle gestures, regular care, and a little patience.
You can start by choosing a concentrated shampoo, formulated to cleanse without stripping. Apply it to a thoroughly wet scalp, then massage delicately with your fingertips.
There is no need to scrub the lengths. The lather that slides down as you rinse is generally enough to clean them. They were asked to do quite enough over the vacation.
A moisturizing or nourishing treatment can then be applied to the lengths and the ends. Once a week, a mask helps bring back more suppleness. A few drops of oil on damp hair also protect the ends and settle the unruly strands. A few drops, that is. We are not making a vinaigrette.
Finally, it is better to limit hot tools for a while. When they are unavoidable, turn the temperature down and use a heat protectant.
Should you cut the ends?
Sometimes, yes. Treatments improve the softness, the suppleness, and the look of the hair, but they cannot permanently repair an end that has already split.
Taking off an inch or two restores a cleaner base and keeps the splits from traveling up. It is not giving up on your length. It is giving it a better chance of carrying on.
September can be gentle
Dry hair after summer does not call for twelve products or a complicated ceremony. It needs moisture, nourishment, delicate gestures, and a certain regularity. Come to think of it, so do we.
With its concentrated formula, the Homnès shampoo cleanses hair gently. A simple routine, less that is superfluous, and more attention, to help the lengths recover from their vacation.
Homnès. For your hair, body and soul.