How to repair sun-damaged hair: five tips from a top London colourist

Sun, salt, chlorine, over-styling and air-conditioning. These are just a few of the holiday-born aggressors our hair face when we jet-off to revel in powdery beaches and pool-side cocktails come summer. UV rays degrade the protein structure of hair and leave it vulnerable to breakage and damage, while chlorine is the ultimate culprit for chemically stripping hair of natural oils, leaving it bone-dry, lifeless and sometimes with an unsightly green tinge.

Whilst on holiday it's best to use a great hair SPF, or massage a deep-conditioning mask into your hair pre-beach (it will penetrate hair even more thanks to the heat). But if the damage is done, don't panic. We spoke to Maxine Heale, a senior colourist with over twenty years experience at top London salon Hershesons, to find out five foolproof ways to fix your post-holiday hair.

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Maxine's five steps to healthy, post-holiday hair:





'The most important thing when it comes to post-holiday hair is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You need to give back the moisture that the sun, sea, pollution, styling and air-con has taken away,' Maxine tells us.

Step one:

'Invest in Olaplex Hair Perfector No.3. I'd recommend using it for thirty minutes on the hair prior to washing, once or twice a week. This restores the bonds in the hair.'

Buy it here for £24

Step two:

'Kérastase Nutritive Masquintense is intensely nourishing and really helps to reintroduct moisture to post-holiday hair. They have one product for thick hair and another for thin, depending on your hair type. You can use this product either as a conditioner or you can leave it on for half an hour if you have the time.'

Buy it here for £24.74

Step three:

'I would definitely recommend the Hershesons Everything Cream pre or post-styling. It's a primer, shine-booster, frizz-fighter, texturiser, tamer, curl-definer, conditioner and a mask. Use it on wet hair when you come out the shower or apply it on dry hair whenever you feel the need.'

Buy it here for £10

Step four:

'Lay off the heat and try not to style the hair if you can help it. For example, air-dry where possible and if not just rough dry hair.'

Step five:

'If you have to dry or style the hair, I would 100% recommend Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique. It's a strengthening milk with a UV filter, that repairs and protects hair against heat.'

Buy it here for £17.85