10 Best Summer Hair Repair Products for Sun & Chlorine Damage

There’s very little I don’t love about summer: sun-soaked beach days, lazy afternoons by the pool, scenic boat rides. My color-treated, naturally fine hair, however, isn’t quite as big a fan. By the time August rolls around, all that saltwater, chlorine, heat, and sunshine has usually left my strands completely fried—and in desperate need of some end-of-summer hair repair. In fact, as celebrity hairstylist Mitchell Ramazon puts it, “Summer can be a perfect storm for hair damage.”

As it turns out, “chlorine and salt can strip away moisture, while repeated UV exposure weakens the hair’s protein structure and roughens the cuticle,” he adds. And it’s not just what you expose your hair to: “Pulling wet hair into a tight bun or brushing it aggressively after swimming can also create additional tension and breakage.” The telltale signs of damaged hair usually include dullness, dryness, frizz, tangling, and split ends. But, Ramazon says, “your color may also fade or look less vibrant, and your hair might feel brittle and suddenly become harder to style.”