Summer is undoubtedly one of the most eagerly awaited times of the whole year, when we drink in the long sunny days, refreshing swims in the sea or in the pool and long, carefree evenings in the fresh air. While our mind and body gather new energy in this season and rest from the everyday rush, our hair often experiences quite the opposite and faces an enormous strain. The combination of intense UV radiation, salty seawater, chlorine from pools, hot dry air and increased perspiration can disturb the structure of the hair fibre very unpleasantly.
The result of this summer strain is often hair without life, rough to the touch, brittle, inclined to break, losing its natural shine and colour. An even bigger trouble that many of us meet in the summer months is the weakening of the hair roots, which not seldom leads to increased hair fall. Because we believe that beauty comes from health and from a perfect balance with nature, we have prepared a complete guide to summer care for you. If you would like your crown of beauty to stay vital, moisturised and firm throughout the season, do settle in with our tried and tested advice.
Here are 8 tips on how to protect your hair in summer and keep it in lovely condition.
Water as the cornerstone of hydration
It may sound like a cliché, but hydration is the alpha and omega of a healthy body, and hair is no exception. During hot summer days our body loses water much faster, which shows immediately not only in the state of our skin, but also in the vitality of the hair follicles. If the body does not have enough fluids, it automatically redirects the available water to the vital organs, leaving hair and nails literally high and dry. So do keep up a regular and generous drinking routine, ideally in the form of clean still water or herbal teas.
Besides inner hydration, the outer kind deserves attention too. Imagine a hair as a fine sponge - if you step into the pool or the sea with dry hair, it will instantly soak up a huge amount of salty or chlorinated water, which then draws its natural moisture out and damages its structure. A wonderful and very simple trick is to rinse your hair with clean water from the beach shower just before swimming. The hair fibre becomes partly saturated with clean water, and thanks to this it then absorbs considerably less of the harsher substances around it.
Physical protection from relentless UV radiation
Just like our skin, hair too contains melanin and proteins, which are extremely sensitive to the sun's rays. Intense UVA and UVB radiation can very quickly disturb the keratin layer, the main building element of the hair. Once this outer cuticle is damaged, the hair loses its defence, begins to fray and its colour fades unwelcomely under the sun. Protecting your hair from the sun should therefore become your daily summer ritual.
The most effective and at the same time the most elegant way is undoubtedly mechanical protection. A stylish wide-brimmed hat, a breathable linen cap or an elegant silk scarf tied in the hair will not only complete your summer outfit, but above all create an impermeable barrier between the sun and your hair. A hat also protects the scalp itself, which is especially prone to burning and whose damage is directly connected with later noticeable thinning of the hair. If you do not like wearing anything on your head, focus at least on hairstyles that keep the exposed surface small. Choose a loose bun or a refined plaited braid.
Gentle care and the choice of the right natural products
The foundation of every workable summer routine is the way we wash our hair and free it of impurities. In summer we naturally tend to wash our hair much more often, since we perspire more and need to rinse away the remains of sea salt, sand or chlorine. Ordinary commercial shampoos full of harsh sulphates, however, uncompromisingly wash the scalp's natural protective sebum away with daily use, and so only make the whole situation worse. That is precisely why summer is the ideal time to stay faithful to natural cosmetics, which approach the hair with the greatest respect and gentleness.
In our range you will find precisely formulated natural shampoos, designed to cleanse the hair thoroughly yet gently. Depending on your preferences you can choose traditional liquid shampoos full of herbal extracts, or reach for solid shampoos. A solid hair shampoo is an absolutely unrivalled companion for summer holidays, because it takes up no space, there is no risk of it spilling in your suitcase and, despite its compact size, it holds an enormous amount of nourishing substances. After every wash, do not forget a good natural conditioner, which closes the hair cuticle.
A pause for the hairdryer and the straightener
Our hair gets more than enough heat during the hot months, so it is time to give it a complete detox from heat styling. Blow-drying with hot air, straightening or curling with tongs are an enormous stress for the hair fibre, evaporating even the last remains of its precious moisture. The result is frizzy, unmanageable hair that loses its bounce. Make the most of the warm summer evenings and let your hair dry naturally in the air. If you need volume or definition in your waves, reach for heatless styling methods, such as soft silk curlers, plaiting damp hair into braids before sleep, or using gentle sea-salt sprays for a beachy effect. If using a hairdryer really is necessary, always choose the coolest possible airflow setting and keep a good distance from the scalp.
Extra care when combing wet hair
Summer and water go hand in hand, which means our hair is wet far more often than during the rest of the year. It is critically important to realise, though, that wet hair is at its most vulnerable. The keratin bonds are temporarily loosened in water, the hair stretches like an elastic band and breaks irreparably far more easily. A fundamental rule of summer care is to avoid rubbing wet hair vigorously with a terry towel. Instead, only very gently squeeze the excess water out or blot it with a cotton T-shirt or a special microfibre towel. When combing, forget dense brushes. Your best friend should become a good comb with wide-set teeth. Always begin combing carefully from the ends and move gradually upwards towards the roots, without tugging.
Regular trimming as prevention against breakage
Even if you are trying to let your hair grow, avoiding the scissors during summer is not the best strategy. Damaged, dried out and split ends have one particularly unpleasant quality – the splitting gradually moves higher and higher up the hair shaft, which in the end means losing much more length than you would like. Ideally visit your hairdresser just before the summer season begins and have the damaged ends trimmed. This step gives the hairstyle instant volume and the hair looks incomparably healthier and fuller. It is just as good to plan a gentle trim after returning from holiday or at the end of summer, when you remove all the damage the sun and sea salt have done and so prepare your hair for the cooler autumn months.
Renewal after the sun and intensive deep nourishment
When you come home after a long day spent in the sun, your skin asks for after-sun lotion. Your hair asks for exactly the same attention, for after time outdoors it is desperately short of lipids and deep nourishment. Do not let things go too far and make renewal your weekly ritual. At least once a week you should treat your hair to an honest nourishing mask or an oil wrap. Light, cold-pressed natural oils are a wonderful choice, as they can travel deeper into the hair shaft and restore its lost elasticity. When applying them, focus mainly on the mid-lengths and the ends, which are always the most affected. Leave the mask to work for at least 30 minutes, though happily for several hours while you read a book. Then rinse the hair thoroughly with a natural shampoo so that it is not left weighed down. This extra step gives the hair a luxurious softness.
Focused care for the scalp with the Regebasil edition
Many of us do not realise it, but healthy and beautiful hair does not begin at the ends; it begins right in a healthy, well-nourished scalp. And it is the scalp that takes the greatest beating in summer. Extreme heat, excessive perspiration, pores clogged with product residue or slight burning from the sun create a remarkably stressful environment for the hair bulbs. The result of this summer stress is often the phenomenon known as seasonal hair fall, which tends to peak unpleasantly at the turn of summer and autumn. To care for this actively in advance, it is key to focus on supporting the roots directly. That is exactly what our special Regebasil edition is here for.
The absolute star of this line is our lovely, remarkably effective serum for hair prone to falling out. It is a concentrated wonder created directly for the needs of a hard-tried scalp. This is no surface product for protecting the lengths, but intensive, deep care aimed straight at the roots. Thanks to its precisely combined active substances, the Regebasil serum is said to awaken the circulation in the scalp beautifully, to soothe it after the summer strain, to give the follicles the energy they need and to support the growth phase of the hair. Regular use of this serum will become your strongest ally in keeping a healthy, thick and strong mane even after a demanding summer.
Your most frequent questions about summer care
So that we can close this important topic really thoroughly and answer all your dilemmas, we have prepared an extended section with questions and answers for you:
Why does my hair fall out more than usual in summer? Is that normal?
Yes, slightly increased hair fall in the summer period is a relatively common phenomenon. It is caused above all by the combination of outer stress and the fact that in summer more hairs naturally move into the so-called telogen (resting) phase, in order to insulate the scalp from the sun, and then begin to fall out. If the shedding is excessive, though, and thinning places trouble you, the situation is not to be underestimated. That is precisely when it is key to reach straight away for good supportive care, such as the Regebasil serum, which balances the scalp and strengthens the roots from within.
Can I use a solid shampoo on a seaside holiday too, when my hair is full of salt?
Absolutely yes! A natural solid shampoo is a truly ideal choice by the sea. Even without synthetic foaming agents it can free the hair of sea-salt crystals and chlorine effectively and, most importantly, immensely gently. Seawater dries the hair strongly all by itself, so washing with a gentle natural composition is incomparably safer than using irritating drugstore chemistry. On top of that, it is the most practical product for a beach bag.
How can I care for hair that becomes oily quickly during the summer heat?
Increased production of sweat and sebum is the body's natural response to regulating temperature during hot weather. The answer, though, is not to scrub the scalp with strong degreasing preparations, which paradoxically only speed the sebum production up. Keep using gentle natural shampoos, wash with lukewarm rather than hot water and do not rub the scalp too hard with your nails; simply massage it lightly with your fingertips. My hair always tends to lighten in summer. Is that a sign of damage? To a large extent yes. The natural fading of colour from the sun is aesthetically tempting for many and evokes a beachy look, yet from a biological point of view what happens is that strong UV radiation literally oxidises and breaks down the pigment cells inside the hair. This process is closely connected with a disturbance of the hair's outer sheath, and that is why it is key to wear a hat in the sun and to hydrate the hair faithfully, otherwise you risk it drying out and breaking completely.
Are oils suitable for hair if I am about to go straight out into the sun and sunbathe?
Here it is worth being especially careful! Applying heavy oils to the hair (for example pure coconut or olive oil) and going straight out into the hot midday sun with them can work against you. In direct sun an oil acts as a heat intensifier and the hair can literally fry inside. So do keep oil treatments, serums and rich wraps exclusively for evening and night-time renewal after coming back from the beach.
How often should I wash my hair during the summer?
The frequency of washing depends on your activity. If you perspire intensively, do sports or swim in the sea every day, it is quite all right to rinse your hair even every single day. We do recommend, though, alternating a full wash with natural shampoo with a simple, thorough rinse in lukewarm water and conditioner on the ends, which keeps the scalp in a healthy balance.
When and how is it best to apply the serum for hair prone to falling out from the Regebasil edition?
The Regebasil serum is designed for direct care of the scalp. You will achieve the loveliest results if you apply it straight onto a dry scalp. Apply it right into the partings in your hair, so that the precious active substances reach exactly where they should – the roots. After applying, we recommend a short massage of about three minutes with your fingertips, which awakens the circulation in the scalp beautifully and multiplies the serum's effect. The preparation is then not rinsed out; it is left to absorb fully.
Summer should be for all of us above all a time of joy, unforgettable experiences and gathering new strength. So do not let it be spoiled by needless worry over damaged hair. With natural cosmetics and a well-set summer routine you will handle all the seasonal pitfalls with complete ease. Give your scalp professional love with natural products, pack your favourites for your travels and protect your crown of beauty with the same attention and love with which you care for your own skin.