This may seem like a no-brainer, but many women complain that moisturizing conditioners weigh their hair down, so remember, if your hair is fine or tends to lay flat on top, only apply conditioning treatments from your mid shaft to your ends. "Generally hair isn't dry at the roots," Reitman says, so you can skip that area.
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Use swimmer's shampoos in moderation
Cutler explains that swimmer's shampoos (like Kiehl's All Sport Swimmer's Cleansing Rinse for Hair and Body, $18) are designed to break down chlorine, which is great, but that they can be extremely drying to hair. Use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner (try Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize Shampoo and Conditioner, $6.49 each) on the days you don't use the swimmer's shampoo. If you swim regularly and have blonde hair, use a swimmer shampoo twice a week. If you're a brunette, you'll likely only need to use it once a week.
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Get a hair color prescription
If your hair color has faded or changed due to exposure to chlorine, sun, etc., visit your stylist and have them help you decide on a course of action and specific products to use at home in order to get your color back where it started. "Different hair colors react differently," says Reitman when asked how women can "fix" color at home. He warns that taking matters into your own hands could leave you with less than desirable results.
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Look for moisture-infusing ingredients
Air conditioning and sun exposure can suck the moisture out of hair. In order to hydrate it again, "use Panthenol and Vitamin E," Cutler says. Products containing these ingredients will add moisture, protect hair from heat styling and make hair more elastic so it's less prone to breakage, Cutler explains. Top-rated products that contain these star ingredients are:
Hair that's been abused by summer's elements may be difficult to comb out. And according to Cutler, if you harshly comb out tangles, you may cause your hair to break. He recommends using a wide-tooth comb and starting at your ends and working up to your roots. To make detangling even easier, Reitman recommends also using a multi-tasking product like Nectar of the Gods, $22 (2 oz.). It detangles, adds moisture and shine, and protects hair from heat styling. It's the "magic bullet for detangling hair without making it flat," Reitman says.
With summer fun unfortunately comes post-summer hair damage. After spending time in the wind, sun, chlorine, salt water and air conditioning your hair may be dull, brassy, frizzy, dry or brittle. Follow these expert tips from stylists Rodney Cutler, owner of the Cutler salons in New York City and Barry Reitman of the Kevin Josephson Salon in Beverly Hills, Calif. to make your hair look healthy and gorgeous again.
