If you're jetting off to somewhere hot for your holidays you need to take steps to stop your hair becoming dry or frizzyI've been pretty fortunate so far this year on the holiday front. A lovely cruise around the Persian Gulf in March, then celebrating a friend's birthday in Épernay, France (along with some mandatory champagne tasting) at the end of April before whizzing off for a few days in New York in June. This is all very unusual, as I only tend to have one or two holidays a year.
One thing that I have noticed is that with all this travel and the abundance of sun at those particular destinations - not here, I hasten to add - my hair has become quite dry. So this month I thought I would highlight ways to help soothe and hydrate your locks for the summer holidays.
Some of my clients have been asking about minimising frizz on holiday, so I asked trichologist Anabel Kingsley from the multi-award-winning brand Philip Kingsley for some tips.
'Keep your strands hydrated,' she advises. 'You should work a weekly pre- shampoo conditioning treatment, such as Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (£38/150ml, philipkingsley.co.uk) into your haircare routine once or twice a week. This will strengthen and hydrate the strands and help keep the outer hair cuticles smooth and healthy.' (Interesting fact: Philip Kingsley formulated the now iconic Elasticizer for the film legend Audrey Hepburn 50 years ago!)
She also suggests using lightweight styling products to lock in moisture, but ones that form a protective barrier to prevent more hydration of the strands. Anabel also has some brilliant general tips on how to look after your locks.
◆ Your scalp is key. It's your hair's support system and the bedrock for your hair follicles. Give it similar care to the skin on your face. Cleanse regularly, tone daily, mask weekly and use sunblock on any exposed areas.
◆ Blow-dry gently. Use a low to medium setting, don't hold the dryer too close to you hair, and stop when the hair is 'just dry'.
◆ Use a good hairbrush. Brushes with long, flexible plastic prongs are best. Boar-bristle brushes can scratch the hair and scalp and cause substantial damage.
◆ Towel-dry gently (just squeeze the water out, don't rub) with a microfibre towel. Roughly rubbing your hair can damage the outer hair cuticles and tangle strands.
This feature first appeared in the August 2024 issue of The Lady magazine.
Picture: Adobe Stock
