Protect Your Hair While Having Fun at the Shore

Craft House Salon
May 21
5 min read

Summer hair has a very specific kind of chaos. It wants to be effortless, salty, shiny, soft, low-maintenance, and also somehow not tangled after a beach day. Around here, with pool days, ocean swims, boat rides, beach walks, humidity, and real-life schedules, the goal is not perfection. The goal is prevention, softness, and making your color, curls, cut, and ends last longer between salon visits.

Our approach to summer hair care: simple habits that protect your hair before it gets stressed, plus a few thoughtful product choices that do the heavy lifting.

1. Get your hair damp before you swim

Before getting into the pool or ocean, rinse your hair with clean water first. Hair is porous, especially if it is highlighted, color-treated, curly, dry, or already sun-exposed. When your hair is already saturated with fresh water, it has less room to absorb as much chlorine or salt water.

Think of it like a sponge. A dry sponge drinks up whatever it touches first. A damp sponge is a little less thirsty. Your hair works in a similar way.

Before swimming: wet hair with fresh water.
For extra protection: add a light leave-in or Davines SU Hair Milk through mids and ends.
After swimming: rinse again as soon as you can.

2. Use sun protection for your hair, not just your skin

We are very trained to think SPF for our face and body, but hair and scalp need summer protection too. UV exposure can contribute to dryness, color fading, brassiness, roughness, and a scalp that feels tight or burned. A wide-brim SPF or UPF hat is one of the easiest ways to protect your scalp, hairline, part line, and color investment.

For hair, Davines SU Hair Milk is our go-to summer leave-on. It is lightweight, helps keep the hair soft and easy to comb, and provides UV protection for sun-exposed hair. It also has heat protection, which makes it helpful when you are air drying, diffusing, or doing a quick style after the beach.

Wear a hat when you will be outside for long stretches.
Mist SU Hair Milk through mids and ends before sun exposure.
Pay extra attention to blondes, vivid color, grey blending, curls, and extensions, because these tend to show summer stress quickly.

3. Keep long hair contained

Long hair plus wind, salt, sunscreen, sweat, and beach towels can turn into one very committed knot. Braids are the low-effort summer style we will always defend. A loose braid, two braids, or a soft rope braid helps reduce tangling, keeps hair off your neck, and gives you a heatless wave later.

A few braid rules: do not braid soaking-wet hair too tightly, use a soft scrunchie or snag-free elastic, and avoid pulling fragile hairlines into high tension. Pretty and practical can be friends.

4. Air dry when you can

Summer is a good time to give your ends a break from extra heat. Air drying, diffusing on low, braiding for heatless texture, or letting your natural wave pattern do its thing can help reduce cumulative stress on the hair. Less hot tool time means less wear on the ends, especially when your hair is already dealing with sun, salt, chlorine, and humidity.

The trick is product placement. Use lightweight moisture or styling support through the mids and ends, then let the hair dry with intention instead of just hoping for the best and emotionally detaching from the outcome.

5. Mask more often in summer

Summer hair needs moisture maintenance. A deep conditioning hair mask once a week, or more often if you are swimming frequently, can help keep the hair softer, more manageable, and less prone to feeling rough or brittle.

Davines SU Hair Mask is made for sun-exposed hair and is designed to replenish moisture, restore softness, and improve manageability after sun stress. We also love Davines Circle Chronicles for more targeted masking: The Renaissance Circle for repair-focused care, The Spotlight Circle for shine, The Restless Circle for on-the-go support, and multi-masking when your scalp and ends need different things.

Pool or ocean once in a while: mask weekly.
Swimming several times a week: mask one to two times weekly and clarify as needed.
Hair feels coated, stiff, greenish, dull, or tangly: ask your stylist if you need a clarifying or mineral-removal plan.

6. Rinse, cleanse, and reset after pool days

Chlorine and minerals can build up on the hair, which may leave it feeling dry, sticky, dull, brittle, or harder to detangle. A quick rinse after swimming helps, but frequent swimmers may need a more intentional cleanse. The goal is not to strip the hair every day; it is to remove what needs to come off and then put moisture back in.

After a heavy pool week, follow cleansing with a deep conditioner or mask. Clarifying without conditioning is where summer hair goes to become crispy. Respectfully, no thank you.

Your easy summer routine

Before sun or swimming: dampen hair with fresh water, apply lightweight leave-in or SU Hair Milk, and add a hat when possible.
During beach or pool time: wear hair in a loose braid or contained style to reduce tangling.
After swimming: rinse with fresh water as soon as possible.
Wash days: cleanse based on exposure, not panic. Frequent swimmers may need clarifying support.
Weekly: use a deep conditioning mask, especially through mids and ends.
Styling: air dry, braid, diffuse low, or use less heat where you can.

When to book a summer hair reset...

Book a gloss, treatment, haircut, or consult if your hair feels rough, your blonde looks brassy or dull, your curls are not bouncing back, your ends are tangling more than usual, or your color seems to be fading faster than expected. Summer hair care works best when it is preventative, but we are also very good at the rescue mission.

Need help choosing the right summer routine? Let's plan at your next appointment. We will keep it realistic, customized, and not remotely dramatic unless your hair truly requires a tiny intervention.

Your summer routine does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be consistent enough to keep your hair from feeling like it spent three months fighting for its life. A little prep before swimming and a little moisture after can make a big difference.

XO,

CHS

Screenshot it, save it, print it, toss it in your beach bag.

Mentally, at least.

Before you swim	Wet hair with fresh water first. Add SU Hair Milk or a lightweight leave-in through mids and ends.
In the sun	Wear a wide-brim SPF/UPF hat when possible. Protect your part line and hairline.
For long hair	Choose a loose braid, two braids, or a soft rope braid to reduce tangling and friction.
After the pool/ocean	Rinse with fresh water as soon as you can. Cleanse when needed, especially after heavy chlorine exposure. Lean into SU after sun care shampoo and body wash.
Once a week	Use a deep conditioning mask. Targeted Circle Chronicles mask like restless circle!
Style smarter	Air dry, braid for heatless texture, diffuse low, or reduce hot tool use to protect your ends.