Caring for Summer Hair Color & 10 Summery Colors to Inspire

Vacation is fun, but hair damage isn't. Here's how to protect your hair color.

Booked your end-of-summer vacation? Awesome! Now it’s time to get all of your party and swim looks together. It’s so fun to plan for vacation, but what about all of the things you need to worry about after vacation like how to revive, and refresh your hair color after sun tanning, swimming in the pool or creating D.I.Y. beach waves with the help of Mother Nature (fresh salt water). Let’s give this a little think for a moment: If your hair is color-treated, without taking precautionary measures or having an effective hair care plan in place that you can execute when you get back home, may have you feeling like you’ll be needing a vacation from your vacation.

You may think you’re doing everything under the sun to preserve the fresh look of your hair color like, not washing too often, or making sure you’re on top of touch-ups. That’s not all my friend, taking a dip into the water and getting your hair wet can alter the look and feel of your hair. Consider using the following tips:

Post and Pre-Vacay Tips for Summer Hair Color

blonde hair color
Take care of your hair color while on vacay. It’s easy!

1. Use a moisturizing conditioner.

First things first, whether you have color-treated hair or not, hair is most fragile when wet. In addition, color-treated hair is also more prone to damage than hair that hasn’t been color-treated. The reason? When hair dye or bleach is applied to hair, it raises the cuticle (or the hair’s outer layer). Chlorine from a pool can be damaging to the strand, leaving the hair feeling dry and brittle. To restore hair with moisture, consider using a conditioner like Dove Nutritive Solutions Daily Moisture Conditioner, after using its corresponding shampoo, to deeply nourish strands.

2. Pack travel-sized hair care systems for color-treated hair.

Dry looking hair also lacks luster. Shine is one of the key characteristics to having a healthy-looking dye job. Suave Vivid Color Shampoo and Suave Vivid Color Conditioner helps protect color treated hair and seals the cuticle to lock in color vibrancy. We suggest you pack a travel-sized version of these or transfer them into a TSA-friendly bottle so you’ll have them while on vacation. Ed’s tip: Ru hair through tap water before dipping into a pool, and wash and condition hair after a swim or after laying out on the beach.

3. Opt for using a hair oil.

Whether you prefer a natural hair oil or a drugstore alternative like Suave Professionals Castor Oil & Mango Butter Anti-Breakage Treatment, oils can help protect your hair from damage. Applying an oil to your hair can coat the hair shaft preventing any harsh chemicals from getting in. However, don’t think this is all you need, as oil can help prevent some damage but not all. Read the next tip to find out how you can replenish your hair from within.

blonde hair colors natural hair
Keep your hair color in check while you hit the beach by coating hair with an oil to help protect your strands.

4. Make time for a deep conditioning routine post-vacay.

They say whistle while you work; we say deep condition while you unpack. This is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Post-vacation, use a hair mask like Emerge Back to Life Hair Mask to nourish hair from within and unlock luminosity at the surface.

10 Summery Hair Colors to Inspire You

hair color silvery gray blonde
Grayish blonde strands are all the rage this summer.

1. Go Gray Early

Of all the colored hair trends we’ve seen recently, this is by far one of our favorites. Go gray early with a head full of blonde and gray highlights. Keep your lowlights natural to maintain a youthful look.

hair color rainbow bun
Why settle for one color when you can have them all?

2. A Rainbow of Color

Take colorful hair to the next level with a rainbow of hair colors. We love how these colors look when styled in a rainbow wheel messy bun.

hair color pink purple blonde
Take it from color to another.

3. A Gradient Effect

Dye your hair with two colors and have your stylist create a gradient effect. Once you’re committing to dyed hair, you may as well include multiple cool hair colors.

hair color pink orange popsicle hair
Get inspired by your favorite summer snack.

4. Popsicle-Inspired Hair

This popsicle-inspired style definitely falls into the ‘cute hair colors’ category. We love how pink and orange complement each other.

hair color orange red blunt bangs
This light red is almost orange.

5. Bright Orange

Take your red hair to a much lighter level with this bright orange hue.

hair color multicolored
Incorporate multiple colors into your look.

6. Multi-Colored

Get in on one of summer’s hottest trends: watermelon hair.

hair color magenta bun
Go pink and go bold.

7. Magenta

Skip the pastel pink hues and go straight for a bold shade of magenta. Instead of selective highlights go for a full head of bright color.

hair color brunette edges
Lighten up just the ends.

8. Light Edges

Leave your natural hair color mostly intact and lighten up just the edges. When summer ends you can chop off the ends and be back to your original look.

hair color brunette caramel highlights
Consider something simple and subtle.

9. Caramel Highlights

Alternatively, you can ask your stylist to incorporate threads of caramel through your natural brown color.

hair color blonde long multi colored
This rainbow of pastel colors has all the best unicorn vibes.

10. Unicorn Hair

Go all in with a hair color trend that salutes our favorite mythical creature. This rainbow of pastel colors is the perfect combination to nail unicorn hair.

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