Summer Hair Care
I love those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, or so the song goes. And so do most of us if we think about it – the Australian summer is so much easier than winter – fewer clothes to wash (and wear), more sunlight and the chance for outdoor exercise, simpler meals, and the long holiday break with the chance to catch up on reading. What I don’t like about summer is the humidity, and what it and swimming can do to our hair. Frizz, dry hair that can’t seem to draw enough moisture, and quelle horreur….. if you have blonde or light hair, those green tinges from too much chlorine. Fear not, Beauty Over 40 has looked around and found the best products to keep your tresses looking their best over the long hot summer ahead.
Look for hair care products that claim to smooth or hydrate your hair. Good shampoos and conditioners will contain moisturising ingredients, and oils to help keep your hair hydrated, and less prone to frizz. Styling products should not only help tame the frizz, they should protect your hair from heat styling damage, keeping your hair looking shiny and healthy. There are also some specialist pre-shampoo products that nourish your hair and keep it ultra-hydrated and less prone to drying out and becoming unruly. Always wash your hair gently, and apply conditioner and treatments to mid lengths and ends. Always rinse your hair after swimming to remove chlorine and sea salt, which can dry hair out, and wherever possible over summer, let your hair air dry, to reduce the impact of heat styling products, or use a gentle heat styler. Some of the products we recommend to keep your hair in tip top shape this summer are:
Jurlique Sandalwood Shampoo & Conditioner
Jurlique Sandalwood Shampoo and Conditioner are lightweight, gentle products that moisturise your hair with no oily residue. Both the shampoo and conditioner contain sandalwood which helps to de-stress your mind and moisturise your hair and scalp, leaving your hair looking and feeling smooth and soft. Key ingredients in the Shampoo formula include clarifying burdock, balancing horsetail, hydrating lavender and soothing birch. Key ingredients in the Conditioner formula include clarifying rosemary, balancing horsetail, hydrating lavender and soothing arnica. 300ml each RRP $28.00 each.
L’Oreal Botanicals Fresh Care with Camelina Shampoo & Conditioning Balm
L’Oréal Paris Botanicals Fresh Care with Camelina Oil Shampoo and Conditioner is a range that will relax unruly strands, and smooth and tame frizz, so it’s just perfect for hair over 40, 50, 60 etc. Sustainably grown, extracted and concentrated, the safe and clean formulas are enriched with raw botanicals, and don’t contain any parabens, silicones or colourants. The eco-conscious packaging is made from 100 per cent recycled PET to reduce impact on the environment, and is 100 per cent recyclable after use. Shampoo 400ml RRP $17.95, Conditioner 200ml RRP $12.95.
Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo, Conditioner & Masque
The Aveda Smooth Infusion range has been formulated to smooth your hair and help combat frizz. The shampoo has been formulated with natural plant derived fibres which help hold straight hair in place. It has been infused with bergamot, palmarosa, turkish rose and Australian sandalwood, to hydrate and smooth. The conditioner contains tamanu oil, sourced from Vanuatu, which is a potent moisturising ingredient that helps to smooth and condition hair, leaving it sleek and shiny. The Masque helps to reduce frizz by up to 50 per cent for smoother, softer hair, even in high humidity. The formula is powered by botanicals, including certified organic cupuacu and shea butter. Shampoo 250ml RRP $39.95, Conditioner 200ml RRP $39.95, Masque 150ml RRP $49.00. Shampoo & Conditioner also available in 1L, Masque also available in 500ml.
R+Co Cactus Texturizing Shampoo
If the packaging alone doesn’t make you want to buy this fabulous product, its efficacy will. The R+Co Cactus Texturizing Shampoo is the perfect summer shampoo, if your hair isn’t straight, and you want tousled waves and beach ready hair. It has a blend of texture building particles to bring out your hair’s natural wave and texture, whilst providing grip for an instantly more manageable hairstyle. You don’t even need a conditioner (although if your hair is prone to ultra frizz, you can follow with one). Simply shampoo, rinse and style. I can feel this becoming a beach holiday favourite. 177ml RRP $36.00.
Herbal Essences bio:renew Golden Moringa Oil Shampoo & Conditioner
Herbal Essences bio:renew Golden Moringa Oil Shampoo and Conditioner are part of Herbal Essencesbio:renew – the brand’s first antioxidant haircare range, harnessing the power of science and nature. The products are specially formulated to smooth your hair, and keep frizz at bay. Both products are enriched with histidine (a naturally occurring purifier in our bodies), sea kelp and aloe to help remove the build up of free radicals and revive dull, lifeless hair after every wash. Hair is left touchably smooth, shiny and full of life. Both products are free of colourants, parabens and gluten. 400ml RRP $11.99.
Blonde/Grey Toner
If you have blonde or grey hair, you’ll know that too much chlorine can turn your hair green. Schwarzkopf Extra Care Blonde Toner restores natural-looking blonde tones, and whilst it was developed to remove unwanted yellow tones, it’s also brilliant to removing green tones too. The toner adds condition and shine to give your hair a new lease of life. The toner is also ideal for reviving and brightening naturally grey or white hair and toning sun-bleached hair. It comes in a handy tube, making it perfect to take away on holidays with you. 200ml RRP $7.99.
R+Co & Oribe Pre-Shampoo Products
Pre-shampoo products are a relatively new concept on the Australian haircare market, but they are a great help for mature hair. In essence, pre-shampoo products seal your hair before you wash it, and help protect your natural oils, retaining valuable moisture that can be washed away by shampoos. Using a pre-shampoo will leave your hair softer and smoother than if you just wash with a shampoo alone. If your hair is always on the dry side, you may benefit from a pre-shampoo. R+Co Palm Springs Pre-Shampoo Treatment Mask (yes, the names are great aren’t they – sounds like you’re on a holiday already), is applied to dry hair as a once-a-week treatment for hair that is looking dry and fried from too much heat styling, or colouring. The formula contains a cocktail of soothing oils, butters and extracts to deep condition, strengthen and add shine to stressed dry hair. 164ml RRP $43.00. Oribe Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment is a luxurious rejuvenating balm that melts into your hair, deeply moisturising and helping to repair damage, whilst providing protection against the damage caused by washing and styling. The antioxidant rich treatment revitalises softness, shine and elasticity, fortifies your hair, and restores moisture balance without weighing your hair down. The formula is Vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten free. 120ml RRP $95.00.
Klorane Leave In Cream with Desert Date
Klorane Leave-In Cream with Desert Date is a daily treatment/styling product formulated for dry and damaged hair. It penetrates the hair fibre to nourish, repair and transform your hair, leaving it soft, supple and silky. The creamy formula contains desert date seed kernel extract, which is traditionally recognised for its high concentration of fatty acids. It coats the hair shaft to seal in moisture and prevent split ends, while providing styling hold and controlling frizz. The formula is silicone-, paraben- and sulphate-free. The range also contains a Shampoo and Conditioner to care for dry & damaged hair. 125ml RRP $19.95.
Less is More Lavender Smooth Balm
Organic haircare brand Less is More Lavender Smooth Balm is a fantastic multi-tasking product for summer stressed hair. The product is leave in, and can be used as a deep treatment, a nourishing mask, it also combats frizz, leaving hair soft, supple and easy to comb, and it also protects against heat styling and helps to prevent split ends. It makes the hair wonderfully soft, supple, adds moisture and prevents dryness and breakage. As the name suggests, you only need to use a very small amount. 150ml RRP $40.00.
Garnier Fructis Miraculous Oil
Garnier Fructis Nutri-Repair 3 Miraculous Oil is another fabulous multi-tasking product for summer hair. It is a leave in treatment that is suitable for all hair types. Enriched with weightless Moroccan argan oil, the non-greasy formula absorbs quickly into the hair for instant weightless nourishment, to keep frizz at bay. The subtle musky fragrance leaves hair scented, shiny and manageable. It can be used before shampooing, added to conditioner, or applied to dry hair throughout the day. 150ml RRP $11.95.
Oribe Straight Away Smoothing Blow Out Cream
Oribe Straight Away Smoothing Blow Out Cream is a powerful perfecting cream that helps protect against heat and humidity for super sleek hair, with body and movement. The formula containing powerful antioxidants and copolymer blend protects and smooths your hair at the same time. The Cream protects your hair for up to 450°, whilst strengthening and restoring your hair fibre. Frizzy and flyaway hair is controlled, resulting in a sleek, smooth, swishy blow dry. With the high degree of heat protection, the Cream can also be used for thermal iron heat styling. 150ml RRP $64.00.
Schwarzkopf Daily Oil Elixir
Schwarzkopf Extra Care Daily Oil is a fantastic multi-purpose hair oil that will help keep your hair in tip top shape all Summer long. It can be used as a nourishing pre-treatment before washing, on towel dried hair after shampooing and conditioning for extra care and hydration, and as a finishing product for frizz reduction and extra shine. 75ml RRP $8.99.
ghd Aura Hairdryer and Advanced Split Ends Therapy
Of course no Summer “do” is complete without the right tools and the ghd aura® professional hairdryer is our pick to keep your hair looking great through summer. Featuring patented Laminair technology, it delivers a concentrated, non-turbulent, evenly heated air flow for effortless styling control and a smooth and shiny finish. The hairdryer also features a brushless motor which makes the ghd aura, lighter, smaller and more energy efficient, an advanced ioniser to remove static electricity from hair, a removable easy-to-clean air filter for a longer product life, and a variable heat and power setting for better control. Paired with ghd advanced split end therapy, formulated with a blend of nutrient-rich ingredients that help to defend hair against daily styling and environmental stress, by nourishing and fortifying damaged ends, you have the perfect styling duo. Activated by the heat of a styler, the exclusive Thermo-Marine Bonding System fills and binds broken hair fibres together, instantly repairing split ends while the Super Nutrient Complex helps prevents future breakage by surrounding each strand with a protective coating. aura hairdryer RRP $250.00. advanced split end therapy 100ml RRP $35.00.
