How to protect your hair from sun, chlorine and salt
How to protect your hair in the intense Elche and Alicante summer: how sun, chlorine and salt affect it, a protection routine and salon treatments.
Key points of this article:
- The sun weakens hair structure and causes it to lose its natural or dyed colour.
- Chlorine strips the natural protective oils and can give light hair a greenish tint.
- Sea salt dries out hair almost instantly, leaving it rough and brittle.
- Wetting hair with fresh water before swimming stops it absorbing as much chlorine or salt.
- A hair sunscreen (with Polysilicone-15) is critical to prevent hair from burning.
- Salon treatments (Olaplex, hair botox) are the salvation after the holidays.
- Why summer is your hair's biggest enemy
- What happens to your hair at the beach or pool
- Key ingredients for your summer products
- Your ideal summer hair care routine
- Protective styling: hairstyles for the beach
- Is your hair already damaged? Rescue treatments
Why summer is your hair's biggest enemy
Summer on the Levantine coast is synonymous with the beach, the pool and a dazzling sun, but for our hair it is one of the most stressful times of the year. The intense sun of Alicante and its coasts, combined with pool chlorine and sea salt, forms a cocktail that can ruin even the best-cared mane if we do not take precautions.
Hair is made up primarily of keratin, a protein that gives it strength and elasticity, and it has a natural fat layer that keeps it hydrated and shiny. When we expose ourselves unprotected, we directly attack both its internal structure and its external protective layer.
What happens to your hair at the beach or pool
Each of summer's "aggressors" attacks in a different way:
The sun (UV radiation)
Just as it burns the skin, the sun "burns" hair. Ultraviolet radiation breaks down the proteins that give it strength, making hair brittle and causing split ends. The sun also destroys pigments, which is why hair lightens in summer and dyes fade so quickly.
Pool chlorine
Chlorine acts like a harsh detergent: it sweeps away the natural oils that keep hair soft, leaving it rough and hard to comb. In blonde or highlighted hair, it makes it easier for certain water metals (like copper) to stick to the hair, causing that unwanted greenish tint.
Sea salt
Salt absorbs moisture: when salt water dries on your hair, it draws out the internal water, causing instant dehydration. That rough texture after a beach day is due to salt crystals stuck to the hair's surface.
| Aggressor | What does it cause? | How is it noticed in hair? |
|---|---|---|
| Sun (UV rays) | Breaks proteins and oxidises colour. | Very dry, brittle hair, split ends, colour loss. |
| Chlorine | Strips natural oils and oxidises metals. | Rough hair, knots, fragility, greenish reflections in blondes. |
| Sea salt | Absorbs internal hydration. | "Straw" feel, loss of shine, fragility when combing. |
Key ingredients for your summer products
To fight this continuous damage, not just any shampoo works. You need specific allies:
- Hair sunscreen filters: look for professional ingredients like Polysilicone-15, a lightweight filter designed for hair that absorbs UVB rays without a greasy feel.
- Chelating or clarifying shampoos: they trap and remove hard-water minerals and chlorine (EDTA, sodium phytate). Using one weekly in summer "resets" hair and restores shine.
- Oils and botanical extracts: coconut, argan, avocado or shea butter replenish the lipid layer that seawater steals.
Your ideal summer hair care routine
Maintaining healthy hair in summer is much easier with three steps: before, during and after water exposure.
1. The shower trick before swimming
The most important tip: never get into the pool or sea with dry hair. Always wet it with fresh water first; if it is already full of clean water, it will not absorb as much salt or chlorinated water. Also apply a good hair sunscreen (spray or leave-in cream), paying attention to the ends.
2. Immediate washing
Do not let chlorine or salt dry in the sun. As soon as you leave the water, rinse hair abundantly with fresh water.
3. Intensive hydration at home
Swap your usual shampoo for a mild, highly hydrating one without harsh sulphates. At least once a week apply a deep nourishing mask. Dry with a microfibre towel without rubbing and avoid extreme heat; if you use a flat iron or dryer, always apply heat protectant.
Protective styling: hairstyles for the beach
A very effective (and very trendy) way to protect your mane is to minimise the hair exposed directly to sun and wind.
Forget wearing hair down on windy days: you will only get impossible knots. Opt for loose braids, messy buns or top knots, which shield the inner part of the mane. Lean on wide-brimmed hats or caps (which also protect the scalp at the parting) and swap traditional elastics for gentler options that do not break the fibre.
Is your hair already damaged? Rescue treatments
If the damage is already done (your hair feels like "gum" when stretched, lacks shine and the ends are split), home masks will not be enough. It is time to visit your trusted hair salon in Elche. At Milanocenter we evaluate your damage level and apply expert solutions:
- Bond multiplier therapies (Olaplex or K18): they repair the broken disulphide bonds after chemical or UV burns, restoring original strength (especially if you have bleached).
- Hair botox and shock therapies: they fill the fibre gaps with humectant peptides, redensifying hair from the inside out and removing the scouring-pad effect almost instantly.
We integrate these therapies into our hair treatments. And if your underlying issue is frizz, you will also want how to control frizz.
Back-from-holidays tip: if your hair has suffered a lot, avoid dyeing or bleaching right away. Give it a "chemical fast" of 4 to 6 weeks, fearlessly cut off that last centimetre of burnt ends and let the salon treatments work.
"Every September we get hair 'fried' from the beach. The first step is not dye, it is reconstructing and trimming: colour over burnt hair fades fast and looks dull. Health first, then colour." — The Milanocenter Estilismo team
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is highly recommended. Letting salt or chlorine dry on your hair under the sun is a recipe for disaster. Always use a gentle or sulphate-free shampoo to cleanse without stripping the natural oils.
Pure oils (like coconut) hydrate but do not contain sun protection factors. For UV protection you need a product formulated with photoprotective polymers, such as Polysilicone-15, that create a barrier against the sun.
Absolutely. Your hair is like a sponge: if it is already full of clean fresh water, it will not soak up as much salty sea water or chlorinated pool water. It is the easiest and most effective preventive trick.
That greenish colour comes from oxidation of the copper present in pool water, not from chlorine itself. To remove it you need a clarifying or chelating shampoo that captures those minerals and lifts them from the strand. Do not try to cover it with more dye.
You can, but bleached hair is very porous and fragile: the colour will fade fast and the hair will suffer twice as much with salt and chlorine. Ideally leave a few weeks or postpone strong chemical work until after the holidays.
After assessing the damage we apply reconstructors like Olaplex/K18, hair botox or deep hydration depending on your case, and trim the ends. We are a hair salon in Elche since 2006; book online or call +34 966 090 360.
