Summertime Hair Tips From Celebrity Hairstylist Billy Lowe

With summertime right around the corner, it's time to think about protecting those tresses for your spring and summer vacay. Each year, thousands of travelers and tourists hit the surf and sand to catch up on their golden glow, slathering themselves down with creams of every kind, while their hair gets completely forgotten. Here are my top tips for summertime hair, while maintaining healthy gorgeous locks.

1 - Color hair a week or 2 before your vacay. This gives ample time for hair/color/health to settle & return back to normal pH and allows time to get that color exactly the way you want it before you take to the friendly skies.

2 - Before swimming, wet hair w/ normal tap water & apply a light amount of a daily conditioner or a leave in conditioner. Do not rinse out. This saturates hair shaft and minimizes damage and absorption from salt water or chlorine. I recommend Pureology Hydrate conditioner for this as it will supercoat the hair shaft and help protect it from chlorine or salt water.

3 - Don't allow chlorine or salt water dry in hair. SHAMPOO & CONDITION IMMEDIATELY after swimming.

4 - Use a light weight leave in conditioner before going out into sun. Look for sunflower (a natural UV defender) in your spray ins. Pureology COLOUR MAX is awesome for this. Just spray in wet, comb through to ensure even distribution and style as normal or let air dry.

5 - Accessorize with hats/scarves or other creative accessories if you're worried about color fading. These can be a fun way to dress up your summertime attire, while keeping hair and skin protected in the blazing sun.

6 - Monitor key UV times. This is not only to protect your hair, but your skin as well. The most dangerous times of the day are between 10am and 3pm. While a little sun can be pleasant and enjoyable, too much can actually be harmful. Check on your local city's UV index each day and monitor your time spent in the sun.

7 - Ask your salon professional for a clear top coat or glossing treatment before your vacay. Such glossing treatments range anywhere from $45 to $75 and last 3-5 weeks, giving hair great polish & shine. These glossing treatments or clear coat top shines also help protect against color fading and help protect against UV damage.

8 - If you do have chlorine or salt-water build up in your hair, use a clarifying shampoo such as Pureology's Purify Shampoo or Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three. Ask your stylist how often you should use, to be sure you aren't overdoing it. If you have more than normal build-up, add a little baking soda to your clarifying shampoo, leave on for 2-3 minutes, rinse well and then condition.

The above tips are simple guidelines for your hair care and as always, I recommend consulting your salon professional for your own hair care needs.