Summer is here. That means longer days and more time soaking up the sun. We know skin needs extra protection during summer months, but what about hair? It goes through damage too, and UV rays aren’t the only culprit to blame…

Let’s dive into what’s behind summer hair damage, and how to tackle it. 

UV rays

Also known as photodamage, exposure to UV rays can cause oxidative stress on hair, skin, and scalp. It wreaks havoc on the inside of hair, degrading melanin and the structure of hair. You may see this as weaker, dryer, rougher, duller, stiffer, and more brittle hair—which is not great. 

So, what can be done about it? Wearing a physical blocker like a hat or SPF made for hair is a good start. But UV damage, just like any other environmental damage, is unavoidable to some degree. Good news, you can always repair hair’s structure and bring back softness and shine with K18 molecular repair mask or oil. 

metals + minerals

There are metal + mineral ions found in ALL water—even tap or pool water. These react with hair and UV rays, and can leave hair dull, damaged, and even green (more on that later). So during the summer, and all year round really, a proper detox is in order. 

K18 PEPTIDE PREP™ detox shampoo gently but effectively removes 99% product buildup*, 95% sebum* + 76% copper* for detoxified, refreshed hair. It won’t strip color or moisture levels thanks to its optimized pH range of 3.8-4.3, keeping the hair and scalp’s environment in balance. 

swimmer’s hair

The metal havoc doesn’t stop there; swimmer’s hair runs rampant during summer pool days. We’ve myth busted what really causes swimmer's hair before. But for the uninitiated, that brittle, dry, and in some cases, green hair comes from hair’s exposure to the combination of chlorine from pools and copper from the water. The chlorine acts as a strong oxidizer, increasing the amount of copper absorbed by the hair. Certain forms of copper can oxidize to a bright blue-green color, which, combined with the yellow undertones of bleached or blonde hair, turn it that signature swimmer’s green. So the more copper, the more green color.