How to best care for blonde hair in summer

With more than 15 years in the hair industry, Bruno Cloutier has seen, treated and fixed his fair share of blondes.

The senior educator at Australian clean haircare brand O&M, shared exclusively with esprit his top six tips to maintaining blonde, particularly during the summer months.

1. Choose the right toning shampoo – If the blonde is more yellow, choose a purple shampoo, Bruno says. It will take out the yellowness and keep it looking fresh. “If you use a blue shampoo, it can make it look grey and dirty. Yellow and blue make green – that’s not what we want,” he said.
2. Read the ingredients – Haircare formulations can be both effective and gentle. Remove harsh chemicals from your hair care routine wherever possible. “Make sure you choose paraben and sulphate free shampoos,” Bruno said.
3. Use product with UV protection – In the summer months, with lots of sun, sand and salt, it can wreak havoc on the hair. Keep hair protected with UV products. “We throw our sunscreen into our beach bag,” Bruno said. “But not our haircare products. Why? We should be looking after our hair on the beach like we do our skin.”
4. Use dry shampoo immediately after blow-drying – Blasting the hair with dry shampoo once it has been blow-dried will give you more time between washed.  “It helps to keep the hair in its fresh state and maintain style longevity,” Bruno said.
5. Use reputable heat styling tools – Cheap tools can cause irreversible damage to the hair. “Avoid cheap tools as they are not properly made and they can burn the hair if they are able to go too high in temperature, even to the point of it snapping off,” Bruno said. “If you haven’t seen this video of what happens when you use bad tools, you need to watch it now!”
6. Complement your at-home routine with in-salon treatments – It’s important to schedule regular visits to your salon to keep your hair in peak condition, and maintain it at home with reputable products. “Use a hair treatment or mask on your hair at least once a week at home,” Bruno said. “Make sure you keep your hair as hydrated as possible over summer with regular masks and the right serums to keep it healthy.”