Beauty

Boot Camp for Summer-Damaged Hair

Written by: Brianna Peters

|

Updated on: August 18, 2023

post__featured-image

You know you’ve done summer right when your hair isn’t looking so great during the final weeks of steamy heat: Leaping into every possible body of water you encounter, going on life-affirmingly sweaty runs, and simply soaking up the sun strips away color, moisture, and shine and almost inevitably leads to fried ends, encroaching roots, nest-like tangles, and frizz (the excessive kind, not the subtly sexy kind). The good news is that it’s pretty easy—and even relaxing and indulgent—to coax your hair back to shiny, healthy gorgeousness at home. From a new shine-boosting daily shampoo and conditioner to a once-a-week deep-conditioning treatment that delivers salon-like soft, shiny, bouncy results, here’s the route back to silky, nourished, and lustrous, no matter your hair type.

1. WHAT YOU USE DAILY MAKES THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE

Whether you wash your hair daily or weekly, the right shampoo and conditioner are the biggest factors in determining how it looks and feels day-to-day and even how it holds up to damage. Swirled with nourishing extracts instead of harsh surfactants, clean shampoo gently cleanses, leaving hair healthy-looking, soft, and bouncy. A great conditioner moisturizes, smooths frizz, and boosts shine with rich botanicals as opposed to silicones. Pro tip: Comb or brush your hair in the shower when it’s soaked in conditioner to detangle with the least amount of damage—especially if you have curly hair, which is more prone to breakage than straight hair.

Favorite Daily Shampoo and Conditioner

  1. goop Beauty
    Amino Acid Shinebath Shampoo
    $36.00/$32.00 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
  2. goop Beauty
    Amino Acid Shinebath Conditioner
    $36.00/$32.00 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
  3. goop Beauty
    The Great Hair Day Kit
    goop, $57.60SHOP NOW

BEST BRUSH (IN THE SHOWER AND OUT)

  1. Manta
    Manta Hairbrush
    goop, $35SHOP NOW

2. ALWAYS LEAVE IN A LITTLE LEAVE-IN

Unless your hair is very fine, using a leave-in conditioner after conditioning in the shower is going to make your hair look and feel better (people with very fine hair are better off skipping conditioner in the shower and using just the smallest amount of leave-in on the ends). Smooth or spray it through just-washed hair before diffusing, air-drying, or blow-drying—the shiny, manageable results are more than worth it.

  1. FOR CURLY HAIR

    Innersense
    Quiet Calm Curl Control
    goop, $28SHOP NOW
  2. FOR ALL HAIR TYPES (EVEN FINE)

    Rahua
    Hydration Detangler + UV Barrier
    goop, $34SHOP NOW
  3. FOR FRIZZ

    Grown Alchemist
    Smoothing Hair Treatment
    goop, $50SHOP NOW

3. DEEP-CLEAN AND SOFTEN

A healthy scalp is essential for great hair. Work this rosemary-and-peppermint-scented pink-salt shampoo through soaking-wet hair and the foamy lather will refresh and purify your scalp; cleanse away sweat, oil, and product buildup; and—not incidentally—feel like an incredible massage. You’ll love your hair afterward, too.

  1. goop Beauty
    Himalayan Salt Scalp Scrub Shampoo
    $55.00/$38.00 with subscriptionSHOP NOW

An incredible-smelling leave-in scalp serum can be both soothing and ultranourishing—we love this one made with hyaluronic acid, aloe, and tsubaki seed oil.

  1. Crown Affair
    The Calming Scalp Serum
    goop, $58SHOP NOW

4. SET UP FOR EXTRA SHINE

  1. Crown Affair
    The Set
    goop, $220SHOP NOW

This chic all-in-one set has everything you need to smooth, detangle, hydrate, and boost shine. You get a gorgeous boar-bristle brush, a wide-tooth comb, a smoothing hair serum, a cool-looking and generously sized quick-drying microfiber hair towel (the way it tamps down frizz is nothing short of amazing), and a sleek three-minute hourglass (ideal timing for brushing your hair). The essentials work brilliantly for all hair types, and the killer box they come in makes this the best gift for yourself or someone you love.

5. DEEP-CONDITION (AND TREAT WITH HEAT IF YOU CAN)

  1. goop Beauty
    Restore + Shine Hair Serum
    goop, $55SHOP NOW

Magic on color-treated, heat-styled, chemically straightened, and pool-, ocean-, or sun-addled hair, deep conditioning can make a huge difference in the way your hair looks and feels. Our favorite hair secret is the goop preshampoo serum, which sinks in in 20 minutes to moisturize, fight frizz, smooth, and retexturize. Gwyneth likes to do a workout or take a sauna after massaging the serum in: “I feel like the heat does a little extra something,” she says. “Either way, though, the results always blow me away.”

After shampooing, a mask—especially when combined with the heat of a blow-dryer to help all the oils and butters penetrate—leaves your hair softer, smoother, and more manageable. Smooth this super moisturizing one through your ends when hair is dry or damp, then blow-dry on a low setting for as long as it takes to warm up your hair. The longer you heat it, the better it works—we find that anywhere from 3 to about 15 minutes is great, depending on your hair and schedule. Wash your hair normally afterward; the soft, smooth results are incredible and can last through multiple shampoos.

  1. Ranavat
    Glossing Hair Masque: Mighty Majesty
    goop, $65SHOP NOW
  2. ZUVI
    Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer
    goop, $349SHOP NOW

6. GET A TRIM AND TREAT WITH OILS

Regular trims go a long way toward keeping your hair healthier-looking. A salon is a great option, but you can also trim at home with professional-grade scissors, a brush, and some clips, along with the restraint to snip in very small sections. Jean did it, and her formerly cavewoman-esque shag is now looking presentable. Whether you use them on your ends for shine and texture or on your lengths as a preshampoo treatment, hair oils keep any hair type looking and feeling its healthiest.

  1. Softening and Nourishing

    ROZ
    Willow Glen Treatment Oil
    goop, $48SHOP NOW
  2. Brightening and Silkifying

    Rahua
    Color Full Glossing Oil Mist
    goop, $34.80SHOP NOW
  3. Curl-Defining and Moisturizing

    Kreyol Essence
    Haitian Black Castor Oil Light
    goop, $15SHOP NOW

7. GO EASY ON HOT TOOLS

Blow-drying and heat styling damage your hair no matter how careful you are. Give your hair a reprieve and embrace a really good air-dry. Use clean styling essentials to get the look you want.

  1. For Light Hold (or to Fight Frizz)

    True Botanicals
    Shine and Protect Hair Cream Oil
    goop, $52SHOP NOW
  2. For Lift and Volume

    Innersense
    I Create Lift Volumizing Foam
    goop, $28SHOP NOW
  3. For Texture and Definition

    Act + Acre
    Cold Processed Styling Paste
    goop, $38SHOP NOW
  4. For Beachy Waves

    Reverie
    Mare Mediterranean Sea Mist
    goop, $34SHOP NOW