Celebrity colourist Chirstphe Robin is the hair guru top models make a dash for when in need of a hair makeover. Here he shares top tips on making colour last and ways to keep your locks protected and glossy all summer long
During the summer season, your hair is much more exposed to damage than the rest of the year – especially due to the sun, sea and swimming pools, usually resulting in dry, colour-faded hair that is prone to breakage
- Prepare your hair with a good trim
Sun and salt have a tendency to aggravate split-ends, so you might end up having to cut off more length by the end of summer.
- Don’t get your colour done during summer
If you need a color touch-up, try doing it 2-3 weeks before, due to the color oxidizing the hair by lifting the hair cuticles. Thus, the hair then becomes more porous and fragile. For brunettes, this means your colour might turn brassy more easily while for blondes it’ll be more golden toned. The trick for brunettes, wear a hat and hydrate your hair to preserve the colour.
- Protect your hair with SPF
Similar to your skin, in order to limit the damage, apply an SPF to your hair before you go for a swim. It will protect the colour and deeply nourish your hair. Our oil (see below) was created specifically to protect colour-treated hair and prevent hair breakage.
- Wash your hair with a gentle shampoo
The best and most gentle way to wash your hair this summer (and throughout the year, really) is with a conditioning shampoo. The sun, salt and chlorine damages your hair, leaving it quite fragile, hence it’s important to avoid stripping your hair and to wash it with a gentle formula. The Christophe Robin Cleansing Mask with Lemon will gently cleanse, deeply nourish and lock in color.
- Air dry your locks
Give your hair a break from styling tools and products which contain alcohol, instead use a plant-based oil or balm to define curls or even a little bit of the Christophe Robin moisturizing hair cream which will nourish and protect your hair, all the while making it look luscious and healthy and summer ready.
- Use a mask once a week
This will repair and deeply nourish rough and dry hair that has been damaged by the sun.
- Use Aspirin for tinted and stained hair
Chlorine has a tendency to turn lighter hair colours to shades of green. In order to prevent this from happening, apply a plant- based oil before going in for a swim. Another solution would be to crush two aspirins and add it to the regular amount of shampoo you would typically use. Mix it well and spread across wet hair. The green should disappear, and you can rinse out your shampoo as normal. Regular aspirin contains salicylic acid, the chemical typically used in face washes. When used on the hair, it counteracts the alkalinity of the chlorine to neutralize the green quickly and easily.
- Rinse your hair after swimming
Make sure you rinse off your hair with fresh water after swimming in the ocean or the pool. Christophe Robin vinegar lotions, or even a homemade one is a great option to remove chlorine residues and avoid drying out your hair and skin.
- Gently detangle your hair
The Christophe Robin Hydrating Aloe Vera mist is a great option to help detangle your hair all the while avoiding hair breakage, use a boar-bristle brush and gently brush starting with your ends and working your way to the roots.
- Don’t forget to wear a hat!
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Coloured hair needs highly specialised hair care for one simple reason, it is chemically modified, which means the cuticles have been opened to dissolve the natural pigments. These cuticles remain open, thus you have to nourish your hair on a regular basis to close the cuticles and seal in the colour. It is important to use hair care specifically developed to protect colored hair and hence I created two treatments, which have become cult products today. These two essential treatments replace numerous traditional methods that can be aggressive and contain silicone and polymers.
The Christophe Robin Moisturizing Hair Oil with Lavender restores the lipid layer, prevents breakage and deeply nourishes hair. This oil has a balmy texture and liquefies when heated, which means you can target specific areas when you apply it. Containing SPF6, it also also protects hair from being damaged by the sun.
The Cleansing Mask with Lemon is one of the best alternative solutions for washing your hair. The 3-in-1 product deeply nourishes and cleanses without detergents or chemicals (and doesn’t lather), leaving hair exceptionally shiny. paraben and silicone-free – it contains lemon peel which also works as a blotting paper.
The Color Fixator Wheat Germ Daily Shampoo is also great to use on coloured hair. It has a gentle formula and an acid pH, which closes the hair’s cuticles and seals in the colour’s pigments within the hair fibres. It should be used regularly alongside the Color Fixator Wheat Germ Mask, which deeply nourishes and is rich in pro-vitamin B5, thus preserving the colour.
