Holiday hair SOS: your essential rescue pack

If like me, you are not blessed with glorious hair no matter the heat or humidity, then you’ll be familiar with holiday hair: the dry, frizzy lid and unruly flyaways that pitch up the moment your passport is in the safe. “Sun and heat can dry out your hair shaft making the hair very dry and frizzy,” says trichologist Hannah Gaboardi.

“UV rays and swimming pools can also change the colour of your hair — browns can go lighter while chlorine can tinge blonde hair green.” But despair not, for there are a host of ways you can protect your tresses.

Consider an SPF

You wouldn’t hit the beach without a good SPF on, but what about your hair? Your scalp needs the same protection. “You should absolutely use a hair SPF on hot holiday to protect from UV and chlorine damage,” says Gaboardi, who rates Sisley’s Protective Hair Fluid (£76, spacenk.com) and Revolution Haircare SPF 30 Scalp Protect Spray (£7, revolutionbeauty.com). Lookfantastic has seen searches up 600 per cent for Aveda’s Sun Care Protective Hair Veil (£24, lookfantastic.com). If you’re looking for something that protects without making your hair greasy, try a powder SPF like Brush on Block’s handy brush stick (£40, brushonblock.com).

Slap on a swimming cap

“If you’re suffering from dry hair, apply a conditioner along with your SPF each morning before you hit the pool and also use a swimming cap if you have coloured hair,” says Gaboardi, who likes L’Oreal’s Wonder Water conditioning treatment (£4.99, boots.com). If the thought of donning a swim cap makes you shudder, try Philip Kingsley’s Swimcap Water Resistant Mask (£19.50, philipkingsley.co.uk), a protective hair cream formulated for the US Olympic synchronized swim team that shields against chlorine, salt water and UV rays.

Try a treatment

Pack a hydrating treatment for a mid-holiday boost. “Use a hair mask twice a week,” says Gaboardi, whose favourite is the Shu Uemura Silk Bloom Restorative Treatment (£44, feelunique.com) “And consider taking a supplement like Viviscal (£25.99, viviscal.co.uk) which has all the essential vitamins our hair needs to stay healthy.” The most popular hair mask on Feelunique is Olaplex No 3 (£23.80, feelunique.com), a cult product that you leave on for 10 minutes before shampooing as normal. For an overnight treatment, try Michael Van Clarke’s 3 More Inches LifeSaver Leave-in Treatment (£24.50, vanclarke.com).

Rice is nice

Gaboardi also swears by the TikTok rice water treatment, which involves sitting rice in cold water then pouring the starchy water (sans rice) over damp hair. “I do it once every few weeks,” she says. “The amino acids in rice water promote hair growth, increase hair volume and make the hair super shiny and soft.”

Pick the right shampoo

“Picking the appropriate shampoo for your hair type is so important,” says Gaboardi. “If you have dry hair then choose a moisturising shampoo like Pureology’s Hydrate Shampoo (£15.90, lookfantastic.com), if your hair gets greasy quickly or has a feeling of product build up then use a cleansing shampoo like Ouai Detox shampoo (£24, spacenk.com), and if your hair feels brittle or dull use the Viviscal Densifying Shampoo (£6.69, viviscal.co.uk) which contains Biotin, Keratin and Zinc to give your hair a boost.”

Savvy styling

If you use a hairdryer or tongs, Gaboardi suggests using a cooler setting and a soft Mason Pearson brush (£59.99, masonpearson.com). Slicking your mane back with a hair oil or serum is a great way to smooth the cuticles and protect your hair from UV rays. For something mega nourishing, try Vegamour’s GRO Hair Serum (£52, vegamour.com) while those with super fine hair should check out Fable & Mane’s hair oil mist (£26, cultbeauty.co.uk). If beachy waves are more your thing, try a salt spray. Gaboardi likes Ouai’s Wave Spray (£24, cultbeauty.com).