The start of a new season usually inspires a refresh in various areas of your life—from switching out your closet to cleaning out your pantry to revamping your beauty look. And if you’re anything like me, this also applies to your haircare routine. After months of UV rays, salty ocean water and chlorine, my strands have seen better days. All of my summer fun has left my hair looking and feeling a bit dull and dried out, a far cry from my ideal hair situation.
So to revitalize my strands for the new season, I asked one of LA’s top colorists and founder of Bomane Salon Andrea Henty to spill her best tips for healthy hair. Drea is a true artist when it comes to hair across the color spectrum—from beachy blondes to silky caramels to rich browns—so I knew she’d have the intel for those of us looking to revamp our strands. Drea recommends two key steps for refreshing your hair: a trip to the salon and dialing up your at-home care routine. Below I’m breaking down all of Drea’s best tricks for healthy hair this fall.
Step one: book a trip to the salon to jump start your hair journey. Drea recommends having your stylist start with a good trim to clean up all the dead ends—this will instantly bring volume and movement back to your hair. You can also try adding a split end treatment, which will create a protective coating over your ends to prevent frizz and additional damage from heat styling tools.
If you color your hair, Drea also suggests adding low lights and a gloss to give it a cooler tone for fall. Low lights add dimension and allow you to go longer in between colorings, which results in less damage to your hair over time. I personally plan to use this advice immediately and take my bright blonde strands a bit darker for fall to stave off too many color treatments over the coming months.
The second step is revamping your at-home care routine to incorporate practices that will help keep you hair nourished and healthy. Drea is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to hair, so I had her breakdown her best at-home tips for the biggest impact on your strands:
1. Add hair oil on dry hair. You can do this everyday, at least on the ends, to lock in moisture and prevent breakage. Look for a lightweight formula that won’t weigh down your hair, but conditions, smooths, and adds shine.
2. Wash your hair every 2-3 days. A lot of us are guilty of pushing the limits on hair washing (myself included), but Drea recommends 3 days max to keep strands healthy. The dirt and oil sitting on your scalp can actually cause hair thinning, so you want to make sure you’re properly cleansing. She also advises to at least rinse your hair if you’ve worked out and you aren’t planning to wash it.
3. Don’t go to bed with wet hair. This can breed fungus—which absolutely nobody wants anywhere near their hair.
4. Sleep in a bun or loose braids. This is especially important if you have longer hair, as it prevents tangles and the less brushing you have to do the better to avoid breakage.
5. Don’t leave shampoo and conditioner in the shower for longer than 3 months. The hot steam can cause bacteria to grow in your products. The best practice is to use a shower caddy and only bring your products into the shower when you’re using it.
There you have it—6 steps that will have a major impact on your hair health. I for one plan on starting these immediately to breathe new life back into my tired strands. Here’s to healthy hair for us all this fall!
Next up: 18 low-maintenance hairstyles that are perfect for autumn.