How to keep balayage bright in Miami sun, salt and pools

Lightened hair has had part of its natural pigment taken out, and that leaves it more open to the sun, to chlorine and to salt. The American Academy of Dermatology says it plainly: "when you dye your hair blond, you make it more susceptible to UV damage and damage from chlorine." Living in Miami Beach means all of that, for most of the year.

None of this means staying out of the water. It means a handful of habits, done most of the time, not perfectly.

Before you get in the pool

If you swim often, a swim cap does more than anything else on this list. Dermatologists also suggest a leave-in conditioner or a little oil before you get in, so there is a layer between your hair and the chlorine. Soaking your hair under the shower first works on a similar idea: hair that is already full of clean water has less room for pool water.

After the pool or the ocean

Rinse as soon as you get out, before the water dries in your hair. After the pool, the AAD recommends a shampoo made for swimmers and a deep conditioner. After the ocean, fresh water matters most, because salt left to dry in the hair makes it rough and harder to brush.

Light blonde can pick up a green or dull cast from pool water over a summer. That cast usually comes from minerals in the water rather than from the chlorine itself, and it is easier to deal with early than after months.

The sun

A hat is the simplest answer, and the AAD's advice is to stay out of the strongest sun between 10am and 2pm when you can. Leave-in products with UV protection help on the days a hat isn't realistic. Without any of that, most blondes drift warmer over a summer here, toward yellow or orange.

Between appointments

When the tone starts to go brassy, a gloss is the quick fix. It starts at $78 on our services page and takes the yellow out without lightening anything further.

If your hair feels dry and rough rather than just looking warm, that is a different problem. Our FUYA protein treatment is for hair that has been through bleach, sun, chlorine or saltwater. It is $258, with 40 minutes under a heating machine. At home, the FUYA hair mask is a deep conditioner made for processed hair, and it is on the FUYA page.

Planning color around a trip

The AAD's advice is to avoid lightening right before a vacation full of sun and pools. If you have a trip coming up, tell Shak when you book. It changes what makes sense to do before you leave and what to save for when you're back.

The consultation at 300 Alton Road is free. Call +1 305-494-7128 and Shak will look at your hair before anything is booked.