FOREVER BEAUTIFUL: Back from the beach? Now give your hair a holiday

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Every Monday, Elsa answers a reader's big beauty query and presents the best buys to perk up your week... 

I’ve just returned from holiday and my hair has suffered from exposure to the sun and swimming in the sea. It’s dry and brittle, and my blonde highlights look brassy. What can I do to make it healthy again?

Caroline, 61, York.

Just like your skin, hair becomes dry and damaged from exposure to the sun. UVA rays can penetrate into the hair’s deepest inner layer — the cortex — and disturb the cells that give it strength and elasticity.

UVA rays can penetrate into the hair’s deepest inner layer and disturb the cells that give it strength and elasticity (posed by model)

Sun can also damage the outer layer of the hai, called the cuticles, making it dry and brittle. Then sea salt and swimming pool chlorine can discolour it and dry it out further, especially if you don’t wash it out immediately.

The good news is, there are plenty of products to help restore and rebuild hair, giving it back its natural shine and strength.

Adam Reed, of Percy & Reed, advises replacing your normal conditioner with a more intense treatment once a week. ‘Just like skin, hair will become dryer than normal if you’ve been out in the sun,’ he says.

Adam recommends Percy & Reed TLC Hydrating Mask, £20, to repair hair, and Smooth Sealed And Sensational No Oil Oil, £14, (beautybay.com) to make hair shiny and more manageable.

The new Trevor Sorbie Rejuvenate range contains Collasurge — more commonly known as collagen — to make hair more flexible, so it’s less likely to break or for the ends to split. The range includes five products perfect for mature hair in need of hydrating and restoring. Rejuvenate Shampoo and Conditioner, £7.99 each, can be followed by Strengthening Treatment, £8.99, which nourishes damaged cuticles.

Scalp Serum, £9.99, is a leave-in treatment to increase circulation to promote hair growth, and Superlight Oil, £9.99, (Boots) gives fine hair body and shine.

Balms, serums and oils are great for damaged hair as, nowadays, they’re very light and don’t weigh hair down.

They penetrate deeply and work constantly to restore and revive. L’Oreal has recently launched Serie Expert Absolut Repair Cellular Cleansing Balm, £14 (0800 072 6699 for stockists), a lactic acid treatment for very dry or damaged hair. Use it daily or once a week to detangle and strengthen hair.

If you’re looking for instant results, Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Keratin Intensive Treatment, £23.95 (paul-mitchell.co.uk) uses keratin proteins — mimicking hair’s own proteins — to give an instant repairing effect. It makes hair glossy and reduces frizz, so it’s easier to style.

The Ogario Restore And Shine Hair Masque, £28 (orgariolondon.com) combats the effects of sun damage, making hair softer and more manageable.

This is one of the best-smelling masks I’ve come across, with eight essential oils, including lavender and a nourishing protein formula with avocado oil and sage to bring tired locks back to life. Mini versions of the hair masque (50ml), £10.50, are perfect for trips away.

The Andrew Barton Collection of mask sachets, £1 each, are perfect for frizzy, damaged, or blonde hair.

If hair colour has faded or changed in the sun, Schwarzkopf has some great new products to help restore colour. Blonde Ultime Lightening Spray, £6.99, uses pearl essence to gradually lighten hair by up to two levels.

Essence Ultime Diamond Colour Illuminating Oil, £5.49, adds a luminous shine, so your hair looks brighter and healthier. Schwarzkopf got2be Oil-licious Weightless Dry Oil Mist, £3.99 (Superdrug) is great for taming frizz and adding instant shine.

For grey or white hair that’s yellowed or discoloured from the sun or swimming, Phyto Phytargent Whitening Shampoo, £11.50 (lookfantastic.com) uses a purple colour corrector to de-yellow hair.

John Frieda Miraculous Recovery Creme Serum, £6.29, (Boots) transforms dry, damaged hair instantly, and has a thermal protectant to stop further damage.

TREATS TO MAKE YOUR MONDAY MARVELLOUS 

Dermatologists recommend sleeping on a silk pillow to help keep skin soft and supple, retain its moisture and reduce creases. Silk won’t absorb your face cream, and also reduces static and moisture loss in hair. Gingerlily Silk Beauty Pillowcase, £39 (gingerlily.co.uk) is naturally hypo-allergenic and helps keep you cool by regulating the body’s temperature.

Bravura London’s Hot Cloth Volcanic Mud Cleanser and Masque, £9.95, (bravuralondon.com) can be used as a quick face cleanser or leave it on for ten minutes as a deep-pore mask. It has a blend of botanical extracts to nourish and glycolic acid to exfoliate. gently wipe skin with toner or a facial spritz after to ensure all product is removed and to close pores.