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It’s a beautiful setting. The warm waves are lapping her ankles. The hot sun caressing her skin. Her worries are a million miles away. Sun damage? Right now? Who cares!
Oh to be so relaxed and nonchalant. I’m guessing she didn’t read my scary blog on the dangers of holiday sun and sea. About how quick and easy it is to protect your hair, and to make sure you don’t leave 20% of it behind.
About bringing it back healthier than when you left home. Because yes, the sun and sea are savage to the health of your hair and will shrink and age it super quick. On long hair this can take years to recover.
Soon after arriving home the memories and the tan begin to fade. Real life responsibilities cascade onto the doormat usually in brown envelopes. The hair feels less vibrant and is difficult to comb. More hair breaks when brushing. Styling is harder and doesn’t last so well. The colour looks flat and dry. Welcome to unprotected post-holiday hair.
We know we don’t have to be lobster-red and sunburnt for the first week of a holiday anymore. Intelligent application of SPF sun cream does work. Our hair doesn’t have to suffer either.
The image on the left shows hair wefts cut in half and left in the Maldives sun with seawater applied twice a day. The image on the right shows a test with a weft cut in half and tested in the Negev desert sun, and pool water applied twice a day. Each test lasted just 7 days. The unprotected wefts of hair are distinctly thinner, drier and more faded.
The hair wefts protected with LifeSaver Treatment, our 3’’’More Inches hero product, have kept their colour, condition and elasticity.
So if your hair has come back from vacation, dry, frazzled and faded, here’s a recovery schedule for post-holiday hair.
Day 1. LifeSaver Prewash Treatment applied as directed before every shampoo for 7 days. Then at least every other shampoo day.
An Exfoliating Scalp Treatment followed by Exfoliating Scalp Shampoo to deep cleanse scalp and hair.
Week 1. A trim and reshape to take off the dry dusty ends or even a complete restyle ready for a fresh September start. That’s exciting!
Michael Van Clarke
The word ‘healthspan’ has been absorbed into our daily lexicon. It pops up as often as lifespan now as the movement to maximise health progresses. Healthspan is the length of time a person is healthy, not just alive, and was coined by gerontologists in a 1987 Science article. A period of life in which you are healthy and free from chronic disease or disability.
