Protecting your curls
in summer: sun, sea, chlorine

Summer is the most beautiful season for curls — and the most demanding. Sun, salt, chlorine: three holiday pleasures that quietly work against the hair shaft. Here is how to get through the season without sacrificing a thing.

Textured hair is naturally drier than other hair types: its spiral shape stops the scalp's natural oils from travelling down to the ends. In summer, that tendency intensifies. The result is familiar — curls that lose definition, turn rough, look dull and frizz at the slightest breeze. The good news: you don't have to give up the beach. You simply have to frame your time in the sun with a few simple habits.

Why summer dries out curls

Three culprits, always the same. First the sun: UV rays weaken the fibre, fade colour and speed up water loss. Then sea salt: it draws moisture out like a sponge and leaves the lengths coarse. And finally chlorine, more drying still, which roughens the surface of the hair and makes it brittle. Add heat and wind, which lift the cuticle and tangle the hair, and you get the classic "straw-like" curls of late August.

There's a name for this. All of these stresses raise the hair's porosity — the way it lets water in… and straight back out again. The higher the porosity, the faster curls dehydrate. That is exactly what the routine below is built to slow down.

The golden rule: frame it, don't avoid it

Summer protection comes down to one simple idea: hair that is already saturated with fresh water and coated in a leave-in absorbs far less salt and chlorine. You protect before, rinse during, and repair after. Three steps — as always at ETHNEIA.

Before — coat the fibre

The one habit that changes everything

Before heading to the beach or the pool, wet your hair with fresh water and work a small amount of leave-in through the lengths. Why? A fibre already full of fresh water and wrapped in a protective film has no room left to soak up salt or chlorinated water. This is your first line of defence.

• Wet hair with fresh water before swimming: once saturated, the fibre absorbs far less salt and chlorine.
• Apply Condi Curl from lengths to ends: it lays down a light protective coat that seals in moisture and limits frizz.
• Pull hair into a loose bun or braid to reduce both exposure and tangles.
• A hat or scarf: the simplest UV protection is still shade.

During — limit the damage

After every swim, make a habit of rinsing thoroughly with fresh water — you don't necessarily need to wash. The goal is to remove salt and chlorine before they dry onto the fibre and keep attacking it. Midway through the day, a spritz of water and a touch of leave-in are enough to re-hydrate lengths that feel tight.

After — repair in the evening

Cleanse without stripping

Back home, you cleanse — but gently. A harsh shampoo, on lengths that are already fragile, finishes the job the salt started. Hydra Curl, sulfate-free, lifts away sand, salt and chlorine while preserving the hair's natural protective film. The curl springs back, with none of that "straw" feeling.

Nourish deeply

Once or twice a week through the summer, treat your lengths to a repairing mask. Nutri Curl — Kokum, Baobab, Castor — reloads the fibre with lipids, fills the gaps left by the sun and restores softness and shine. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, ideally under a warm towel to help the actives penetrate, then rinse with cool water: it tightens the cuticle and locks the care inside.

Five habits to keep all summer

• Rinse with fresh water after every dip in the sea or the pool.
• Double your mask frequency — once or twice a week.
• Favour protective styles — braids, buns — that keep the ends tucked away.
• Air-dry rather than blow-dry hair that is already worked hard by the sun.
• Finish every treatment with a cool-water rinse.

Summer doesn't damage curls — unprotected exposure does. With these few habits, you keep hair soft, defined and luminous right through to autumn, and the beach stays a pleasure, never a hair chore.