As August comes to an end, so does our beach-bound bods and textured, sea salt-infused waves. All those days at the beach (or in the pool) must have taken a beating on your hair: dry, coarse strands that are in need of some care. Sound like you?

Well, we talked with MATRIX Artistic Director Ammon Carver and asked him how we can bring our hair back from the brink. Ammon explains how certain braided styles are actually damaging to our hair; how to wear our hair when it’s experiencing breakage and some of the best MATRIX hair products to repair and moisturize our hair back to health.

1. Why/how do braids cause hair breakage?

AC: Braids cause breakage because of prolonged tension and stress to a certain point on the hair strands. While the tension from wearing your hair in a braid will actually stimulate the scalp and encourage hair growth, make sure that you don’t wear your braid in the exact same place every time.

The rubber band tension can often be where breakage occurs, so avoid placing the rubber band at the same place by wearing a side braid one day.

Learn how you should have protected your hair during the summer months from frizz, color-fading and dry hair —> HERE!

Larger braids cause less stress and will result in less breakage; tiny braids (like cornrows) are created with lots of tension and can obviously therefore cause more breakage.

2. What products are best to use after wearing braid styles?

AC: Typically after you wear your hair in a braid style (unless you want to keep the wave pattern that the braid creates), you would want to wash your hair and start fresh.

When you release your braid style, I love using a soft, conditioning oil like the Biolage ExquisiteOil Softening Treatment ($16.40) on coarse, dry hair types — it nourishes the hair, lightly controls flyaways and gives shine/definition.

Hairstylist Peter Lamas told us which are the best products to use for summer hair-related problems like frizz and dryness. See some of his picks —> HERE!

For normal/oily hair types: A lightweight leave-in conditioner like the Biolage Advanced Keratindose Pro-Keratin Renewal Spray ($15.50) is perfect to keep hair hydrated at the ends.

3. What type of hair problems do you see women suffer from after a long summer?

AC: After a long summer, the majority of my clients suffer from dry, slightly sun-damaged hair. Everyone wants to begin lightening their hair color as they approach the summer months, and then they enjoy being in the sun after swimming in the salt water… all of which are stressful and drying to the hair.

4. What products should we use to undo some summertime hair damage?

AC: My fave post-summer hair treatment is the Biolage Advanced Keratindose Professional In-Salon Deep Conditioner, followed by the Shampoo and Conditioner ($11.70 – $12.30) from the Keratindose line at home.

Silk amino acids keep the hair from getting dehydrated, and at the same time the Pro Keratin Complex replaces the keratin protein that becomes depleted during the summer months.

5. What is the best way to wear our hair after experiencing hair damage?

AC: Well, depending on the degree of damage, you can approach styling damaged hair in two different ways:

— If the damage is substantial, try wearing a sleek, chic, low-chignon with a side part. With this style, you can apply a leave-in treatment like Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong Intra-Cylane Fortifying Cream ($15.80) to wet hair and wear the style with a “wet look” that looks incredibly polished — allowing the treatment to really soak in AND avoiding additional damage from heat styling.

— If the damage feels only minor, then wear styles that involve the least amount of additional stress on your hair.

Ammon Carver

For example, if you have curly or wavy hair, wear your hair with its natural texture and avoid blow-outs or flat-ironing. TIP: Curly or wavy-textured hair can more easily hide a significant amount of damage, where straighter hairstyles can’t.

Are you beautynistas suffering from sun-damaged hair? Have you been rocking any braid styles this summer?

Let us know by commenting below (you just might win a free sample)! Make sure to check out our Pinterest page by clicking HERE! And don’t forget to get the latest beauty and skincare news by following us on Twitter @BeautyStat!

– Theresa Romano

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