Believe it or not, it is, in fact, summer. Mother Nature hasn’t seemed to have gotten the memo, but it is summer.

Heat, sun, humidity, salt water, and chlorine can all wreak havoc on your hair. So what can you do to protect your hair or undo some of the damage? Glad you asked. Here are some tips to surviving summer with your ends less than split!

Replace lost moisture. Dry hair is the number one issue we face in summer. If your hair feels dry and even crunchy, use an intense hydrating mask like Moroccan Oil Masque, weekly. After shampooing, apply the mask. Step out of the shower and blast hair with a blow dryer set on medium heat to help the hair expand, allowing the product to penetrate the hair shaft. Once your hair is warm, let the mask set for another 10 minutes then rinse.

Add life to your color. Salt, sun and chlorine are what cause certain hair colors (mostly blondes and redheads) to turn brassy. In order to restore your hair color to its former glory, head to the salon for a gloss or glaze treatment. They are less costly than getting full color and will restore the tone of your original hue while adding shine. Once your color is repaired, use color protecting shampoos and conditioners

Minimize frizz. If your hair seems frizzier now than during the spring, swap your regular styling products for straightening cream — even if you don’t straighten your hair. They are designed to fill in the hair’s cuticle so that it looks smoother (as in frizz free).

Look for moisture infusing ingredients. Air conditioning and sun exposure can suck the moisture out of hair. In order to hydrate it again use Panthenol and Vitamin E. Products containing these ingredients will add moisture, protect hair from heat styling and make hair more elastic so it’s less prone to breakage.

Detangle with care. Hair that’s been abused by summer’s elements may be difficult to comb out. If you harshly comb out tangles, you may cause your hair to break. Use a wide-tooth comb and start at your ends and work up to your roots. To make detangling even easier, I can’t speak highly enough for ‘It’s a 10’ leave in conditioner. It detangles, adds moisture and shine, and protects hair from heat styling. It’s the “magic bullet for detangling hair without making it flat. I use this every day regardless of season and as someone with curly hair that is often straightened it’s a miracle product!

Trim split ends. Despite what commercials will lead you to believe, you can’t repair split ends. That’s like trying to unpeel a banana. Taking care to prevent split ends and getting regular trims is the only solution. Split ends can be caused by a whole host of issues, including heat styling, which we all are doing more and more (especially when battling summer humidity). Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of split ends is to trim them off or they’ll continue to split.

Rinse with cool water. Rinsing with cool water seals the cuticle. Do this after every cleansing to help make the cuticle lay a bit flatter so hair looks shiny and healthy (not frizzy). Plus, it will be a welcome relief if summer ever catches up and we see more summer-like temperatures!

Finally, here’s my last tip and it’s not really hair related. Wear sunscreen. Let me repeat this. Wear Sunscreen. Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma give zero you-know-whats if you are black or Italian or Irish or anything else. Everyone needs sunscreen to protect their skin (and scalps!) from sun related skin cancer. Plus, sunburns suck. Take it from someone who can burn just by looking at the sun funny. So use plenty of sunscreen, reapply regularly, and use 30SPF!