Sunshine filled summer holidays with days spent lounging on the beach and paddling in the azure blue ocean – heavenly, right? Not when it comes to your hair!

Holiday hair nightmare? Fret no more!

Our new Beauty Guest Blogger Harriet will calm your hair nerves….

Sun and seawater wreak havoc upon your locks like nothing else and so while soaking up the rays abroad, keeping your hair in tip-top condition is no mean feat. However, hope is not yet lost. Pay attention and you’ll be a holiday hair-care whizz in no time!

Shield your ‘do from the sun

Those nasty UVA and UVB rays emitted by the sun are your hair’s worst enemy. They damage each strand by opening up the cuticle; causing increased porosity and leaving it extremely vulnerable to horrors such as rapid colour fading, split ends and weakness. Investing in products with built-in UV filters along with moisturising ingredients such as vitamin E will make an enormous difference to the condition of your mane. Here’s our pick of the bunch:

• Charles Worthington Takeaways Sunshine Shampoo & Conditioner (£1.99 each)

Start protecting your hair and scalp right at the very beginning of your hair routine by washing with these fabulous travel-sized products from genius Charles Worthington. The clever formulas are rich in antioxidants and work hard to screen your hair from harmful UV rays while providing intense nourishment for a super-silky feel.

• Mark Hill Holiday Hair Cover Up SPF 6 (£5.99)

Prevent moisture loss and colour fading by spritzing in Mark Hill’s marvellous Holiday Hair Cover Up before you head out into the sunshine. With nurturing squalane oil to hydrate and SPF 6 to shield, this really is a miracle beauty buy!

Wave goodbye to water damage

Chlorine-filled pool water is extremely harsh on all hair types but don’t forget the risk of turning beautiful blonde barnets a less-than-lovely green colour! When it comes to salty seawater, your hair’s in serious danger of drying out, getting tangled and any conditioning treatments you apply are prevented from being absorbed properly. Our favourite saviours:

• Philip Kingsley Swimcap Cream (£10.30).

Say no to discolouration and damage before you step into the sea with this wonderfully thick Swimcap Cream. It works by coating your tresses in a protective layer while you swim and therefore preventing the unwanted effects caused by seawater and chlorine… Smart, eh?

• MOP Pear Detangler (£11.95)

During a long, relaxing swim your hair often becomes rather tangled. Instead of combing it through until your eyes water, spritz the MOP Pear Detangler from root to tip and you’ll really notice just how much the kelp extract and conditioning fruit juices aid in detangling your ‘do. Sorted!

Author Bio: Harriet Charnock-Bates, in-house writer for Mobile Beauty UK admittedly lives, sleeps and breathes cosmetics and enjoys penning entertaining articles with hot off the press beauty news.  Mobile Beauty UK allows visitors to interact with beauty therapists and hairdressers in a unique way.