Every September, the same thing happens. Hair that looked bright, glossy and healthy in June comes back from a summer on the East End looking dry, brassy and faded. Blondes have gone yellow or orange. Brunettes have turned reddish. Ends feel like straw. Sometimes there is even a faint green tint.
None of this means you did anything wrong. A Hamptons summer combines four of the toughest things hair can face: strong sun, salt water, pool chlorine and, in many homes, mineral-rich well water. The good news is that most of the damage is preventable, and almost all of it is fixable.
This guide explains what each of those does to your hair, how to protect your color before, during and after the season, and what to book when you need a reset. If you are on the East End, the Warren Tricomi salon at 23 Bridge Street in Sag Harbor is where The Salon Project's clients can book. Appointments there are with the Warren Tricomi team.
Why summer is so hard on hair
Hair is made mostly of a protein called keratin, wrapped in an outer layer of overlapping cells called the cuticle. When the cuticle is smooth and closed, hair looks shiny and holds color and moisture well. When it is lifted or damaged, hair looks dull, feels rough and loses color faster.
Almost everything about summer lifts and damages the cuticle. Here is how each factor works.
Sun: the slow fade
UV light breaks down the pigment in your hair, both your natural color and any color added in the salon. It also weakens the keratin itself.
What you see:
- Blonde turns brassy. As cool toner fades, the warm underlying pigment shows through: yellow, then gold, then orange.
- Brunette turns reddish. Brown color breaks down into its warmer components.
- Red fades fastest. Red pigment molecules are larger and wash out more easily, and sun speeds that up.
- Gray turns yellow. Unpigmented hair can pick up a yellow cast from sun and pollution.
- Hair feels drier and more brittle, especially at the ends.
What helps:
- Wear a hat on long beach and boat days. It is the single most effective protection.
- Use a leave-in conditioner or spray with UV protection, and reapply after swimming.
- Keep ends hydrated with a light oil or leave-in.
- Avoid adding heat damage on top of sun damage. Air-dry when you can and turn styling tools down.
Salt water: the dry-out
Salt draws moisture out of the hair. After a day at the ocean, hair can feel rough, tangled and stiff. Over a summer, that dryness adds up to split ends and breakage.
What helps:
- Wet your hair with fresh water before you swim. Hair is like a sponge. If it is already full of fresh water, it absorbs less salt water.
- Apply leave-in conditioner before swimming to add a protective layer.
- Rinse with fresh water as soon as you can after the beach.
- Detangle gently, starting at the ends with a wide-tooth comb, never ripping a brush through wet, salty hair.
- Use a deep conditioning mask once a week in summer.
Many people love the texture salt water gives. You can get that look with a sea salt spray on clean, conditioned hair, without spending hours in the ocean.
Chlorine and copper: the green problem
Pool chlorine strips the natural oils that protect hair, leaving it dry and porous. Porous hair fades faster and absorbs more of whatever is in the water.
The green tint that shows up on blonde, gray and lightened hair is not actually from chlorine. It comes from copper, which can enter pool water from pipes, heaters or algaecides. Chlorine oxidizes the copper, and porous light hair grabs onto it.
What helps:
- Wet and condition before swimming, the same as for the ocean
- Wear a swim cap for regular lap swimming
- Rinse immediately after swimming
- Use a chelating or clarifying shampoo once a week in summer to remove chlorine and metal buildup
- Do not try to fix green at home with toner or box dye. If the green does not lift with a chelating wash, book an appointment. It is usually a straightforward fix in the salon: a chelating treatment followed by toning.
Kids are especially prone to green hair after a summer of pool days. A chelating wash once a week and a rinse after every swim help.
Well water: the hidden culprit
Many East End homes run on private wells. Well water can contain minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium, and sometimes copper from household pipes. You will not notice them in a glass of water, but you will notice them in your hair over a summer.
What you see:
- Hair that feels coated, heavy or rough, even right after washing
- Color that looks dull or muddy
- Blonde that turns orange or rusty, often from iron
- Color that does not take evenly at your next appointment
What helps:
- A chelating shampoo once a week in summer, or once or twice a month the rest of the year
- A shower filter designed to reduce minerals
- Telling your colorist you are on well water, so they can adjust your formula and plan a clarifying treatment if needed
Your summer hair plan: before, during and after
The easiest way to protect your hair is to treat summer as a season with three stages.
Before the season (May to early June)
Book your color early. If you want brighter blonde or fresh balayage for summer, book in May or early June. Your color will settle before the busy weeks and your colorist has time to adjust tone.
Choose a summer-friendly technique. Balayage is a natural fit for the Hamptons. It grows out softly with no harsh line, so it looks good all summer even if you cannot come back for a touch-up. See hair color and highlights in Sag Harbor.
Get a trim. Starting the season with healthy ends means less breakage later.
Ask about bond-building treatment with any lightening. Strong hair resists summer damage better.
Start with a gloss. A fresh gloss seals the cuticle and gives you a head start on shine.
During the season (late June to August)
Protect before every swim. Fresh water, then leave-in conditioner.
Rinse after every swim. Fresh water, as soon as possible.
Wear a hat. Especially on the boat, at the beach or at long outdoor lunches.
Clarify weekly. A chelating shampoo once a week removes chlorine, salt and mineral buildup before it can cause brassiness or green.
Tone, but do not overdo it. A purple shampoo once a week helps keep blonde cool. Using it every wash can leave hair dull or lilac-tinted.
Book a mid-summer gloss. In mid-July or early August, a gloss brings back tone and shine without a full color appointment. It is the easiest summer refresh there is.
Turn the heat down. Sun-stressed hair is more fragile. Use the lowest effective heat and always use a heat protectant.
After the season (September)
Book a reset. September is the time to undo summer:
- A trim to remove dry, sun-damaged ends
- A gloss or color refresh to correct brassiness, fading or a green tint
- A deep conditioning or bond-repair treatment to restore strength and softness
- A move to richer fall tones if you want a seasonal change
If the damage is significant, such as orange or green tones, banding or patchy fading, it may need color correction, which can take more than one visit.
Care by hair type
Blonde and lightened hair
The most vulnerable to brassiness and green. Prioritize leave-in protection, weekly chelating, a once-a-week purple shampoo, a mid-summer gloss and bond-building treatment with any lightening.
Brunette hair
Fades and warms in the sun. A gloss with cool or neutral tones in mid-summer keeps it rich. Protect with a hat and UV leave-in.
Red and copper hair
Fades the fastest of all. Wash less often, in cool water, with a color-safe shampoo. Book a gloss more often in summer.
Gray and silver hair
Can turn yellow from sun, pollution and minerals. A purple shampoo and regular clarifying help. Gray blending can also soften the look as it grows.
Curly and textured hair
Naturally drier, so salt and chlorine hit harder. Focus on moisture: leave-in conditioner, a weekly mask and gentle detangling.
Extensions
Salt, chlorine and sun can dry out extensions and loosen bonds. Protect them as you would your own hair, braid or tie them up for swimming, and check with your stylist before the season.
A simple routine for beach days
Morning:
- Apply a leave-in conditioner or UV-protective spray to damp or dry hair, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends.
- Tie hair loosely in a low braid or bun with a soft tie.
- Pack a hat, a wide-tooth comb and a bottle of fresh water.
At the beach:
- Before swimming, wet your hair with fresh water and add a little more leave-in.
- After swimming, rinse with fresh water if you can.
- Keep your hat on during the strongest sun.
Evening:
- Wash with a color-safe shampoo, or just rinse and condition if your hair is not dirty.
- Use a clarifying or chelating shampoo once a week instead.
- Apply a mask once or twice a week, leaving it on for several minutes.
- Air-dry where you can, or blow-dry on low heat with a heat protectant.
If you swim every day
For daily swimmers, in the ocean or the pool, damage builds up quickly. Step up the routine:
- Always pre-wet and condition before getting in the water
- Wear a swim cap for long or daily pool swims
- Rinse immediately after every swim, before the water dries on your hair
- Clarify twice a week if you notice dullness, a brassy tone or a green tint
- Use a deep conditioning mask two or three times a week
- Book a gloss every four to six weeks through the summer instead of every six to eight
- Trim more often to stay ahead of split ends
Summer hair myths
"Lemon juice is a natural way to lighten hair." Lemon juice and sun can lighten hair, but unevenly and with a lot of dryness. The result is often brassy and patchy. Balayage gives a controlled, sun-kissed look without the damage.
"Purple shampoo every wash keeps blonde cool." Too much can leave blonde dull, gray or faintly lilac. Once a week is usually enough.
"Hair needs sunscreen only if it is colored." Natural hair is damaged by UV too, becoming drier and more brittle. Everyone benefits from a hat and UV protection.
"Salt water is good for your hair." It can create nice texture, but it dries hair out. Use a sea salt spray for the look without the damage.
"Green hair from the pool needs bleach to fix." Usually it does not. A chelating treatment followed by toning is the standard salon fix. Bleach can make it worse.
"You should not color your hair in summer." You can, and many people do. Just plan the timing: main color before the season, a gloss mid-summer, and protection in between.
Blowouts in the humidity
Humidity near the ocean can undo a smooth blowout within hours. To make one last:
- Ask your stylist for a humidity-resistant finish
- Book as close to your event as possible
- Keep a small anti-frizz product with you
- Keep the car windows up on the way
- Consider a polished updo or half-up style for outdoor evenings
Read more on our Sag Harbor blowout page.
Coming back to the city in fall
Many East End residents head back to Manhattan after Labor Day. The change in environment is a good moment to reassess your hair:
- Book your reset before your calendar fills. September and October are busy, with school, work and the start of the social season.
- Consider a seasonal color change. Many clients move to slightly richer, warmer tones for fall.
- Plan for indoor heat. Once the heating comes on, hair dries out again. Keep up with masks and consider a smoothing treatment.
- Keep one formula record. If you color out east in summer and in the city the rest of the year, ask for your formula so both colorists stay consistent.
You can book your fall reset with The Salon Project at our home inside the Warren Tricomi salon at 969 Madison Avenue.
What to pack in your beach bag
- A wide-brimmed hat
- A leave-in conditioner or UV-protective spray
- A wide-tooth comb
- A soft hair tie that will not snag
- A small bottle of fresh water for rinsing
And at home:
- A chelating or clarifying shampoo for weekly use
- A color-safe shampoo and conditioner for everyday washing
- A deep conditioning mask
- A purple shampoo if you are blonde
- A shower filter if you are on well water
Choosing summer products: what to look for
You do not need a shelf full of products. You need the right few. When shopping, look for these on the label and ask your colorist which suit your hair.
Leave-in conditioner or protective spray. Light enough not to weigh hair down, ideally with UV filters. This is your first line of defense before the beach or pool.
Chelating shampoo. Different from an ordinary clarifying shampoo. Chelating formulas are designed to bind and remove metals and minerals such as copper and iron, which is what prevents brassiness and green tints. Use it weekly in summer and follow with conditioner, because it can be drying.
Color-safe, sulfate-free shampoo. For everyday washing between chelating washes. Gentler cleansers help color last longer.
Deep conditioning mask. Restores moisture lost to sun and salt. Leave it on for several minutes, not seconds.
Toning shampoo. Purple for blonde and gray, blue for brunette with brassy undertones. Once a week is enough.
Heat protectant. Every time you use a dryer or hot tool, especially when hair is already stressed from the sun.
A light oil or serum. A few drops on the ends to smooth frizz and seal in moisture, particularly useful in humidity.
Protecting your scalp
Your scalp can burn too, especially along your part. A burned scalp is painful and can flake for days. Wear a hat, change your part from time to time, and use a scalp-safe sunscreen spray along the part on long beach days. If your scalp feels dry or irritated after summer, a scalp treatment can help calm and rebalance it.
When to stop treating it at home and book a salon visit
Book an appointment if:
- Your blonde has turned orange or green and does not improve after a chelating wash
- Your color looks patchy, banded or uneven
- Your ends are breaking or splitting badly
- Your hair feels gummy or overly stretchy when wet, a sign of severe damage
- You want a real change for fall
Booking and the 10% offer
Book online through The Salon Project and 10% comes off every service. Choose your service on our Sag Harbor page, or book at our home inside the Warren Tricomi salon at 969 Madison Avenue when you are back in the city.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my blonde hair turn brassy in the summer?
Sun breaks down the cool toner in lightened hair, letting the warm underlying pigment show through. Minerals in pool and well water can add to the brassiness. A weekly purple shampoo, regular clarifying and a mid-summer gloss help.
Why did my hair turn green after swimming?
Copper in pool water, often from pipes, heaters or algaecides, is oxidized by chlorine and binds to light, porous hair. A chelating shampoo can help, and a salon chelating treatment followed by toning usually fixes it.
Does salt water damage hair?
Salt water draws moisture out of hair, leaving it dry and tangled. Wetting your hair with fresh water and applying leave-in conditioner before swimming, then rinsing afterward, reduces the damage.
Does well water affect hair color?
Yes. Minerals like iron, calcium and copper in well water can dull hair, make color look muddy and turn blonde orange. Use a chelating shampoo and tell your colorist you are on well water.
When should I book color for a Hamptons summer?
In May or early June for your main color, a gloss in mid-July or early August, and a reset in September.
How often should I get a gloss in summer?
Once mid-season is enough for most people, on top of your regular color schedule.
Where can I get my hair done in Sag Harbor?
At the Warren Tricomi salon at 23 Bridge Street, Ground Floor, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, entrance on Rose Street. Call 631-324-3036 or book online through The Salon Project.
Ready for your summer reset? Book color, a gloss or a treatment at 23 Bridge Street in Sag Harbor, and save 10% on every service when you book online through The Salon Project.