Why You Need A Coconut Oil Hair Mask For Summer

UV rays from the hot summer sun can cause serious damage to your hair. Enter hair masks: a quick and easy way to help undo the frizzing and fraying that happens as a result of sun exposure. Our summer hair mask ingredient of choice? Coconut oil. 

“The sun can damage our hair, leaving it dry and prone to more breakage,” Dr. Tess Marshall, NMD, Director of Product Science & Innovation at Nutrafol, confirms. “Coconut oil has many benefits, especially for summer hair.” 

In addition to smelling like a delicious piña colada, coconut oil contains fatty acids “known to protect the hair shaft and also help with shine,” she adds. Coconut oil masks are beneficial year-round, any time of day — but they’re especially perfect after a day of sun exposure. “Using a coconut oil mask after beach days can help promote moisture and help prevent breakage,” Dr. Tess says. Coconut oil hair products are available in any drugstore. Here are a few to consider. And unless the products state otherwise, Dr. Tess recommends applying them to dry hair for maximum absorption.

You can’t beat the price on this two-step mask. Apply the first step after shampooing your hair. Leave it in, then add step two. Leave that solution in for three minutes, then rinse out and enjoy your lustrous, coconut-enhanced hair.

OGX was one of the earliest adopters to the coconut oil trend. The brand sells this hair mask for the extra damaged — which could be anyone after a few days of laying in the sun. This mask also contains vanilla bean extract, so your hair will not only feel better, but smell amazing.

If you’re a low-maintenance person, try this set-it-and-forget-it leave-in conditioner. You don’t have to worry about rinsing it out, and it’ll keep working and protecting your hair all day. This option is especially good to use before you hit the beach.

If your hair’s really in a rough place, Dr. Tess recommends adding coconut oil to any mask yourself. This will turbo-boost the mask, and it’s especially good for those with really thick or dry hair. Dr. Tess recommends trying this trick with natural proteins, like the quinoa-based mask above. “Quinoa is one of my favorite ingredients with hair protein” to mix with coconut oil, Dr. Tess says.