It’s officially festival season all around the world. From Coachella to Life is Beautiful, the sun is out and so is your mane. Whether you're in a temperate climate or in the desert heat, the sunny rays will surely be unforgiving whether you like it or not! Protect your hair from breakage and dryness by following a few of our product recommendations.

1) Alterna Haircare Beach Summer Sun Recovery Spray

This product works before and after sun exposure. Upon contact, it infuses hair follicles with moisture, detangles dried out locks, enhances your sheen, and protects from future exposure. Use the Sun Recovery Spray as a leave in conditioner before heading out to the intense heat of the beach or desert valley. Bonus: it's made without parabens or artificial color.

2) Drybar Hot Toddy Heat & UV Protectant

Not only is this scent refreshing, Drybar’s Hot Toddy hair lotion is perfect for protecting against styling tool heat AND sunny rays. Made with artichoke leaf extract, it’s a healthier choice to prevent breakage during styling and damaging dry temperatures. Hot Toddy is formulated without parabens, sulfates, or phthalates (pthalic acid).

3) Sun Bum 3 in 1 Leave in Hair Conditioning Treatment

Sun Bum makes a great line of gluten free and vegan sunscreen. So it’s no surprise that their hair care treatment is our fave. The Big Three: it protects against UV rays, detangles for styling, and conditions. By restoring moisture, your hair will feel more soft in the dry or humid heat. This product is made in the USA and infused with coconut oil, banana pulp/peel and leaf, quinoa protein and sunflower oil.

 4) Paul Mitchell Ultimate Color Repair Triple Rescue

The triple protection of Paul Mitchell’s Color Repair Triple Rescue is great for color treated hair. Infused with quinoa color repair complex, Triple Rescue prevents against thermal damage. In addition, it protects from color processing damage, heat from styling and sunlight, and unleashes luminosity while conditioning. This product works best on damp hair, washed or not.

5) Bumble & bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil

A perfect product for many hair types, B&B’s Invisible Oil is a pre-styling treatment that detangles, softens and moistens hair. While taming frizz and protecting against breakage, B&B’s Invisible Oil is made without parabens, phthalates, mineral oil or alcohol. Style on damp hair or as a leave-in conditioner.

Enjoy the sunshine and save your hair!

Hair is such a fleeting piece of our DNA. It grows old with us; depending on how healthy we live, our hair directly reflects that. By our bodily nutrition to topical treatments that go into our scalp, it is so important to educate yourself on beauty and health as one.  My hair has gone through a myriad of stylistic changes in the past few years. With change comes more knowledge of the good, bad, and ugly of products and our hair’s relationship with the elements.

Photo by: Sacha Columbia

Here’s a little about my hair transformation and my first time using Hairstory Studio products.

I’ve had long hair, mop tops, bobs and everything in between, except a close shaved fade. During my early twenties, I always admired Edie Sedgwick’s character and bold personality. I loved her rebellious nature that allowed her to freely chop her long brown hair on The Factory alley staircase.  With a little encouragement, I finally took the leap.

I have been through all different kinds of drug store shampoos and conditioners that were too gunky even for my thick hair. Later on in life, I was considering making my Twiggy/Edie hair dream a reality… but I knew my hair would need reinforcements.

The process is long and expensive. Transforming my hair from deep espresso brown to platinum blonde took a few sessions and in between I rocked a lavender color. Now that I have achieved the look, nurturing what little locks I have is my goal.

One key fact of healthy hair: Wash it less. That’s easy for me, since there is so little of it. Yet with continuous retouching, my hair slowly was losing its softer feeling and becoming dry and wispy. Especially from relocating from temperate Seattle to the Las Vegas desert. I need serious hair restoration if I continue the blonde lifestyle, so…

Enter Hairstory Studio...

Hairstory isn’t just another static product. Their a conceptual lifestyle combining consumers, storytellers and stylists. Creator of Bumble & Bumble, Michael Gordon’s new mission with Hairstory is to embrace less is more.

In the beauty world, cosmetology is often lost in salon brands with over saturated product lines and unrealistic standards of service. Hairstory is letting “the girl next door” types, into their world to narrate their hair potential as a personal metamorphosis.  

Photo courtesy of Hairstory Studio

The science behind their products is simple. It allows hair to just be, without too much force. That’s every girl’s end goal, right? Effortless style. With just four products, Hairstory allows the beauty routine to be streamlined. When I used New Wash, and especially Hair Balm for the first time, I could feel a change in look and texture.

New Wash contains only essential oils; enough vitamins to wash, but not too much. It is detergent free, a beauty game changer as shampoos go. There is no need for conditioner, because the New Wash concept is to give back, not strip hair. It feels like a hair moisturizer upon touch and goes on hair just like one. It’s not soapy or over scented, just hints faintly of spearmint.  It’s a nutritiously dense wash; just like the “less is more” motto, a little goes a long way.

Photo by: Sacha Columbia

When I’m not in a hurry for work, I like to take my mornings slowly. Maybe throw on a facial mask for a half hour while my hair dries. On such a morning, the Hair Balm is a perfect leave in moisturizer. For Hair Balm to work its magic, let hair air dry and continue to style if that’s your routine.  As I fore mentioned, my hair is dyed platinum blonde, which is severely strenuous for hair follicles. When I used Hair Balm, I noticed a significant difference in the overall brightness and softer texture. My hair no longer feels fried! Hair Balm penetrates the color to pull out fading blonde sheens, without depositing any color, like purple shampoos tend to do.

A final touch of spritz to add texture and body is a perfect finishing touch to style. Hairstory Studio’s Undressed is a light mist that adds volume to even the finest hair. My locks are on the thicker side, so one spritz throughout my pixie is just enough to tousle through. What Undressed does is provide minimal styling effort and lets the hair style on its own. It’s lighter than surf spray and more refreshing like a moisturizer.

Photo by: Sacha Columbia

Since using Hairstory and following along with their series of Editions or stories, I’ve thought deeply about my own hair journey. My transformation from thick brown bangs was like pulling the curtains away from my face. I embraced the mod, gamine girl that I longed to be. I continue to learn more eco-friendly routes to reach blonde tones and educate myself on healthy restoration. Do not be swayed again by the drugstore or even salon marketing, do your own research. Don’t buy another “shampoo” again! Say no to detergent, hello to the New Wash. If Hairstory isn’t in your shower, I suggest you pay them a visit.

Stylists: Learn how you can join forces with Hairstory Studio.

Restore your hair with New Wash, Hair Balm and Undressed.