Summer is all about sun, pool days, and beach hangs. So it seems extra unfair that the conditions that make life so fun can seriously mess with one's hair, skin, and scalp.
UV rays, heat, chlorine, and salty water can all collaborate to leave hair discolored, dry, frizzy, discolored, damaged, or limp. Skin? Irritated, deplenished and breaking out, thanks to heightened exposure to sun and sweat, plus oil-producing glands that go into overdrive in the heat. And your scalp might swing from dry and itchy, to oily and flaky.
Thankfully, the product gods have blessed us with some real MVPs that protect and revive hair, skin, and scalp from summer stress and let us enjoy the longer, hotter days and nights beautifully. Here are some essentials that’ll keep you glowing for real.
Tap each product name for a link!
AROVE AERIOUS Waterless Shampoo & Conditioner
PSA for summer travelers: Celebrity hairstylist Michael Dueñas created this super-luxe waterless duo that saves suitcase space and the planet. Their TSA-friendly 2.3 ounces generate up to 80 washes of powder-to-lather goodness that deeply hydrates, repairs, and adds shine.
CoverGirl Clean Fresh Blurring Skin Tint SPF 30
This lightweight tint blurs pores, controls oil, fades dark spots, and brightens skin with niacinamide and licorice root — plus it’s got SPF 30. It’s breathable, hydrating, and perfect for everyday wear (especially if you’re breakout-prone). Available in 14 flexible shades for a soft-matte, your-skin-but-better finish.
Glaze Supergloss Color Conditioning Gloss
This semi-permanent gloss is like a tinted moisturizer for hair — boosting shine, enhancing color, and deep conditioning in just 10 minutes. Available in 15 shades plus a clear option, this semi-permanent colorant leaves strands glossy, silky, and newly vibrant for up to 10 washes. It's a game-changer for dull, faded hair.
Good Molecules Sakura Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Essence
This gentle essence for all skin types uses three sizes of hyaluronic acid plus natural sugars for deep, lasting hydration (and to amplify other skincare ingredients). Extracts of akura and sake lees supply antioxidant power, leaving skin plump, dewy, glowing, and soft. Use in place of toner — it absorbs like a dream.
Face Reality InvisiClear Hydrocolloid Spot Patches & Daily SPF 30+
It’s a dynamic duo for breakout-prone skin from the brand voted "Favorite Acne Line" last year by estheticians. The barely-there spot patches shrink blemishes fast while protecting skin from pollutants (and pesky picking). Pair with the brand's broad-spectrum SPF 30+ — now boosted with acne-busting ingredients — for sun protection that helps skin stay clear.
IGK Disco Disco Shine Spray
This ultra-fine, non-greasy micro-mist delivers immediate glassy shine, moisture, and a light-reflecting glow to hair (and even skin!) as it protects against UV damage, pollution, static, and heat. Packed with botanical oils, it smooths, adds bounce, and smells amazing. Bonus: yes, it even doubles as a summer body shimmer.
Mr. Smith Hair Scalp Cleanse & Soothe
This bundle comes to the relief of stressed, sunburnt, or overly oily scalps. It gently detoxes and soothes even the most sensitive skin, reducing oil, flakiness, and irritation as it rebalances the scalp's biome. It's very much skincare for the scalp, leaving it clean, calm, and itch-free. Perfect for anyone needing a scalp reset in summer heat.
Personal Day Doing the Work Acne Treatment
This gentle but powerful acne treatment zaps blemishes into submission without drying out the skin. With salicylic acid, azelaic acid, and niacinamide, it flattens bumps and calms breakouts — even among those fighting tough cystic or hormonal acne — while hydrating and brightening. It's super gentle to even the most irritable, sensitive skin.
PHYTO PLAGE After Sun Rehydrating Shampoo
PHYTO has brought back its beloved PLAGE sun-care line along with a couple of new hero products, including this one. After beach or pool days, this creamy foam washes away sunscreen residue, salt, sand, and chlorine while deeply hydrating. Calendula extract nourishes, repairs, and softens the hair fiber, while white mallow extraction adds amazing shine and suppleness.
Pravana Clear Cleanse Shampoo
Color-treated water babies: listen up! This gentle clarifying shampoo gently detoxes hair of chlorine, salt, and minerals without stripping color or moisture. It removes buildup, pollution, and product gunk while keeping hair color vibrant and true, all while smelling phenomenal (like Thai lime and basil). A must-have after pool or sea.
R+Co Bleu Essential Air Dry/ Blow Dry Crème
A low-maintenance summer styling MVP. Whether you air-dry or blow-dry, this do-it-all crème smooths, shines, and protects from intense heat damage. It prevents breakage, defrizzes, defines curls, and keeps hair bouncy and soft. Especially for those who want to skip the hair dryer post-shower, this delivers touchable hold and bounce while enhancing natural texture.
R+Co Bright Shadows Root Touch-Up Spray
When your summer schedule has you spacing out your color appointments more than usual, this A+ root concealer comes in clutch. It sprays on smooth, gives instant gray and regrowth coverage that really lasts, comes in 7 shades, and smells ahhhhhmazing.
Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo
The brand's best-selling dry shampoo is baaaack! A heavy hitter for oily roots, it's a champ at absorbing grease and sweat without leaving residue. The vegan formula is fueled by rice starch and vitamins B5 and C, refreshing third or fourth-day hair with a cooling sensation and soft, clean finish (your BFF when you need just one more day without a wash). The lemony-jasmine scent is just the cherry on top.
SHAMPOOHOTEL Body Wash & Lotion
Because that shower after a pool or beach day just hits different, especially on vacation. The decadent body products from this new travel-inspired hair and body brand are developed by in-house perfumers with scents inspired by iconic destinations: Paris (crisp and sophisticated), Miami (uplifting and bright), Marrakesh (sultry and striking), and Rio (warm and intoxicating).
The body wash gently cleanses with aloe vera and moringa, while the body lotion delivers 24-hour hydration with hyaluronic acid and shea butter.
Sofie Pavitt Face Fridge to Face Blemish Defense Cooling Mist
This cool, super-fine facial mist is cryotherapy meets skincare. An on-the-go soother, it's formulated with post-biotics and vitamins B3 + B5 to calm, hydrate, reduce dark spots and redness, and rebalance heat-stressed, blemish-prone skin. Keep it in your workout bag or store it in the fridge for a refreshing pick-me-up.
It helps reduce the harm that heat and sweat can cause to skin, all while working with — and not against — the active ingredients in your other skincare products.
Tara Strawberry+NMF Nurture Leave-In Conditioner
While this lightweight, heavenly scented leave-in hydrates, detangles, smooths, and protects all year long, its fresh strawberry aroma just screams summer. The strawberry extract isn't just there for the scent: its antioxidant-rich properties shield hair from the damage caused by UV rays and pollution. Grapeseed and olive oils are in the mix too, to tame flyaways and leave hair soft, shiny, and frizz-free all day and night.