Welcome to Summer, Fox Fam! Each season comes with its own unique joys and challenges when it comes to haircare. Taking care of your color in the summertime is something we know you care about, so we’re here with some of our best haircare tips to help make sure you can enjoy your hair color all summer long!

1. If Your Hair is Dry...

Heat and sun can be drying and damaging to the hair, causing it to feel rough and tangled. Some extra TLC will make all the difference! A leave-in conditioner after each wash is great for frequent maintenance, and weekly hair masks will help replenish lost moisture over time. Plus, your Arctic Fox colors are super conditioning and act as a hair mask, so you can always touch up your color a little more often, leaving the color in your hair for longer for that extra boost of both softness and color to your strands!

2. If Your Hair is Oily...

I don’t know about you, but summertime means a lot of sweating for me. Gotta take the good with the bad, I guess! Oily or greasy hair is another common summertime issue, but frequent washing will make your color fade faster (which isn’t any fun either). Dry shampoo to the rescue! Not only will it save your hair color, but it will help keep oiliness at bay when your summer days go on longer than anticipated. Stick to a non-aerosol dry shampoo if you can, for eco-friendliness!

3. If You Want to Make Your Color Last Longer...

My number one suggestion for long-lasting color in the summer (aside from using good CF products and dry shampoo) is to add that last bit of color straight into your conditioner! Every time you rinse your hair, leave the conditioner in for 15 minutes to deep condition and revitalize your vibrant locks! If you want to get the most milage out of your colorful mane, try going a shade darker than normal and enjoy the fading process.

4. If You Want to Remove Your Color...

A lot of foxes use color removers made for semi-permanent hair dye to remove color from their hair, but we've got a hot tip: going swimming in the pool or the ocean will strip color from your hair! Keep that in mind as you plan your summer. But if it isn't fading fast enough for you, you can always color correct with a new shade instead of stripping color from the hair. If you follow the color wheel, it's pretty easy to transition into your desired color one shade at a time. For example: if your hair is faded green and you'd like to go back to blonde we typically recommend using full strength Purple AF. If you started with a super light blonde you can just wait 6-10 weeks (which can vary) until it fades to a soft lilac and then ultimately a cool toned blonde. 

5. If You Need Alternatives to Heat Styling...

Since heat styling can strip color (and create a too-hot moment for your beauty routine) there are some other ways you can style your hair without heat styling. Try blow-drying on a cool setting and using velcro curlers for volume! Or after you use a nightly hair serum, try braiding your hair after it air dries and wake up to beachy waves! 

Got any hot summer hair tips? Let us know about them in the comments! 

Coley Baker is AF’s customer support guy, volunteer color tester, and resident Dungeon Master. His hair has been just about every Arctic Fox shade, so firsthand color knowledge is his specialty! He currently resides in north San Diego with his partner and dog, where they can usually be found being beach bums or rolling up new Dungeons and Dragons characters.