Summertime has myriad reasons to rejoice: the sun's out, BBQs are back, and you can finally get your toes out and into those cute sandals you bought during last year's sale season. But if your hair always seems to go haywire the moment you land somewhere hot, there are actually a number of specific reasons for it.
Travelling to warmer climes for holiday season can often mean pool and sea water aplenty (i.e. chlorine and salt), elevated temperatures and harmful UV rays, and increased humidity. And guess what? None of these tend to be a friend to hair. In fact, they can cause dryness and frizz in abundance.
Another key culprit which is common abroad? Softer water than we're used to in the UK, which changes the way hair behaves entirely. Without the minerals found in hard water weighing strands down, hair can become prone to flyaways and frizz—and your usual products may not work the same way either. I've seen this first-hand since moving to Australia from the UK, and trichologist Anabel Kingsley of Philip Kingsley confirms it's more common than you'd think.
"High humidity definitely adds to frizz," she says—but so can different water. "It's true that hard water [which many of us have in the UK] has many pitfalls—it can leave hair feeling coated and looking dull. Soft water leaves less of a residue on hair, often making it feel softer and look shinier. However, as you have that loss of added texture and weight from the minerals found in hard water, hair may be more prone to fly-aways," she explains, adding: "Another thing to consider is that your usual products may work differently when used with soft water, so you might need to rethink your products."
For this reason, it may be time to restock your haircare shelves for the summer season, as I have recently. Below, some of the most respected beauty editors in the industry share their favourite hydrating, shine-boosting, anti-frizz formulas worth a try if you struggle around this time of year.
9 anti-frizz, anti-humidity essentials recommended by beauty editors
Living Proof's frizz range is a comprehensive line that delivers on smoother hair with fewer flyaways—making it particularly useful when soft water on holiday leaves your strands more prone to the dreaded puff. For Freelance Beauty Editor Mica Ricketts, it's important to start with the collection's shampoo. She says the formula "genuinely transforms the feel" of her hair each time she uses it.
"It's infused with a special 'Sili-clone HairTech' which really helps to smooth the shaft of the hair and leave it feeling really silky, but it does so without leaving any residue or stickiness on the hair (which I always hate)," she says—a bonus when soft water can already make hair feel different in texture than you're used to.
Color Wow's beloved Dream Coat spray is one of the most talked-about haircare launches of the past decade—and its anti-humidity formula makes it a smart pick when elevated temperatures abroad leave hair more vulnerable to frizz and flyaways. So it's no surprise that Beauty Editor & Copywriter Lucy Abbersteen recommended it.
"If I'm styling my hair smooth, good moisturisation and some kind of humidity shield are musts if I don't want it to ping out of shape by mid-morning. I love a pre-blowdry spray and am a longtime Color Wow Dream Coat user," she explains, adding that she has also recently discovered Amika's Frizz-Me-Not Hydrating Treatment, which is a worthy competitor.
If there's one thing I know about beauty editor Humeara Mohamed, it's that she loves a Davines product, and when it comes to combating the dryness and flyaways that soft water, chlorine and UV rays on holiday can trigger, her loyalty to the brand makes a lot of sense.
This spray, she says, "is so lightweight that it works even on fine hair types," in contrast to many formulas which weigh the hair down or feel heavy. She adds: "I love everything about it: the packaging, the delightful smell, the way it makes my hair look smooth and glossy, and the brand’s dedication to the planet."
Culture & Beauty Journalist Ata-Owaji Victor loves the bestselling Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Finishing Mist for hydrating and adding a glossy shine to her braids—try adding this to your suitcase if you're worried about frizz and moisture-loss to your braids from being on holiday amidst chlorine, salt water, humidity and heat.
She shares: "It's the perfect spritz of hydration for that dreaded 3-week mark when your braids begin to seek moisture in the air by any means possible and fade into a dull, less vibrant version of their post-appointment selves."
She adds: "The mist adds shine, sinks into every weaved crevice and is light enough to bypass the scalp and root build-up that often occurs when adding product to braids."
To get non-frizzy hair (especially when the water is super soft), you have to commit to the prep. If you don't start well, you likely won't end well.
This is something Beauty Editor and Podcaster Madeleine Spencer agrees is crucial: "The first thing is making sure hair is in the best possible condition so it sits smoothly," she notes. Her pick? The cult pre-shampoo hair mask by Philip Kingsley, Elasticizer, which is a must for this – and one of my personal favourites for damaged hair recovery.
"Just put it in damp hair you’ve gently combed and let it soak in (I usually put it in before writing a feature or cleaning house to give it maximum time to do its thing)," she explains.
For Mica's wavy hair—which is particularly susceptible to frizz on holiday—the best thing that beloved brand Amika offers is the Smooth Over Frizz Fighting Treatment, which specifically targets fluffy flyaways.
"This in-shower smoothing treatment only takes one minute to work but has impressively dramatic results," she says. "After washing and conditioning your hair, you simply apply this to your mid-lengths and then rinse it away before drying and styling. My hair always looks so much more glossy, smooth and swishy after using this, and it keeps frizz at bay until your next wash too."
Beauty Editor and co-founder of weekly newsletter gloss etc, Sarah Tarca also lives in Australia. Having previously lived in Sydney, she's experienced some pretty intense humidity. For this reason, Sarah's done the legwork to find haircare products that truly deliver—and this Morrocanoil spray has always come out on top for her fine hair.
She explains: "Over summer, I had my hair blessed by my long-distance hairdresser Richi Grisillo, who just so happens to be the global ambassador for Moroccanoil, so he knows my hair (fine, limp) and these products well. He used this through my damp hair pre-styling (it’s heat-activated, so this is key), and not only did it bring arrogant layers of shine, it held up against the sweat pool that is Sydney humidity."
I'm a big fan of this lightweight oil, which was launched by Aveda in 2025. It's non-greasy, feels undetectable on hair, but works hard behind the scenes. Madeleine is also a devotee: "It controls hair prone to flying off but doesn’t weigh it down, which is crucial."
The freelance editor explains that she uses this on damp hair (a little goes a long way) and that it "helps everything to sit smoothly," without feeling heavy.
