After a summer of sun, sand and so many pool days, beachy waves can quickly transform to dry, frizzy and damaged hair. Want to help those strands recover from chlorine and saltwater exposure, and show off a glossy new ‘do for fall? From the best shampoo, to must-have leave-in conditioners, these are the essential hair care products to put summer damage in the rear-view mirror. 

Over the course of summer, chlorine and saltwater can strip hair of its natural oils, so it dries out and breaks easily. Plus, along with sunshine, these two hair enemies oxidize strands, meaning they chemically combine with oxygen in the air, damaging hair texture and impacting highlights or all-over color. 

By the end of the season, all that exposure can leave hair frizzy, dried out and with tons of split ends. So, with fall around the corner, it’s time to do some serious strand rehab. And these products are more than up for the challenge.

After several months of drying conditions, healthy fall hair can only happen if some deep conditioning is involved. Once a week, try a hair mask like Navy’s Search and Rescue Biotin and Botanical Enriched Fortifying Treatment Serum to help lock in moisture. Hair oil can also bring back moisture, so Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment can restore luster, while addressing summer breakage, too! 

For extra protection, use leave-in conditioners like Color Wow’s Kale-Infused Strengthening after every washing. Especially when heat-based styling tools are part of the hair care plan for the day. But use of these products should be limited—see why below.

After a season in the sun, shampooing less frequently can help hair recover from summer damage. To help extend time between washings, try the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo. Then, when washing is a must, the best shampoo for stressed out hair is one that’s packed with nutrients. Check out Navy’s Search and Rescue Shampoo, packed with vitamin A, C and E (plus panthenol rosemary oil) for shinier hair with every washing. 

Fabulous fall hair doesn’t have to involve styling tools. In fact, the start of this new season is the perfect time to take a break, since blow dryers and flat irons, combined with weak and dry hair, will add up to more breakage, more split ends and just more trouble. 

Instead of styling hair to death, allowing hair to air dry can help with healing. Still, to avoid that fuzzy, frizzy look, gently towel dry hair right after washing. Then, light spritz damp tresses with Color Wow’s Mini Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Anti Frizz Treatment, and hair will dry smoothly, without furthering seasonal damage.

At the end of the summer, scheduling a haircut to trim off split ends is a great idea. But for breakage that happened above the trim line, or to simply restore hair’s healthy shine, reaching for hair care products instead of scissors is a wise decision. 

Two products to try right now? Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector works like leave-in conditioners, except it’s applied to hair before shampooing. And it’s meant to be rinsed out after a 10-minute application time. When used as a pre-treatment, this repair product can restore hair strength while boosting shine and luster. 

Once washing and conditioning is complete, reach for Olaplex no. 7 bonding oil, designed to repair, moisturize and rebuild any type of hair—without the greasy feel of traditional leave-in conditioners. After even one use, this weightless bonding treatment (which also protects against heated styling products), hair should look and feel its best: soft, shiny and, for color-treated hair, with more vibrancy, and no brassiness in sight. 

Got fall hair care under control? Now head here for the best cardigans to rock this season. 

What are your fall hair care must haves? Share in the comments below!