Summer haircare is built to fight humidity, and fall hair needs the opposite. Here is what to swap this season and what your stylist can help you choose.
Fall Haircare Swaps: What Your Routine Actually Needs
Your hair spent all summer fighting humidity and sun. The products that handled that job were lightweight and built to keep moisture out. Once the air turns cool and dry, your hair needs the opposite. You do not need more products, just different ones. If you read our Fall Skincare Swaps post, this is the same idea for your hair.
Why Fall Hair Needs a Different Routine
Drier air pulls moisture out of your hair and scalp the same way it does your skin. Hair that felt smooth in August can feel rough or dull by October. If you moved into one of the warmer tones we have been talking about this fall (see our fall color post and lived-in color), that color also needs different care once the weather shifts. Warm reds and coppers tend to fade faster than cooler shades, so moisture and gentle cleansing help them last.
What to Swap This Season
Lightweight or volumizing shampoo to a moisture-replenishing shampoo and conditioner. If your hair feels drier or more static-prone than it did a month ago, this is usually the first thing to change. KEVIN.MURPHY and Mizani both make options built for this, and Mizani is worth asking about if you have curly or textured hair.
Conditioner alone to a weekly treatment. A weekly deep conditioning mask does more for fall dryness than switching your everyday conditioner. Kérastase and L'Oréal Professionnel both make masks built for this. Ask which one fits your hair type.
The heat protectant you have been skipping to one you actually use. Summer humidity often means more air drying and less blow drying, so it is easy to fall out of the habit. Once hair is already dry, heat protection matters just as much, if not more. Ask your stylist for one that fits your hair and your styling routine.
Ignoring your scalp to paying attention to it. A tight or flaky scalp in fall is often dryness, not dandruff. Mention it at your next appointment so your stylist can take a look, rather than guessing.
Quick Reference: Your Fall Hair Swaps
| Instead Of | Try | Ask About |
|---|---|---|
| Lightweight or volumizing shampoo | Moisture-replenishing shampoo and conditioner | KEVIN.MURPHY, Mizani |
| Everyday conditioner alone | A weekly deep conditioning mask | Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionnel |
| Skipping heat protection | A heat protectant before every blow-dry | Your stylist |
| Ignoring a tight or flaky scalp | A scalp check at your next appointment | Your stylist |
What Your Stylist Can Tell You at Your Next Appointment
Your next color visit, or a gloss appointment if you are refreshing rather than changing anything, is the easiest time to ask what you should be using at home. Bring the question. It is a normal thing to ask, and your stylist would rather help you choose than have you guess.
Building Your Fall Hair Routine With Us
Book an appointment and ask for a quick product check, or browse our product page to see what we carry.