With summer finally here and summer holidays to look forward to for those lucky few, you will be needing to take extra care with those locks as we don’t want to go into winter with sun damaged, brittle hair! The best way to do this is to try and avoid UV rays getting to your hair, as it will dry it out especially if you have highlighted or bleached hair! The only way to successfully do this is to sit inside all day or to wear a hat (I advise the latter!)

This season’s trendy cowboy hat makes it easy to protect your hair and look cool at the same time! Lets face it they do look the part on the beach and what’s better they keep your hair from sizzling! The straw will also keep you cool, much better than those thick sports caps I used to wear and will guard your face from the rays! There are many shops that sell cowboy hats, however I like this one from Accessorize with a cord tie and shell detail for £20.

While flicking through this weeks issue of Closer Magazine I stumbled across an advert for Tony & Guy’s new ‘Straight’ collection. I was instantly drawn to the advert because the model was staring directly at me and she had one of the funkiest haircuts I’ve seen in a while. Obviously their advertising campaign works because I was enticed to look at the products!

The range is available at Boots and consists of Straight and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner, Shine Enhance Shampoo and Conditioner, Straight and Shine Balm, Iron It Defence Spray, Rubber Shine and Finishing Shine Spray. Products are specifically designed to maximise the straightening effect and protect from heat damage of your dryers and stylers. Prices range from £4.99 to £6.99 and all can be bought separately.

A girlfriend of mine recommended this L’ANZA product to me and it really is fab! The spray is a very fine mist which you spray on wet hair and dry into place; repeat if you’re being energetic and want a longer-lasting hold. It also contains preservers, which prevents your colour from fading keeping it vibrant and longer lasting.

You can also spray it on dry hair for curling or straightening and the ‘Thermal Guard’ protects your hair from heat trauma from styling tools. The best bit for me though is that it is advertised for being the first and only styling formula that protects hair from all 3 UV sun rays (UVA/UVB/UVC - UVC being the most damaging), so a real must for your summer hols for those of you who like me, have to have a hat perched on the top of your head to stop your hair looking and feeling like straw!!

I bought mine from Hair Supermarket - not cheap at £18.95, but lasts ages and well worth it!

Before you start your hardcore sunbathing sessions this summer, think about your poor hair before you step outside and let it sizzle. We wouldn’t lie on the beach in 30 degrees heat without protecting our skin so why is it that so many people forget about their hair? Obviously the consequences of skin damage are much more severe than hair damage but if you want to keep those locks looking luscious then you should really consider protecting it with a high moisture replenishing treatment.

While reading through my weekly magazine I came across four intensive hair treatments to help protect hair from the heat of the sun. The cheapest product was L’Oreal Elvive Anti Breakage Nutri-Repair Masque. The treatment is specifically designed for dryer hair and helps prevent split ends/breakage, leaving it feeling softer and healthier. At only £4.99 this is definitely a product worth testing, available at auravita.com.

Next up is Trevor Sorbie Professional Replenishing Thermal Wrap. It is a creamy treatment that you leave on for ten minutes or so under a shower cap and allow to soak into your hair thoroughly. It works really well with curly locks and helps manage frizz, only £5.99 from Boots.

Toni & Guy’s Label M Intensive Conditioner was next in the line up – a highly moisturising conditioner for chemically treated hair such as colouring or perming. It helps hair become silkier meaning less knots and an overall healthier appearance. Label M is available for £9.95 at Toni & Guy.

The most expensive product in the group but the one I hear recommended all the time is Kerastase Soleil Masque UV Defense Active. The treatment is designed for coloured hair and has a UV barrier to help protect the colour from sun damage. It also leaves hair softer, silkier and shinier. If you’ve just had your hair done and you’re off on holiday this product could be a life saver. My hair dresser highly recommended this product, available at HQ Hair for £16.65.

Nicky Clarke’s Optimum Condition in 60 Seconds has won the Grazia Hair Award for ‘best budget deep conditioner 2007’. The conditioner is part of the popular Smooth It range where all the products are dedicated to keeping hair straight and frizz free. The product is a high shine moistening treatment that conditions deep into the roots ensuring your hair is always perfectly soft and smooth.

The treatment also helps protect hair against heat styling such as blow drying, straighteners and curling irons.

The product only costs £4.99 for a 150ml tube, this is one of the reasons the product was chosen by Grazia – because it offers customers great value for money. Available on the Superdrug website.

If you’re lucky enough to be jetting off to the sun this summer there’s one product you’ve got to try.

Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer contains super-moisturisers which stop hair breaking, and UV protection to guard you locks from the sun’s harmful rays. Apparently you pop it in your hair before shampooing to help your hair remain strong.

If, like me, your hair feels like straw when you’re away and you get back looking as if you haven’t styled it for months then this could be the best £22 you spend this year!

My hair gets easily damaged when I use straightners so I never put any heat on my hair without spraying first with my ghd Thermal Protector. There are three options depending on your hair type; weak and damaged hair, dry and coarse hair or normal-fine hair. I have weak and damaged hair from too much colouring and I find that this product works really well.

Not only does it stop my hair from damaging so much, it smells great and leaves my hair feeling fresh and shiny until I wash it again. The ghd website consists of a whole range of products to help treat and protect your hair from straightners and other heated stylers. The Thermal Protector spray costs £9.95 and has lasted me since last summer.