Celebrity Stylist Tracey Cunningham’s Best Tips for Gorgeous Summer Hair

Summer is the peak season for beach days, pool parties, long weekends outdoors and showing off your best hair. But it’s also prime time for heat, humidity, chlorine and frizz; not exactly a picnic for your hair. No one knows this better than celebrity stylist Tracey Cunningham, whose clients spend plenty of time in the sun, on red carpets and using hot styling tools. The same habits that help protect hair through constant coloring and styling can also help safeguard it through the summer months.

"Healthy hair is easier to style," notes Tracey. And in summer, that's never more true. When your hair is strong, hydrated, and structurally sound, it holds shape better, reflects light beautifully, and resists the frizz and breakage that heat and humidity can cause. Here are Tracey’s best summer hair-saving strategies.

1. Never Skip a Heat Protectant

If you regularly use a hair dryer, curling or flat iron, protecting your hair against the heat is non-negotiable. "Always use a heat protectant before styling,” she emphasizes. “Flat irons get extremely hot; they can literally burn your skin. So protecting the hair before you use hot tools is essential." 

Tracey’s go-to is a spray that both protects and adds shine simultaneously. “I often use the blow-dry spray from Olaplex because it protects the hair and adds shine at the same time,” she says. “I also like using the Olaplex 3 treatment; you apply it to your hair in the shower before shampooing and conditioning. It helps reconnect the broken bonds in your hair and when the bonds are repaired, you’ll see more shine and the hair can tolerate heat better.”

And beyond reaching for a protectant, she cautions against cranking tools to the highest heat setting. Repeated high-heat exposure can crack the hair's cuticle and permanently weaken its internal protein structure, leaving strands brittle and prone to breakage.[1] The sweet spot: Keep your tools around 320–340°F (160–170°C). It's enough heat to style effectively without the potential risk of long-term damage.[2]

2. Give Your Hair Heat-Free Days

One of the habits Cunningham flags is over-relying on hot tools. Using too many of them too frequently can age your hair. That might mean a great blowout today, but progressively drier, weaker strands as the summer wears on.

Build in regular breaks from heat styling. Summer is actually a great time for air-dried waves, braids, or low-maintenance updos that let your hair recover between styled days. The less heat you use overall, the more resilient your hair stays for when you actually need it.

3. Don't Overwash

It may seem counterintuitive in summer with all the sweat, sunscreen, and salt water, but Cunningham advises against washing your hair every single day. "Even if you have oily hair, you don't necessarily need to wash it every day," she says. "You can use dry shampoo when needed."

Overwashing strips the hair of its natural oils, which are actually protective, especially when you're exposing your strands to heat, sun, and color treatments all season. Consider washing up to about three times per week, keeping your scalp clean without depleting the moisture your hair needs to stay resilient.

4. Use the Right Shampoo and Condition Every Time

When you do wash, the products you choose matter. Cunningham recommends using a sulfate-free shampoo to avoid stripping the hair of its natural oils and always follow with conditioner. A conditioner smooths the cuticle, reduces tangles, and locks in the moisture that summer conditions can deplete.[3]

Her tip for getting the most from conditioner: if your hair is curly or thick, apply it from roots to ends. If you have straight or fine hair, focus on the lower third of your strands, where hair tends to be drier and more prone to breakage.

5. Protect Your Hair While You Sleep

What happens between styling sessions matters. Cunningham is a big advocate for nighttime hair protection, especially in summer when hair is already more vulnerable. "I love braiding your hair before bed," she says, "especially if you have wavy or curly hair. This keeps your hair from getting frizzy or messy while you sleep."

The other upgrade she recommends: switching to a silk pillowcase or wearing a silk bonnet. Cotton pillowcases create friction that can cause frizz and breakage overnight Silk reduces that friction significantly, keeping your style fresher and your strands smoother.

6. Be Careful with Tight Styles

Sleek updos, slicked-back buns, tight high ponytails are perfect for beating the summer heat, but Cunningham urges caution about wearing them every single day. "Tight ponytails and buns can be tough on your hair if you wear them all the time," she says. "Constant tension can stress the hair follicles, and over time even lead to hair loss." The technical term is traction alopecia; hair loss caused by chronic pulling at the root, which can become permanent if left unaddressed.[4]

The simple approach: rotate your styles. Save the ultra-tight looks for special occasions and give your scalp regular recovery time. Looser braids, low buns, and half-up styles accomplish the same summer-ready effect without the follicle strain.

7. Think Softer When It Comes to Color

Summer is prime time for lightening up, and Cunningham's color advice: Stay close to your natural base, choose color that adds dimension rather than going extreme, and consider softer, more blended looks like foiled cashmere highlights. "The foiled cashmere look is very youthful," she says. Less aggressive processing means less damage, and hair that can handle summer without becoming brittle or over-porous..

The Bottom Line

Great summer hair isn't about finding the perfect product or the hottest new styling trick. According to Tracey Cunningham, it comes down to consistency in the fundamentals: protect before you style, don't overwash, condition every time, sleep on silk, brush gently, and ease up on styles that strain your strands. Build those habits now and you’ll sail through summer with strong, resilient, beautiful hair.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to handle frizz in summer humidity?

Part of frizz prevention actually happens before you even step outside. Tracey Cunningham recommends braiding your hair before bed and sleeping on a silk pillowcase or in a silk bonnet; less friction overnight means smoother strands in the morning. Keeping hair well-conditioned is also key, since a smooth, sealed cuticle is far more resistant to humidity than one that's dry or damaged.

Can I still use hot tools in the summer, or should I avoid them completely?

You don't have to give up your flat iron or blow dryer; you just need to be smarter about how you use them. Always apply a heat protectant first, keep your tools around 320–340°F, and build in heat-free days so your hair can recover.

Are tight summer styles like buns and ponytails really that damaging?

They're fine in moderation, but wearing them too often or too tightly puts chronic stress on the hair follicle that can lead to traction alopecia, a form of hair loss caused by repeated pulling. The fix is simple: Rotate your styles, opt for looser variations day-to-day, and save the sleekest, most pulled-back looks for the occasions that call for them.