Four foolproof ways to step up your beauty game this summer

This summer your hair routine is about to get a whole lot easier. Dazzle in the heat with beachy waves and shine intensifying sprays and colour that won't fade no matter how high temperatures soar.

This summer your hair routine is about to get a whole lot easier. Dazzle in the heat with beachy waves and shine intensifying sprays and colour that won't fade no matter how high temperatures soar.

Want to nail low-maintenance beauty waves? The key is freshly-washed hair and Moroccan Oil’s exciting new styling products for tousled hair and, thank goodness, not a pair of tongs in sight (who has time to tong hair?).

How to get super model hair this summer

The days of the ‘show-dry’ – aka the perfectly coiffed blow-dry – are over. Hairstyles now are more lived-in; in other words, soft, shiny and tousled. For summer 2018, interpret this as flat roots, haphazardly wavy mid-sections and ends that are left straight instead of neatly curled under.

'The trick is to do a rough blow-dry, working with your natural texture, and using your fingers to loosen the spirals and create zig-zags,' says Marc Francombe-Painter who styled the hair on this shoot.

Moroccanoil has, hands down, the best products for this type of easy breezy look. The Dry Texture Spray, £17.45, is salt-free, thereby avoiding the dehydrated crunchiness of some texturising sprays, while the Glimmer Shine, £19.95, adds sheen and protects against sun damage but still manages to be lightweight enough that it won’t kill the look on fine hair.

Photographer Jason Hetherington 

How to perfect lived in beach hair

The golden rule for summer hair? Fresh, soft layers with tousle-inducing products.

'Prep the hair first with a good clarifying shampoo and hair nourishing conditioner,' says Francombe-Painter, who created these looks on our model Tess. 'Then, apply our favourite Moroccanoil Beach Wave Mousse, £17.45 which leaves hair with a windswept, sun-kissed texture that enhances the natural waves in your hair.

'Top it off with a mist of curling spray as opposed to a dry shampoo, which can look powdery in sunlight.' We love Curl Re Energizing Spray, £17.85.

Framcombe-Painter also suggests tweaking the ends with a matte cream like the Texture Clay, £16.35 to create the illusion of a day already spent on the beach.

Photographer: Jason Hetherington

Don't forget your sun shield

As tempting as it is to bask in the sun, your hair needs as much protection as your skin.

Wear your hair in a ponytail, top-knot or bun to protect the scalp, however, tie loosely as this will put a lot of stress on the hair, particularly those who have afro-textured hair, fine strands or light-coloured locks, which can be more easily damaged.

If you go out between 10am and 4pm, make it a priority to wear a hat or headscarf and stay in the shade. Fortunately for us, hats were all over the summer runways.

After a day at the beach use Moroccanoil Mending Infusion,£26.85, a vitamin-fuelled, quinoa protein-packed formula that reduces visible signs of damaged hair — such as frayed ends, dryness and colour damage — while taming frizz and preventing further damage.

Photographer Jason Hetherington

Give your hair an aura of ocean 

Thanks to the latest raft of summery, bright fragrances – all of which feature a strong sunscreen-like note – anyone can smell like they’re lying on the sandy shores of Mauritius.

With its exotic notes of tiaré flower, ylang-ylang and coconut, By Killian’s Love The Way You Feel EDP, £185 for 50ml, instantly conjures up memories of applying Hawaiian Tropic as a teenager. As the name implies, you will love how you feel wearing it – like you’ve stepped out of the ocean and are warming your skin in the sun.

Meanwhile, L’Artisan Parfumer Batucada EDT, £105 for 100ml, features a burst of fresh lime, cachaça and mint combined with a dab of sun cream and sea salt.

Spritz it through your hair and walk into a mist whenever you need to escape the daily grind.

Consider your summer beauty regime, sorted.

Lisa Oxenham

An award-winning health and beauty writer, stylist and creative director, Lisa Oxenham is one of the UK’s top beauty editors and the Beauty and Style Director at Marie Claire UK. With 20 years of editorial experience Lisa is a brand partnership expert, and a popular speaker, panelist and interviewer on a range of topics from sustainability to the future of beauty in the digital world. She recently spoke at Cognition X and Beauty Tech Live and is on the Advisory Board for the British Beauty Council’s Sustainable Beauty Coalition.

A well-respected creative director she works on celebrity, model and influencer shoots with the highest calibre of photographers, filmmakers, make-up artists and hairstylists to create timeless images, attention-grabbing videos, digital events and masterclasses. Most recently Lisa has directed covers such as Lily Cole and Jameela Jamil, films such as Save The Arts featuring Francesca Hayward and sustainable fashion shoots such as Be The Change. Supporting the beauty industry over the pandemic has been a top focus, directing the British Beauty Council’s six inspirational short biographical films for their Bring Back Beauty campaign.

Lisa is a wellbeing and beauty influencer with a focus on mental health and a large and engaged audience on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.