Sarah French talks to leading hairdresser Wilson Derbyshire about the best way to prep your hair for sunshine, sea and sand

THE promise of sea warm enough to swim in and long days of sunshine makes planning a holiday almost as much fun as the trip itself. Along with buying a new bikini and stocking up on sun lotion, for many women the preparation includes a new haircut or colour.

Aside for helping you arrive looking and feeling good, Wilson Derbyshire, owner of Shine Hair & Beauty in Northallerton, says it's vital to pre-empt the potential damage of a holiday in the sun with a visit to a professional salon.

"Sea breezes, sun, salt, chlorine and the additional blow-drying you probably do on holiday are all potential enemies of hair so you should spend some time preparing your hair to cope with them and to maximise its condition before you travel," says Wilson.

Hair colour is most at risk of damage. "Knowing that the sun can fade colour, you might want to consider going a shade or two darker before your holiday to counterbalance any fade and also to have a special colour-lock treatment," suggests Wilson.

Olaplex is a treatment that is winning fans across the world for its apparent ability to rebuild damaged hair and to preserve colour. Wilson explains: "We have seen amazing results with it, the colour just doesn't fade at all, so it's definitely an effective way to not only keep your colour but also to regenerate the hair in general in preparation for your holiday. It goes a long way towards completely solving the problem of colour fade."

Other products on the market have anti-chlorine properties and sun screens, hydrators and nourishing ingredients.

Current trends for colour are more helpful too, with the fashion for balayage becoming less extreme and more a 'melting' of one colour into another. Shades of rose gold, butter and cinnamon are more conducive to holiday warmth than the previous cool ash and ice blondes.

Application of colour for summer focuses on framing and contouring, with colour acting as an outline to the new, more structured styles. Professional cuts to create shape and emphasis are set to return for the holiday season.

Wilson's recommended products for holiday hair:

BEFORE

Olaplex: salon treatment to repair hair, lock-in colour, preserve colour from fading and improve overall condition.

Wella Professionals Protection Spray: helps protect the hair from UV rays and provides vitamins to hydrate and keep hair looking healthy.

Wella Professionals Protection Cream: helps to nourish and smooth coarse hair while high-performance UV block protects.

DURING

Wella Professionals Hair and Body Shampoo: helps to remove impurities from sunscreen, salt and chlorinated water and restore moisture.

Wella SP Sun After Sun Shampoo: gently cleanses hair during your holiday.

AFTER

Wella Professionals Hair and Skin Hydrator: nourishment for post-sun exposure with a shimmer effect.

Wella Professionals Express Conditioner: deep repair for after-sun exposure to leave hair healthy looking and soft to touch.

Wella SP Repair Mask: intensively repairs damaged hair and projects from further damage.