Beach vacations often leave hair feeling stiff and dull. The combination of UV radiation, sea salt, and chlorine strips moisture from the hair shaft and opens the cuticle, making strands prone to breakage and loss of shine. Because salt already dehydrates both the scalp and the hair shaft, aggressive surfactants can worsen the damage. Alina Chernova, a cosmetics ingredient expert, notes that salt water acts as an abrasive. Conditioning and NutritionConditioners are essential for sealing the hair surface and restoring smoothness after salt disrupts internal hydrogen bonds.