Daniel Marsula , Post-Gazette Click illustration for larger image.

Withering heat, high humidity, sea water and chlorine are four good reasons to pay more attention to your hair this summer.

While the health of your locks can suffer in winter because of indoor-outdoor temperature changes and cold, chafing winds, summer's drying heat, chlorinated pools and salty ocean water are much more unforgiving.

"We're outside more in the summer, so your hair is exposed to more of the outside elements. That's why you need to take special care," said Cynthia Winston, celeb hairstylist and co-owner of Van Michael Miami, an Aveda concept salon in South Beach.

"The sun wreaks havoc on our hair naturally. In addition, if your hair is chemically treated with color or anything else, the sun will affect your color and cause it to fade."

Here's some advice from Ms. Winston and other pros on maintaining attractive and healthy hair this summer:

Apply sunscreen to hair before going out to help protect it from sun damage and color fading if it's dyed.

Use a mild shampoo, and not too frequently. Instead, wash with water and use a leave-in conditioner.

Before swimming, wet hair with tap water to saturate it, which leaves less capacity for your hair to soak up chlorinated or salt water. A thick conditioner adds even more protection.

After swimming, immediately rinse hair. Whether you shampoo or not, use a deep conditioner.

Blow-drying can dry hair too much, so blot wet hair with a towel or allow to air-dry. If you blow-dry or use a curling or flat iron, coat hair first with a thermal protectant to shield hair from the heat.

Don't overprocess hair, which strips it of essential moisturizing oils and can lead to breakage.

Strengthen hair with a regular protein-based hair mask or other product.

Consider products with hair-nourishing ingredients such as tea tree oil, shea butter and carrot extract, which also are good for the scalp.