Article by BR Natalie
The Husband asked me a question today when I was spritzing some lightening spray in my hair. "Why does the sun tan your skin, but lighten your hair?". I got to give him my favourite answer to hair care questions. "Your hair is dead from the root down, duh."
See when your skin is exposed to harmful rays it produces more melanin, the pigment that determines skin and hair colour. The melanin in your skin becomes darker the more it's exposed to the sun's rays in an effort to prevent burning and damage. When hair is exposed to the sun, the sunlight causes the existing melanin within each strand to get lighter, and unlike your skin, your hair can't produce more melanin.
Lightening your hair isn't the only effect the sun has on it. Just like with our skin, the sun can damage hair, and whilst it might not be as detrimental to our health, sun damaged hair sure doesn't make for good hair days.
Sun damage in hair begins at the cuticle. When your hair is shiny, soft and smooth the cuticle will be laying flat. When your hair is frizzy, dull and coarse, the cuticle will have been damaged, likely by things such as the sun's UVA and UVB rays.
The signs of sun damaged hair are:
- Dry brittle strands
- Frizzy hair
- Split ends
- Thinning
- Loss of pigment / discolouration
- Dull hair with little-to-no sheen
- Dry to touch
Still not sure if your hair is sun damaged? Damaged hair is really hard to style, it won't hold a curl, flick or even stay straight. Dry and damaged hair will also dry really quickly - this is because the cuticles aren't laying flat and so the strands lose moisture easily from the core. So when blow-drying, it's easy to quite literally dry it out.
Prevention is obviously better than cure, so here's some suggestions to do less damage this summer:
- Wear a sun hat.
- Avoid heat styling in the summer, opt for boho hair!
- Deep condition your hair at least once a week.
- Invest in a good hair oil and use it daily.
Avoid soaking your hair in chlorinated water. Summer days by the pool may be bliss for you, but they scream hell for your hair. Chlorine strips your hair of natural oils making it dry, dull and less flexible. Chlorine can also get in between the fibres of the hair, weakening them dramatically. Add in the power of the sun, and your hair is sure to suffer. Try soaking your hair in fresh water before jumping in the pool (hair is like a sponge, the wetter it is, the less it can soak up) and rinsing really, really well after you've finished swimming.
Now of course, we talk about practical ways we can protect our hair from the sun, but inevitably, if we haven't already been doing so, our hair will be exhibiting some signs of sun damage. You can do the usual deep conditioning or oil treatments, or you can incorporate a bit of protection into your everyday routine. Products like the brand new Schwarzkopf Extra Care Sun Repair range are formulated to repair and protect hair from sun damage.
This new innovation in hair care contains Monoi-Flower extract to repair damages caused by sun rays, chlorine and salt water and UVA/UVB filters which protect the hair and prevent it from drying out.
The range consists of a shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioning spray. The Leave-In Conditioner Spray is an on-the-go must, you can use it to instantly combat sun, chlorine and salt water damage.
So there you have it - our guide to enjoying the sun, without ruining your hair. Tell us - do you think about sun damage to your hair? Or is it something you've never really considered? Do you think your hair is suffering from sun damage without you realising it?
Get chatting below!
The 'signs of sun damaged hair' describes my hair un a nut shell.