How To Protect Your Hair From The Sun
Yes, we’re gonna lecture you about using sun protection today. Sorry, not sorry but it’s so important to not only protect your skin but also your hair this summer. Heat can leave your locks dry, brittle and damaged and also strip your hair of all its colour. Eek! So, to make sure you come back from hols with the freshest looking locks possible here are our top tips...
SPF
Just like your skin it’s important to use an SPF on your hair to protect it from the sun. There are loads of products out there that protect against UV damage and will help to keep your hair hydrated at the same time. Something else you really need to think about is your scalp. Getting burnt along your part could cause flaky skin or even damage to the hair follicles that can affect hair growth.
Before your holiday we’d recommend picking up the Malibu Clear Hair Protector SPF 30 as it comes in a spray bottle and is really easy to use on the go. We also love Bumble and Bumble’s Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer which is great for keeping the lengths of your hair super hydrated. Just don’t forget to top up every two hours for maximum protection!
While swimming
Chlorine and salt water can wreak havoc on your hair and really dry out your strands making them more prone to damage and frizz. You can protect your hair by getting it wet before going swimming either in the pool shower or with bottled water if you’re at the beach. It’s also worth running some conditioner over your lengths to stop your locks from soaking up as much salt or chlorine. This will help to prevent damage and keep your hair as hydrated as possible.
If you have the guts you could wear an actual swim cap but otherwise we’d recommend Philip Kingsley’s balm version with the same name. Swimcap provides UV protection, will stop your colour from fading and prevent damage from both chlorine and salt water. It was originally formulated for the US swimming team and is totally waterproof so it stays in your hair until you shampoo it out. It’s a little pricey but so worth it if you want to keep your hair looking its best on holiday.
Moisturise, nourish, repeat
The sun breaks down keratin which is the protein your hair is made of, so spending too much time at the beach can lead to some pretty dry locks. Once your hair starts to lose protein it will be a lot more prone to frizz which, paired with the humidity, can be a bad combination. This is why it’s so important to keep your hair as hydrated as possible in the heat. Regularly using masks and leave-in conditioners will help to give your hair the best starting point and prevent damage.
For coloured hair
Preserving your hair colour in the sun can be tricky especially as UV damage can lighten chemically coloured hair as much as 4 shades. (4 SHADES?!) This is because the sun damages melanin, the colour pigment in your hair and starts to break it down. Aren’t we sciency?! So in the summer it’s extra important to make sure you use a shampoo and conditioner that’s formulated to protect your colour. You also want to try and keep your hair out of the sun as much as possible. If it’s unavoidable make sure you’re using lots of heat protectant and try and take some breaks in the shade.
After a day poolside we’d also recommend using an at-home hair glaze to revive your colour. Oribe’s Glaze for Beautiful Hair Color is really nourishing but for a more affordable version check out John Frieda’s Visibly Deeper Colour Deepening Treatment.
For bleached hair
If you have platinum or pastel coloured hair it’s likely that your mane is already pretty dry so cooking it in the sun isn’t going to do you any favours. Bleached hair is super porous so it’s more prone to going green in chlorinated water too. This makes it more likely to soak up the hard metals in the chemicals, including copper which produces the hue. You’re going to need to be really gentle with your mane to prevent this from happening and keep it as nourished as possible during your holiday. Take a moisturising mask with you like the Espa Pink Hair and Scalp Mud and make sure to use it every time you wash your hair.
Take a hat
Ok so it’s pretty obvious but wearing a hat is a great way to protect yourself from the sun. Even if you don’t wear it all day it’s good to give your scalp, hair and skin a break from the heat to cool down. It may be worth scheduling this in with applying your SPF too so that you can give it time to soak in under your hat.
