In the summer we shouldn’t only focus on protecting our skin. It must be realized that the sun doesn’t always work for the benefit of our hair either. If you want to prevent your strands from being badly affected by the sun, find out which methods to adopt in order to keep you hair healthy and beautiful all year long.

What’s Sun’s Impact on Hair?

Let’s begin with reminding that hair is made of keratin and melanin fibres. Keratin is a water-insoluble protein which composes from 65% up to 95% of hair. It’s made of amino acids that are connected together either by tighter or looser bonds. Approximately 3% of the entire hair mass is melanin in its granulated form that can be found in hair cortex. Depending on the concentration of melanin, the colour of hair varies.

The most noticeable effects of UV impact on hair are: dehydration, weakening, brittleness, roughness, shine loss, lightening up or colour change, split ends. What’s interesting, UVB rays affects hair in one way, whereas UVA rays do it differently. To clarify, UVB rays affect hair cuticles and contribute to protein mass of hair reduction. UVA rays, in turn, are able to penetrate hair cuticle layer causing both photo-chemical damages and colour fade.

How to Protect Hair from Sun?

There are a few cosmetics owing to which you will be able to shield your hair from the destructive action delivered by solar radiation. They are:

• silicone serums, which have to be reapplied a few times thorough a day;
• hair oils, and the best way of using them is oil hair treatment;
• hair mists, which are cosmetics that help set a hairdo and protect it from external aggressors;
• herbs, including henna.

There are also other methods that protect hair and scalp against the sun. Surely, wearing hats and other headgear will fulfil the task. Moreover, you can also shield your hair form the destructive action of the sun thanks to an umbrella or special hairdos (braids, buns and other hairdos that can be easily hidden under headwear).

What to beware? Don’t apply products featuring photosensitizing herbs, wood tar and alcohol because you can cause scalp irritation and make your hair matte, dry and weaker.

Did you know that…

Dark hair is more prone to UV radiation’s action than fair hair? Strands that are darker have more amino acids that are less resistant to the sun. Therefore, it’s easier for brown hair to lose its protein mass when exposed to the sun.