What You Can Do To Avoid Sun-Damaged Hair

The gradual easing of restrictions, no longer needing to wrap up warm, a potential return to – whisper it – life as we know it?

Whilst there’s much to be celebrated as we move into spring, one thing that we do need to be mindful of is the impact that the sun can have on our hair. Heat styling isn’t the only thing capable of frazzling our gorgeous locks, you know!

How Can The Sun Damage Our Hair?

Even though most people are aware of the dangers of sun-damaged skin, considerably less are in the know about what the sun can do to our hair. In fact, when we spend too much time basking in its glory, we may experience discolouration, brittleness, bleaching and an increase in split ends. Hair that has fallen victim to sun damage will also become almost impossible to manage – and most commonly affects those blessed with fairer or lighter hair colours.

Why Does Sun Damage Occur?

Sun-damaged hair occurs because of how the sun’s rays react with a natural substance known as melanin. When strands of hair are exposed to heat, they can change colour, lose elasticity and become weaker in structure. All of this can set the stage for lasting damage, sunburn and a big ol’ dip in confidence.

What You Can Do To Avoid Sun-Damaged Hair

Fortunately, there are many precautions you can take to reduce your risk of sun damage. Here are some of our favourites!

• Suitable headwear: Before we even get into products that we recommend to protect your hair and scalp, the first thing we’d advise you to do is to wear a hat whenever you go outside. This is similar to why you would wear clothes that cover your skin when you know you’re going to come into contact with the sun. Hats not your thing? Try using a headscarf or umbrella instead.
• Proactive haircare: All good hair care starts in the shower, so make sure you invest in a decent conditioner or pre-conditioning shampoo to get the ball rolling. Using these sorts of protective products will give your hair a fighting chance against the sun’s rays and also boost its moisture levels at the same time. As the warmer weather can increase the rate at which we sweat, these moisturising products are especially important to use during the spring and summer.
• Use an SPF on your hair: SPF products (think sunscreens, sunblocks etc.) aren’t just useful for the skin, and many of these can help protect your hair from seasonal sun damage. Here, our advice is to apply these products just before you go outside, paying extra attention to the tips of your hair as these are most at risk of harm. Because some SPF formulas can make your hair extensions greasy, it is always best to apply them to these parts of the hair in moderation. If this proves to be a problem, it might be worth changing up your look altogether. Ponytail, anyone?
• Be mindful of swimming: This last one might be tempting fate a little, but exposing your hair to the chlorinated water found in swimming pools (both here and abroad) can weaken its defences against the sun. To stop this from happening, wear a swimming cap or keep your hair out of the water altogether by tying it up. Harmful chlorine should also be rinsed away by showering after you leave the pool.

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At Flip-In Hair, there’s not much that we don’t know about how to help you put together – and maintain – your perfect look. To explore our extensive range of hair extensions, please visit our website. You can also contact us via email at admin@flipinhair.com or by calling 01926 659 500.