How To Protect Your Hair From Sun Damage

We all know the importance of being sun smart to protect our skin in the summertime. Growing up the words “slip, slop, slap” were preached to us just like the importance of eating our greens and looking left and right before crossing the road. But what about protecting our hair from the sun? No one ever said anything about that?

Although our hair can’t technically burn like our skin does, harsh UV rays can still cause damage to our beautiful tresses. Excessive exposure to the sun can make our hair dry and brittle, colour-faded, frizzy and prone to split ends.

With summer around the corner, stocking up on your SPF is a no brainer but let’s not forget about our hair. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to ensure your hair is protected from the sun this summer and it doesn’t involve lathering sunscreen through your locks!

Create a shield

Protect your hair from direct contact with UVA and UVB rays by creating a shield. The Sun Bum Heat Protector 177ml is enriched with protective filters formulated to shield your hair from the sun's harsh rays. The formula also works to protect your hair from sea salt and chlorine which also increases during the warmer weather with all the swimming we do.

Trim regularly

Sun exposure increases split ends in your hair, so regular trims will keep your hair healthy throughout the warm weather. Additionally, in summer your hair grows faster meaning if you don’t trim regularly those split ends will move further and further up your hair as it dries out in the heat, resulting in a dry, brittle and frizzy mess! 

Lock in moisture

As increased sun exposure dries out your hair, you want to keep as much moisture locked in to your  strands as possible. To keep your hair hydrated through summer, try using the Aveda Sun Care After-Sun Hair Masque. After-sun is packed with tamanu oil and organic coconut oil to moisturize sun-exposed hair. Simply apply to damp hair and leave in for 2-5 minutes, and rinse thoroughly.

Fight grease with less chemicals

There’s no denying that we all sweat a little more during summer, which usually means our hair calls for a wash more often than usual. However frequent shampoo washes increases the exposure of harsh chemicals to our hair - which is the last thing it needs after being under the sun all day! To combat this, try using a dry shampoo such as the Evo Water Killer. This will prolong your need for a shampoo wash and fight the excess oil in your hair without using chemicals (while offering many other benefits).

Protect your colour

For anyone with coloured hair, the sun is not your friend. Frequent exposure to UVA and UVB rays can strip colour from your hair, making all that time and money spent at the hairdressers go to waste. A colour protecting shampoo is always great for coloured hair, but more so during the summer time. Try using the Wella SP System Professional Colour Save Shampoo. This will ensure long-lasting colour and protect against colour fading when you’re out in the sun.

Give your hair dryer a summer break

During summer, our hair is exposed to excessive heat on a day-to-day basis. To avoid applying even more heat to your hair, take advantage of the warmer weather and let your hair air-dry through summer. Add a little ‘I woke up like this’ help with the Moroccanoil Beach Wave Mousse to damp hair and let it air dry naturally into an effortless beach wave - it also has UV absorbers to protect your hair from sun damage so it’s a win-win.

Avoiding as much unnecessary added heat as possible will be a treat to your tresses. If you do need to style your hair with a straightener or curling iron, we get it, just be sure to apply some heat protector spray such as the Evo Icon Welder Heat Protection Spray.

Stay sun smart

While you may be introducing these easy sun protection steps into your hair care routine, let’s not forget our favourite summer time chant. Slapping on a hat is still the quickest and easiest way to keep your hair out of the sun (while also protecting your face and shoulders too).

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