Protecting hair from summer sun damage

Everyone has suffered from sunburn at some point and most have a horror story or two to tell about burnt shoulders, noses or backs. But while we are obsessed with protecting the skin from further damage, hair is often forgotten.

Magazines scream of glossy, healthy-looking hair, but once the summer arrives the reality is dryness, colour fade and brittle locks.

Trichologist Iain Sallis says the sun acts like a bleaching agent that dries hair out and alarmingly that damage cannot be reversed. 

"The sun will do exactly what a chemical bleach would do," Iain explains. "It will lighten natural hair colour, fade or alter the tone of artificial colours in the hair and will have a drying effect. .

"Any damage done to the hair can never be fully repaired, products can only patch over the cracks. The quality of the product will determine how good a patch job it does, but repair is not the right word for what products do."

And it isn't only the sun that can cause damage to your hair on holiday; swimming in chlorinated pools and dips in the sea will also add to the deterioration of the hair.

"A shampoo should have an ingredient in it to help wash out excess salts from sea water, and a conditioner should be extra moisturising due to the drying effects of the sun, swim and sea environment," Iain adds.

Hairdressers may realise hair can't be repaired but many clients don't, thinking that a slick of serum or intense conditioner will revitalise their troubled tresses.

"Hair is dead, there are no nerve endings saying 'I'm damaged, I need repairing 'and no blood vessels to carry blood to repair it," Iain explains.

"This is why it doesn't hurt when you have your hair cut - which is the only way to get rid of the damage properly."

How to protect hair for sun damage

Iain Sallis explains what summer hair needs to ensure healthy luscious locks all year round.  

 

Moisture, because hair is hygroscopic (it will lose or gain moisture according to the atmosphere you are in at the time). Hair will dry out and become frizzy and be prone to damage, so a good-quality hair mask or a leave-in conditioner will give your hair an extra hydro-boost.

A sunscreen or UV filter. Products with an SPF of more than 15 are best; these will deflect the harmful UV rays of the sun, which damage the hair's cortex as well as the cuticle, keeping the hair and its colour protected.