We are all too familiar of the risk we take when we expose our skin under the harmful rays of the sun for a long period of time. Skin cancer is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to sun exposure, mostly since it is one of the leading form of cancer in people between the ages of 20 to 40. The rise of the tanning has caused a lot of damage to our body, but one that is often looked over is our hair. We tend to forget that every part of our body is affected by prolonged exposure to the sun even our nails, bones and hair.
Excessive exposure to UV rays can damage the hair. The keratin in the hair will be depleted, moisture will start to fade and the cuticle of the hair will start to hollow out. This will result in dry, brittle and damaged hair. This will take a lot of treatments and after care just to return your hair to its natural state. This can get expensive and time consuming. Though, why even go to the trouble when you can prevent this from happening in the first place?
Sun damage in the hair is affected by different conditions. Such as the time exposed, how long you stayed under the sun, what product was in your hair, the environment, and so on. A little sun is good for the body since it does give off some of the essential nutrients and vitamins that our body needs. However, there is such as thing as too much. When you see common symptoms of damage hair, then you may have to lessen your time under the sun.
Some of the symptoms in sun damaged hair are dry and brittle hair strands, excessive amounts of broken hair or spilt ends, frizzy hair, weak and thinning hair and fading of the natural and colored hair. If you start to notice these symptoms in your hair, try not to expose it under the sun any further to avoid excessive hair loss. If you don’t have these symptoms yet and is planning to spend a bit of time under the sun, then learn to protect your hair. Below are some tips that are important to protecting your hair from sun damage.
Sun Hats!
Sun hats won’t ruin your style or make you look old; it would actually help make you look younger. The sun can cause premature aging, sun hats are big enough to fully cover your hair and face from excessive sun exposure. The hat can help block most of the harmful rays from your hair. If you are not much of a sun hat person, then a baseball cap will do. This is one of the best way to protect your hair from the sun since it can guarantee a hundred percent protection. You may sweat a lot that can make your hair appear oily, but trust us it’s worth it. If you have long hair, you can’t prevent some of it to stuck out of the hat. The ends of your hair are the areas that are most prone to damage, so make sure to cover them up too. You can tie them into a bun to reduce the exposure or add some product.
UV Protection
There are a lot of products that cater to protecting your hair. These products can help create a protective layer on your hair to avoid moisture loss or damage. Use these products whenever you plan to go out for long periods even when you are wearing a hat. Don’t worry about taking a swim with these products, since they are designed to stick even with water. Though, when washed out with shampoo the product is completely rinse out and require reapplication.
Avoid Sun Activated Products
Lemon juice can help lighten the hair naturally, some people would expose their hair to the sun with lemon juice o increase lightening. This remedy those work, but the damage can be a bit difficult to fix afterwards.
Clean Your Hair
Left over hair products can speed up the damage in your hair when left alone for a long period of time. Sweat, hair product and UV rays are not a good combination for the hair. Use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week to allow your hair to breathe properly.
Some final tips when it comes to protecting your hair from the sun. Moisturize your hair frequently during hot seasons. Perform deep conditioning treatments at least once a week. Change the part of your hair to lessen sun exposure to that particular area of your scalp. Have fun under the sun without worrying about your tresses with these tips!
