10 effective measures to protect our hair from the summer sun

When we say ‘protection from ultraviolet rays’ in summer, what comes to our mind is to protect our skin. However, we should not forget to protect our hair against the harmful rays of the sun. Accessories such as hats or scarves that you use when going out in the sun provide the best protection for your hair from ultraviolet rays. Be sure to get into the habit of wearing these types of accessories, especially by the sea and the pool.

If you are dyeing your hair, it would be beneficial to choose dark colors in the summer months. Because dark-colored permanent hair dyes function as a passive photo filter, reducing the damage to the protein in the hair fiber by weakening ultraviolet light. The dye molecule provides protection by absorbing the energy of light. Therefore, the darker the color of the hair dye, the more light protection is provided by the dye. In addition, the protection of hair strands from natural light is achieved by the melanin pigment. When melanin is broken down by ultraviolet rays, photo graying occurs, which is the most important damage caused by sunlight to the hair. Photo-bleaching is especially evident in hair whose color has been bleached yellow by oxidation. For this reason, you should avoid bleaching your hair and dyeing it in light colors during the summer months.

There are many factors in our daily lives that negatively affect our hair health, such as improper combing, oxidative colorants used to dye hair, perm or permanent straightening procedures. Hair damage following these factors; It manifests itself as breakage, loss of shine and color, split hair ends and frizz. Since the tensile strength of the hair fiber decreases due to hair proteins damaged by sunlight, the risk of hair strands breaking is higher when the hair is combed, stretched and styling applications are made. Therefore, it is of particular importance to avoid factors that damage your hair in the summer months. 

Steam baths, use of Turkish baths and saunas during the summer months, long showers with hot water and dryers used at hot temperatures cause significant damage to the hair. During this period, in order not to increase the evaporation caused by the ambient temperature in your hair, prefer short-term warm baths and let your hair dry in a natural environment.

Due to the salty sea and chlorinated water of the pool, there is a significant drying of the hair strands in the summer months. For this reason, using moisturizing shampoos and hair conditioners in the summer months is another important rule you should pay attention to. 

Since hair strands can become extremely dry in the summer months, intensely moisturizing masks and moisturizing hair oils that do not require rinsing should be indispensable this season. Don’t forget to apply a moisturizing mask to your hair once a week.  

In addition to hair dyes, you can also benefit from a variety of hair care products that can provide some light protection to the hair. These products include conditioners, masks, styling gels and hair sprays with added UVB and UVA sun protection factors. Additionally, sun protection factors have been added to hair care formulations designed for dyed hair to extend the life of the hair dye, especially since UVA rays change the color of dyed hair. However, the main problem with such protection approaches is that these products do not stay on the hair for long and cannot create an even film layer that protects the entire surface area of ​​each hair strand on the head. We do not yet have enough data to rely solely on these products. 

Since we sweat more in the summer months, we may need to wash our hair frequently. However, if you shampoo every time you wash frequently, you may cause further damage to your hair strands, which have already lost their moisture from the heat, and more importantly, dryness and dandruff on the scalp. Therefore, you should avoid shampooing your hair more than once a day to avoid damage to its basic structure. 

Regular exposure to chlorine makes hair dry and brittle. However, swimming pools cause the most serious damage to dyed hair, as chlorine can change the color of the hair. The best way to avoid this is to wear a swimming cap when using the pool. It will also always be a good idea to rinse your hair thoroughly with clean water immediately after swimming.

Antioxidants found in botanical extracts can protect our hair against the negative effects of summer. Antioxidant-rich artichoke extract (Cynara scolymus L.), added to leave-in conditioners, can protect hair strands exposed to ultraviolet rays from oil and protein degradation. In addition, rice extract (Oryza sativa L.) increases the tensile strength of the hair, while tannin-rich pomegranate extract (Punica granatum L.) can prevent dyed red hair from fading due to sunlight. In the studies carried out; Similar results were observed for honeysuckle extract (Lonicera japonica Thunb.) and tea, which contain high amounts of flavonoids such as quercetin, an antioxidant molecule.