We all know that the sun rays in summer cause damage to the skin that can speed up aging and possibly trigger cancer. But it is essential that you protect your hair from the scorching sun rays as well. Sun damage to the hair can manifest as faded hair color, brittle and dry hair. The UV-rays can cause permanent damage to the outside covering of the hair which is the cuticle and it can penetrate into the center of the hair, which is the cortex and do all sorts of damage. Hence you need to take special care of your hair during this season.

• Use sun protection filters that will protect the hair from UV-rays damage. Hanging out in the sun without protection for your hair and scalp is the worst thing you can do. Use leave-in hair products with SPF protection.
• Prevent static electricity in your hair when washing by applying a conditioner that adds moisture and shine to your hair. Alternatively, apply a “leave-in” conditioner after towel drying hair. Leave in hair conditioners are designed to penetrate or settle down into the layer of the cuticle thus protecting your hair from any damage.
• If you normally blow dry and use hot curling tools every day, try and give your hair a break during the summer months. Consider letting your hair air dry or take time out from curling. Hair braided when wet will air dry into beautiful waves.
• When the summer heat is hottest, wear your hair up in a knot, bun or braids. Wash your hair with a deep-cleansing shampoo and dab conditioner on the ends and frizziest parts of your hair. Pin it up or wrap it in plastic and sleep on it. Using this method will restore absent moisture to the ends your hair.
• Be religious about your trims. Make sure you have the ends trimmed every 6-8 weeks during the summer months. When your ends are fizzy, it’s a sure sign that they are either damaged, split, or both.
• For summer months, be careful to use hair products that are as all-natural as possible. Avoid any products that contain alcohol or formaldehyde since they can be excessively drying to the hair. Read the labels properly before buying any product.
• Leave-in heat protection spray and conditioner has Octyl Methyoxycinnamate listed in the contents. This is a known sunscreen ingredient. If you are serious about sun protection for your hair, make sure the products you use list an actual SPF.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2008 at 7:25 am and is filed under Hair Style, Men, Women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.