The sun has always affected the body in many ways, we’ve all at the very least been sunburnt, and who could ignore that amazing feeling you get when you’re taking a nice long walk along the sea front in the sun! You may have noticed though that when you’ve been outside in prolonged sun over days and weeks, that your hair looks lighter.
It’s led many to ask the question “Does your hair get lighter in the sun?” In short, The answer is yes, We briefly wrote about this in our blog post titled “What Is Colour Theory In Hairdressing?” but we’ll go into more detail about the specifics of sun lightened hair in this post, What products you can used to keep your hair from fading as bad in the sun, Especially if you’ve just been to have your hair coloured in our Wolverhampton hairdressers.
Does Hair Naturally Lighten In The Sun?
Hair lightening in the sun occurs due to a process called photobleaching. Sunlight contains ultraviolet light (UV) radiation, Particularly UVB rays. These rays are responsible for breaking down the melanin. This is the pigment that is responsible for hair colour. When this pigment is exposed to sunlight it can cause the melanin in the hair to become oxidized which causes the hair to gradually lighten. It’s important to note that not all hair colours are going to lift at the same rate and there can be a variety of other factors at play here as well, such as hair the condition of the hair prior to exposure, the type of hair products used and length of UVB exposure time.
Hair Care Products To Protect Against Sun Fade
It’s important to protect your hair from the potential damaging effects that the sun can have on it. And just taking a quick look at the hair products your using on your hair is a great place to start when caring for your hair. There are many professional brands that you can buy from such as Affinage, Amika, Maria Nila, Olaplex and many more. They all have products and ranges that can go towards protecting your hair from the damaging affects of UVB rays.
Shampoo & Conditioner To Protect Against Sun Fade
Shampoo And Conditioner are one of the easiest places to start. When looking for a new shampoo and conditioner you should be looking for products that are specifically formulated to protect and nourish hair that has been exposed to the sun. These include products such as the Osmo Deep Moisture shampoo which offers hydration and helps to maintain the integrity of the hair colour.
Maria Nila True Soft shampoo & Conditioner is also another fantastic shampoo and conditioner range. Enriched with moisturizing ingredients, It helps to protect and restore the hair as well as providing great UV protection and enhancing the overall strength and integrity of their hair. And for all you lovers of hair colour where we may not be rocking our natural hair colour, Maria Nila Luminous Colour Shampoo & Conditioner is the one you’re going to want! And it smells INCREDBLE!
View All Protective Shampoos & Conditioners Hair
Protective Sprays & Leave-In Products To Protect Against Sun Fade
Protective sprays and leave-in products create a barrier to protect the hair against harmful UV rays, Heat And Free Radicals that can all damage the integrity of the hair and fade your hair colour in the sun. A great and inexpensive professional protective spray is the Affinage Kitoko Sun-Defence UV Protect Spray. This incredible product will repair damaged hair and protect from sun fade.
View All Protective Sprays & Leave-Ins Here
A Few Sun Safe Best Hair Practices
-
Limit exposure:
If you’re concerned about your hair lightening in the sun, Then try to limit your hairs direct exposure to the sun during the suns peak hours. This is typically between 10:00 AM & 16:00 PM (If you live in England this is fairly achievable)
-
Wear protective accessories:
As I write this blog post, I’m actually sat in the sun wearing a cap, Even though I wear a male hair system, I’m still wearing a cap to protect the hair system from the damaging rays of the sun. You could also consider wearing a scarf over your head too.
-
Moisturize your hair regularly:
You can use products from brands such as Affinage, Amika, Maria Nila, Olaplex. These all have great moisturizing products that will keep your hair from becoming dry and brittle.
