With summer in full swing, even if you’re not out sunbathing, it’s pretty hard to avoid sun exposure. We always think about protecting our skin with sunscreen or sunscreen tinted moisturizers, but our hair needs to be protected too.
When I was younger, I did terrible things to my hair in the sun – lemon juice, Sun-In, even peroxide. Always looking for those nice highlights.
Of course at the same time I was also doing terrible things to my skin – baby oil, sometimes adding iodine, yikes! And then baking for hours.
Older and wiser… well, certainly older, I no longer do any of those things and spend my time trying to protect what I can.
I spend a lot of time outside and always wear sunblock and a visor. What I didn’t think about was the top of the visor allowing full sun exposure on my hair.
Not only can the sun be hard on older hair but it can cause hair color to break down and fade. If you use hair color with peroxide, as it lightens from the sun, it can also turn brassy. If the color fades faster you need to color more often and that’s not optimal.
Outside, switching to a full coverage hat can help protect our hair. Wearing hats can be fun but not always practical so I went in search of a product that could help.
What I learned is there is no SPF to use on hair, but there are products that claim to have UV protectant shields to help.
The company I found with the most options is called Color Wow. They have products for many hair concerns.
I have been using a product called Pop & Lock High Gloss Finish, 22.00. It claims to smooth frizz, seals split ends, prevent color fade, and has UV + heat protection.
I like the product and it smells nice. I’m hopeful that using this product coupled with wearing a hat will help prevent color fading and protect my hair from future damage. If you decide to try this, use a very small amount as a little goes a long way.
Enjoy our summer sunshine but remember, sunscreen and hats are important!
