Essential Tips to Protect Your Hair from Sun Damage

Heat, sun, summer — it’s vitamin D, a good tan, and cool photos in stories. We easily remember SPF for the skin, but we completely forget that hair also has a limit to its endurance. Yes, there are hair protection products, but not all of them are worth a place in the suitcase. And the products themselves are only part of the story. So, what really protects hair?

 

How exactly does the sun damage hair?

The sun doesn’t burn your hair right away like it does your skin, but it beats the life out of it day after day. The heat expands the cuticle, the very outer layer that’s supposed to keep moisture inside. Meanwhile, ultraviolet rays break down the lipids that bind the hair from the inside. The result is not soft hair, but dry, porous, and tangled more than usual.

This is photodamage. Not a burn. UV rays and heat gradually wear down the hair structure like sandpaper. It takes away moisture, destroys proteins, fades the color, and the shine disappears. Can you imagine this horror? 

And if your hair is dyed or bleached, it’s just a combo, because it’s weakened even before it first meets the sun. After lightening, the cuticle is open, the bonds are damaged, and there’s almost no protection. So ultraviolet light doesn’t just harm it – they finish it off. The color fades beyond recognition, the texture becomes like straw.

 

Composition under the microscope: what saves and what dries

Well, let’s save our hair from these rays. But be smart about this issue, knowing what exactly is in the composition of hair protection products will really help.

 

Filters

Let’s start with filters. Not all of them protect equally, and not all of them are designed for hair at all. UVB filters — from burns, UVA — from deep changes in the structure. For hair, you should look for those that are kept in a spray, oil, or cream and do not disappear in five minutes.

 — Mexoryl (Mexoryl SX/XL) is considered one of the most stable filters — it does not break down in the sun as quickly as many others, and retains its protective properties for a long time.

 — Benzophenone-4 (like its relative Benzophenone-3) also deserves attention. It is not as powerful as some other filters, but it is quite stable.

 — Octocrylene and Octisalate are typical UVB filters that hold well in oils, provide protection from surface damage, but do not penetrate deeply. They often act as stabilizers for other filters.

 — Avobenzone (Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane) is a strong UVA filter, but very unstable on its own. If it is in the composition, be sure to look for something like Octocrylene or Mexoryl nearby, otherwise, there is little point in using it.

 — Ethylhexyl Salicylate is a soft UVB filter, stable, but rather auxiliary. By itself, it does not provide sufficient protection, but it works well in combination.

 — Ethylhexyl Triazone (Octyl Triazone) is one of the most effective UVB filters on the market, high degree of absorption, long-lasting, and does not fade after a couple of minutes in the sun. It is especially cool when combined with Mexoryl or Avobenzone.

 — Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate is a new generation UVA filter, very photostable and compatible with other filters. Ideal for long-term protection of the hair structure.

 

Oil base

An oil base (such as coconut, grape seed, or argan) helps to keep the filters in place. And creates the same protective film, which slightly blocks overheating and moisture evaporation.

 

Silicones and polymers

Silicones and polymers have a bad reputation only among those who do not understand them. In fact, they are your shield. 

Silicones form a thin film on the hair that prevents moisture from evaporating and reduces damage from heat, sun, salt water, and dry air. They help keep UV filters on the hair surface longer.

Polymers make the hair coating more resistant: for example, they help evenly distribute protective substances and prevent them from running off or disappearing after a few hours in the sun. Some polymers even enhance shine.

 

Alcohol and essential oils

But what is better to avoid is alcohol (especially denatured) and essential oils without UV protection. They may smell like summer lye, but they dry your hair no worse than the heat itself. And then no hair protection products will save you.

 

Soothing and restorative ingredients

Ingredients that do not protect from the sun directly, but help the hair to tolerate its effects with less damage, logically fit here. These are panthenol, allantoin, betaine, aloe, or chamomile extracts — everything that soothes, moisturizes, and reduces damage after exposure to the sun.

Panthenol (provitamin B5) is a classic, one of the most pleasant in this category. It moisturizes well, softens the surface of the hair, and makes it more elastic and resistant to damage. It works especially well in a duet with filters and oils.

 

The top hair protection products

Philip Martin’s Sun Tan Oil SPF 15 Hair & Body

The trick: this is not just a tanning oil — it is a mixture of nourishing oils that protects both hair and body at the same time. Yes, the SPF here is only 15, but it compensates for this with a nutritious composition.

 — A combo for body and hair. Ideal if you don’t want to carry two separate jars.

 — The composition contains a bunch of vitamins — provitamin A, E, B1, F, PP — which really nourish.

 — Carrot, corn, almond, olive, flax, and borage oils

 — Gives a very soft, well-groomed finish — not sticky or greasy.

But there is a nuance: SPF 15 — well, it’s not enough, it’s more for the city or morning walks, and not for the beach from 12 to 3.

 

Coola Scalp & Hair Mist Sunscreen Ocean Salted Sage SPF 30

The trick: completely tailored specifically for hair and scalp. And it’s not an oil, but a spray – light, invisible, very modern.

 — SPF 30 – enough for your head, and you don’t have to be afraid that the parting or the top will burn.

 — It has a really cool smell – salty sage, something between the ocean and herbs.

 — Organic, 70% natural composition, reef safe, and all that – will be important if it resonates with you.

 — Does not weigh down the hair at all – sprayed, combed, and left.

 

Nubea Solenium Protective Oil for Hair

Feature: a very light oil with a scent that transports you to a summer Italian balcony with citrus fruits.

 — Has cool UV filters and silicones – creates a real protective barrier.

 — The smell – something between bergamot, tangerine, and flowers. Very atmospheric.

 — Does not overload, easily distributed.

 

How else can you protect your hair from the sun?

This may seem a bit banal, but it has a right to exist. Why?

Because things like hats can create shade.

Hats, scarves, and anything that casts shade are like an umbrella, only for the head. And this protection is not for a certain time, that is, it does not need to be regularly updated, which is convenient, especially if you go to the mountains and forget your sunscreen in your hotel room.

And what else? Time is the best filter.

If possible, go outside not during peak hours, but in the morning, or in the evening, when the sun is not so scorching.

 

Final Words

The sun is not joking. And if the skin still has a chance to recover, then with the hair, everything is a little tougher.

And if you do not plan to spend the whole of September raking up the consequences, then do not neglect protection. Take care of the products with filters in advance, minimize the thermal load, hide the length from direct light, and moisturize regularly. And everything will be fine.