We’ve pretty much had it hammered into our heads that excessive sun exposure can be very damaging to our skin. There are tons of special sunblock lotions, creams, sprays, gels – you name it. All designed to go on our skin. Wearing sunblock, especially on your face every day, can save your skin from a lot of damage.

Unfortunately, even though we do need sunlight to create vitamin D, and we need to get sensible, responsible exposure depending on our skin type, it can easily tip into over exposure. And it doesn’t take much to go from therapeutic to dangerous. Skin cancer is a concern, and the second after that is accelerated photo-aging and sun damage that expresses as liver spots and uneven coloring.

How Your Hair Can Get Sun Damage Too

In the simplest terms, think of excessive sun exposure as a bleaching agent to your hair. Just like a chemical bleaching treatment, prolonged UV exposure has the effect of bleaching out your hair. We’ve talked before about how bleached hair can become a lot more porous and susceptible to breakage. Related: How Your Can Remedy Hair Porosity

The sun’s effect is really no different. Ever notice how you return from a sun-drenched day and your hair is notably highlighted, where it wasn’t before? Well, that’s the sun’s rays bleaching the color out of your hair, and it can be just as damaging as the chemical treatment.

Excessive UV exposure can actually damage the outermost protective coating of the hair as well. This is called the cuticle, and when the cuticle is damaged, it can make for a straw-like feel and dry or frizzy appearance. Related: Bond Building Hair Treatments

Being Wet Just Adds to the Problem

To compound the issue, when your hair is wet, it can soak up even more of the sun’s rays. Just like being wet can attract more rays to your skin, the same goes for your hair. This is an obvious conundrum since the most common reasons people will be over-exposed to sunlight in a day is because they are pool or beach side.

Chlorine from a pool adds insult to injury since it is actually a bleaching, drying, and damaging chemical in and of itself. Add excessive sun exposure to the mix and your hair can really suffer some pretty drying damage in one day.

There are actually special shampoos that are designed to help take chlorine our of your hair if you’re a frequent swimmer. Chlorine exposure can be really damaging alone, setting aside the fact that excess sun exposure can often happen at the same time.

How Can You Protect Your Hair From UV?

If you’re planning on having a big day in the sun, pick up a conditioning spray with UV protectant in it. It can help shield your hair from some of the damaging rays, and help you stay out in the sun with less anxiety about the consequences for your hair.

One of the best ways is to try to wear a broad brimmed hat while enjoying the sun. This creates a physical barrier between your hair and the sun’s UV rays. Physical barriers are one of the best, and most natural ways to help shield your hair (and skin) from sun damage. They’re also pretty foolproof since you can always sweat off an applied SPF, or swim it off.

If you’ve over indulged in the sun for a day, try a protective nourishing conditioning treatment to help counteract the drying and damaging effects of the exposure. Helping to fortify your hair with the strength and elasticity that was likely robbed from it right away should help minimize the damage.

And finally, at the end of a summer with lots of sun damage, you can always get a healthy “chop” and take a few inches off. It’s always great to start fresh when you know your hair has suffered quite a bit of damage. It goes a long way in helping re-establish vibrance and vitality. Related: Hair Just Not Looking Good Lately? Might be Time for a Major Haircut!