When considering sun protection, thoughts most often turn to SPF. Social media, doctors and our mothers have all instilled fear in our skincare-loving hearts about the consequences of not wearing SPF every day — yes, even when it’s cloudy. Why is it, then, that we don’t offer our hair the same TLC? Prolonged exposure to UVA and UVB rays can damage its foundational protein structure and has been found to result in hair loss, brittle ends, excess frizz and discolouration. Thankfully, haircare has come a long way from the deep-conditioning treatments of yore, where slathering tresses in masques and covering with a shower cap was the trend du jour. MOJEH gets the lowdown on summer haircare from Sam Carpenter, hair artist and educator at Eideal.
Your summer haircare routine is all about protection and prevention. Protect your hair and hair colour from harmful UV rays by liberally applying a milk enriched with UV protective filters that protect cosmetic colour and hydration during sun exposure. These can also keep hair from becoming frizzy. Make sure you use a moisturising shampoo bar and conditioner to combat any dryness and dehydration. The best tend to be paraben- and sulphate-free so they are kind to hair and do not have a negative impact on any in-salon colour service you may have had.
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All types can be prone to sun damage but bleached-out blondes or finer hair types can be particularly vulnerable, so they need to really ramp up their home care maintenance programmes between salon visits.
The sun’s harmful UV rays can lift out colour, making it appear lighter or washed out. In terms of blonde shades, they will experience faster yellowing and increased brassiness by spending time in the sun unprotected. For blondes, I always recommend the Heart of Glass range from Davines. The range’s latest product, Instant Bonding Glow, is a fast-acting serum that brings an extra shine to blondes. Most importantly, however, it is a bond builder and thanks to the innovative formula enriched with the brand’s own Biacidic Bond Complex and illuminating amino concentrate it strengthens and repairs the hair fibre and gives extra shine, which prolongs the brightness of the colour and preserves its intensity.
Chlorine dries hair out, damages colour and can cause further harm if not cleansed out of the hair thoroughly. There are a wide array of cleansing shampoos and scrubs on the market that will remove impurities and chlorine build-up, all while being kind to coloured hair. Personally, I love to use a sea salt scrub once a week as I find it refreshes the scalp as well as removing product residues and polluting particles.
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Sun damage can be treated easily, and hair can be restored to its full lustre with the right treatment. A good option is to visit your salon and have a nourishing treatment or an intense reconstructing treatment that will enhance its health and wellbeing. My favourite option is to choose a treatment that combines keratin and hydrolysed keratin as these treatments offer multiple benefits all at once: they will protect and restructure hair, rehabilitate the scalp, mend the cuticle layers of the hair to leave it smooth and with an enhanced shine, as well as hydrate.
Avoid anything too harsh. I recommend using products that are rich in antioxidants and nourishing ingredients. Products that feature tomato extract in their formulations are great choices as they are rich in carbohydrates and proteins so offer a strong nourishing power and also boast an antioxidant action due to vitamin C. Follow Sam on Instagram here
