Not everyone knows that the sun can damage not only the skin, but also the hair.
Here is a reminder of how the sun affects the skin if intentional exposure is prolonged and not properly protected.
What does hair look like?
The structure of hair is quite simple. They are born and grow inside the follicle, a kind of small sac attached to the skin. The follicle continues into the deep part of the dermis, where we find the hair bulb, which is irrigated by small blood capillaries and lined with connective tissue.
At the top of the follicle we have the sebaceous gland, which affects the quality of our hair, and below it the hair erector muscle.
Hair is composed of keratin, a fibrous protein, and 65/95% water, lipids, trace elements and pigments, including melanin.
Hair has a very important thermoregulatory and protective function towards the scalp.
If you want to find out more about the life cycle of hair, read our #beautyblog.
How does sun products radiation affect skin and hair?
At the epidermis level UVB rays cause free radicals to develop to the point of cell death. At the dermis level, UVA rays cause the development of free radicals and thus premature skin aging. Read more about photo-aging here.
On the hair, UVA rayscause hair color loss, caused by photo-oxidationreactionswithin the cuticle of both natural and colored hair
.UVB rays penetrate deeper causing degradation of keratin and melanin.
There is also damage also at the level of the hair follicle, due to UV rays: hair bulbs play a key role in hair metabolism and development. When exposed to prolonged exposure to sun products radiation, they switch from an active to a passive phase, losing strength and vitality. As a result, the hair weakens and may eventually fall out.
What happens to hair exposed to the sun
It is well known and now normally accepted that the period of greatest hair loss is autumn. In fact, in autumn a phenomenon that had already begun during the summer season is brought to completion, due to theexposure of hair to the sun, called Actinic (i.e., solar) Telogen Effluvium.
Numerous other stressors during the summer period can add to the damage of radiation sun products on the hair, such as increased sweating, frequency of washing, chlorine, salt spray, and wind, so some people begin to experience occasional shedding as early as summer and then exacerbate with the arrival of autumn.
In addition to falling out, numerous other damages to our hair can be found: discoloration, dryness and brittleness, a dull and damaged appearance.
If the damage goes to the level of the hair's keratin due to free radicals, make the hair weaker in the face of chemical (coloring, perming, bleaching) and mechanical treatments (styling with brushes, straighteners, cones, and hair dryers), reducing resistance to breakage and thinning the hair fiber.
Some tips to protect our hair from sun products rays.
Let's look at some tips
- Reduce the hours of exposure to the sun, avoiding the hottest hours.
-Don't use harsh shampoos
- Instead, use products with mild surfactants SLES & SLS free
- Follow a complete sun routine to defend our hair Body Shampoo after-sun nourishing bath + Recovery Mask after-sun hair mask + Defence Fluid protective hair fluid by Napura, or use Monoi Fluid MTJ SUN, sun protective hair fluid.
- Drink plenty of water and follow a complete and
- d balanced
Remember that prolonged UV exposure is not necessary to have Beach Waves effect hair year-round.
Watch the video and discover Beach Waves
Beach Waves is a wave effect hair spray that gives volume and body to your hair, crea soft, natural and beautiful waves suitable for any occasion. Its formula is vegan.
Ideal for both wavy hair, to give definition, and straight hair, bringing volume and body.
What about after exposure to the sun?
In the summer but also throughout the year, detangle and nourish your hair with Silky Finish; its name is its promise, it's a leave-in spray conditioner with a two-phase formula, which thanks toBabassu Oil and Murumuru Butter, gives hydration and silkiness to the lengths, whilePapaya Extract diffuses an irresistible tropical fragrance, reducing frizz and protecting against free radicals and external aggressions
.
And now that you've discovered that hair can also be damaged by the sun, start your hair sun routine with the sun products Napura and MTJ.
