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 to 95 percent water, lipids, trace elements, and pigments, including melanin.
Hair has a very important thermoregulatory and protective function towards the scalp.
How radiation acts sun products on skin and hair?
At the level of epidermis the UVB rays cause the development of free radicals to the point of cell death. At the level of the dermis the UVA rays cause the development of free radicals and thus premature skin aging.
On the hair, UVA rays cause per loss of hair color, caused by reactions of photo-oxidation within 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: the hair bulbs play a key role in hair metabolism and development. If exposed to prolonged exposure to radiation sun products, they switch from an active to a passive phase, losing strength and vitality. This weakens the hair and can lead to hair loss.
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 the exposure of hair to the sun, called Actinic Telogen Effluvium (i.e. solar).
Several other stressors during the summertime can add to the damage of radiation sun products on the hair, such as increased sweating, frequency of washing, chlorine, saltiness, and wind, so some people begin to experience occasional hair loss as early as summer, and then exacerbate with the arrival of autumn.
In addition to falling out, numerous other damage to our hair can be encountered: discoloration, dryness and brittleness, a dull and damaged appearance.
If the damage goes to the keratin level of the hair due to free radicals, they 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 the rays sun products
Let's look at some tips
- Reduce the hours of sun exposure, avoiding the hottest hours.
- Do not use harsh shampoos
- Instead, use products with mild SLES & SLS FREE surfactants.
- Follow a complete sun routine to defend our hair (body shampoo + recovery mask + defence fluid by Napura, or use the brand new Monoi Fluid MTJ SUN)
- Drink plenty of water and follow a complete and balanced diet
Remember that prolonged UV exposure is not necessary to have Beach Waves effect hair year-round.
Discover with Sara, our Cosmetologist the new Beach Waves from Napura's Sunsystem line.
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.
