How to Protect Dark Hair from Sun Damage

Every day, when we go out into the sunlight, it can do damage to our hair. Keep your dark hair from losing its glow and its strength by educating yourself on preventing damage to your locks.

How does sun damage dark hair?

Before we can begin addressing the problem, we need to know what causes damage to our hair. Heat of any kind, such as going out on a sunny day, using a curling iron or having the hair dryer on the high heat, will cause problems to your strands. UV rays also damage hair, so whether or not you live in a hot area, you will get sun damage to your hair. The sunlight will also lighten dark hair over a period of time, which can be either a benefit or a drawback of sun exposure, depending on your preference.

How can you overcome damage?

The obvious answer is to wear a hat. If you are out with the ladies, then a 'floppy' hat will cover your hair and protect it. If you are at the beach, or having a fun day in the sun, then a sunhat or baseball-type hat will do the trick. If your hair is long, then put it in a pony tail. Hair is more exposed when it is down and will receive more of the suns rays.

Another trick to help protect dark hair is to apply a conditioner to your hair and leave it in. This helps shield the strands from the sun's rays.

Another neat idea is to put one teaspoon of sunscreen in a spray bottle and mix it with a cup of water. Spritz your hair before going out, and if you are staying in the heat for a period of time, take the bottle with you and apply it when necessary.

If you are going out somewhere special, then check out some of the newer hairsprays, which often have an SPF rating on them. SPF 12 seems to be a popular and practical rating for hairspray. It will protect your dark hair from sun damage. When buying shampoos, you may find some that have an SPF factor, but whether or not they work is a matter of debate, since you rinse mos out of your hair. To me this looks like a waste of money.

When looking for any hair products try to avoid ones that have alcohol in them, as these can dry your hair, before you even go into the sun.

Whether your hair is black, brunette, red, or blonde, don't perm it more often than advised. Also try to cut down how many times a week you wash your hair. It takes out the natural oils, and then you have to replace them.

Weekly deep conditioning products, or mask treatments, put back protein in the hair, and this will help keep your dark hair looking good.

If all else fails, you can always try to stay out of direct sun whenever possible, and your dark hair will have minimal sun damage.