You Need to Protect your Natural Hair from the Sun!

Here's 4 tricks to do that...

I bet you know that the sun is bad for your skin which is why sunscreen is in such popular demand these days. What you may not know is that these harmful UV rays can also wreak havoc on your beautiful hair! Your hair follicles are direct recipients of the sun rays and can take a lot of damage if not properly protected; this damage can affect the rate of your hair growth as well as general hair health.

Overexposing your hair to the sun interferes with the natural oils which are your hair’s protective barrier; this inflames the blood vessels underneath and leads to hair loss. 

This is why you HAVE TO protect your hair from the sun especially during summer months when the heat is just something extraordinary - I bet if you left a kettle outside, the water in it would boil. Really.

So how do you protect your hair from the sun and the heat that comes with it? You may already know that artificial heat is bad for your hair because it dries out your strands but so does natural heat, though not as bad. 

In any case, you need to protect your hair from heat and here is how to go about it:

Hats, scarves or headbands go a long way to protect your hair from sun damage especially if you’re out a lot. They act as a shade, keep you cool, protect your hair and can also be rocked fashionably!

Out of ideas? Look no further by checking out these 6 ways you can style your hair when rocking headgears.

You can call it a hair screen if you like! There are times you just don’t want to cover your hair or tie a scarf on - maybe because it doesn’t go with your outfit or you just don’t feel like.

In any case, you can simply protect your hair by rubbing in a generous amount of coconut or olive oil which are natural protectors against the sun. They not only give shine and radiance to your hair, they are also very effective against harmful sun rays. For example, Coconut oil has a natural SPF of 10.

Asides the oils, you can also try a leave in conditioner to further fortify your hair against the sun. I usually use the Whipped Mango Shea mixed with Hair Growth Oil to properly condition my hair before applying Coconut oil all over. 

Pro tip - Make sure to hydrate your hair with water from your spray bottle before applying the oils to make the application even more effective. Also, apply more at the parts that are more exposed to the sun.

Protective styles really deserve a spot in the natural hair hall of fame when it comes to versatility! They’re fashionable, can be rocked in multiple ways, and help to reduce the rate of manipulation for your hair. 

Rocking a protective hairstyle is a great way to protect your hair from the sun as your hair is safely tucked into the braids so it will not be in direct contact with the sun.

However, you still have to protect your roots which are exposed and you can do this by slathering on some coconut oil and moisturize or cover up as much as possible.

Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate! Hydrating your hair during the summer months will ensure that your hair does not dry out when exposed to the sun. So have a portable spray bottle that you can put in your handbag and hydrate your hair between hours to keep it sun protected.

It is also essential that you do a hair mask more often during these heat months to restore your hair due to sun exposure. These hair masks are very nutritious for your hair as they contain vitamins that help to nourish and fortify your hair. Check out these 10 hair masks you can make right from the comfort of your kitchen.

Do you protect your hair from the sun? What methods do you use? Let’s talk in the comments.