The heat from the sun, the sad, the wind, chlorine, salt… these all alter the hydrolipidic film on the surface of each hair. With continued sun exposure it disappears, leaving the hair unprotected, exposed. The scales stand on end.

UV rays eventually intervene and break off raised scales, altering in a more or less profound way the hair’s keratin. These scales cross and get intertwined when hair is brushed, making it rough, hard to untangle, brittle and split at the ends.

UV rays also affect the cells of the hair (which contain keratin). These contain natural pigments (melanin) or artificial ones, if coloured. In addition to the keratin’s transformation, degradation of these pigments occurs simultaneously in the hair’s cells. The pigment levels are affected and, as a result, so is the hair’s colouring.

Whether hair is dark or light, brown, blond or red… the sun destroys the capillary fibre. After a week of vacationing in the sun, untreated hair is dull, rough, unmanageable and shows split ends.

For that reason, it is strongly recommended to take a few precautions against hair’s devitalisation:

1

Before bathing, slather a product containing vegetable oil on hair: shea butter or jojoba, almond or hazelnut oil.

2

Right after bathing, rinse hair with fresh water. If there isn’t a shower around, bring a bottle of water.

3

In the evening, wash hair with a gentle shampoo that specifically formulated for dry hair. When last rinsing hair, add the juice of half a lemon to water. The acidity will help smooth the hair’s keratin.

As it is the case with skin, hair needs special protection from the sun. Sun screens can be found in hair oils, mousses, spays… After sun exposure and spending some time in the sea or pool, don’t forget to carefully rinse out hair and appease it with a nourishing mask. Why should hair be excluded from reaping the benefits of a vacation?

In moderation, the sun can actually be good for your hair. It’s nature’s expert colourist, able to give hair subtle highlights no human hand can reproduce. The sun also helps with calcium absorption by way of vitamin D, which increases the circulation in thousands of tiny blood vessels irrigating the scalp. Put simply, it helps hair grow. Vacation time is an ideal time for letting hair grow.

We’ve become a lot more aware and careful when it comes to the effects of the sun on our skin. On the other hand, we seem to forget that the skin under our hair – while it may seem protected – is still skin! This can be a costly mistake.

By drying out the epidermis and changing the pH level of our scalp, infrareds can cause flaking – the same way it would make skin peel.

More subtle but more troubling, a heavy dose of exposure to sun rays can slow down the elimination fatty acids found in sebum. These stagnant fatty acids transform into toxins that obstruct the proper functioning of hair’s roots. Poorly irrigated, hairs can thin and even fall out a few weeks later.

1

Hat on! Make fashion work for you. Have fun with big straw hats, bright scarves, fun baseball hats. In other words, cover up each time long sun exposure is on the menu. On the beach or by the pool, you can also turn a towel into a funky turban.

2

Avoid exposure during the sun’s “hot zone”, from 12:00 to 3:00 pm.

Those who find that their hair usually becomes oily far too quickly are usual happy by the sea. All of a sudden hair appears healthier, lighter… no thanks to the sun, which makes the scalp sweat and stimulates the production of sebum, but thanks to sea water, salt and even plankton that purify and revitalise the scalp. For oily hair, often prone to dandruff and itchiness a well, the sea can seem like a magic cure-all…

1

Splashing around in the waves? Take some time to submerge hair completely and let the sea water seep into hair and scalp.

2

Remaining underwater, massage the scalp using the following technique: spread fingers slightly and place the pads of fingers against the scalp; apply a good amount of pressure and make a back-and-forth or rotation movement, as wide as possible without actually moving fingers. Then move fingers to a different spot and repeat. Don’t forget to come up for air once in a while!

3

Get your scalp to slide over your scull. Be careful though, massaging doesn’t mean rubbing: finger tips shouldn’t slide on the skin itself but “hold on” to a specific spot and move the skin.
For those who hate holding their breath underwater, the same result can be achieved by repeatedly dipping head into the water and executing the massage with your head above the surface.

4

Remember to shampoo every night in order to wash away salt and chlorine. Omitting to do so allows salt to stick to the scalp, nullifying the beneficial effects of sea water.

As far as dry hair is concerned, everything about the sea, the sun or the pool is bad news. Sea salt and chlorine cause it to rebel. When sun rays (UV) attack and profoundly alter hair’s keratin, it readily shows its dissatisfaction by becoming porous, dry and brittle.

Under a microscope one can actually see the effects of summer aggressions on hair. The keratin presents an uneven surface, as if bristling with scales, when it should normally be smooth.