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How to Protect Hair from Sun Damage: UV Hair Protection
Updated on August 8, 2025 | 6 min read
Jaclyn LaBadia, Davines Writer
Your hair and scalp are just as susceptible to damage as the rest of your skin when it comes to the sun. UV rays break down the proteins in your hair, leaving it dry, dull and susceptible to breakage. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep your strands out of the sun—you just have to protect them. We’re telling you how to prevent and repair sun-related hair damage ahead, including the best products and tips for UV hair protection and post-sun repair.
Key Takeaways
Protecting Your Hair from the Sun
- UV rays can severely damage hair, causing dryness, breakage, colour fading, and even scalp sunburn.
- All hair types are vulnerable, but fine, light, and colour-treated hair are especially at risk.
- SPF for hair is essential; use sprays, mists, or leave-ins with UVA/UVB filters for everyday protection.
- Protective hairstyles and accessories like hats, scarves, and braids help minimize direct sun exposure.
- Hydration is key, both internally (by drinking water) and externally (through conditioning treatments and masks).
- Use products designed for combatting sun exposure to protect, hydrate, and repair hair.
- Healthy hair is more resilient—limit heat styling, deep condition regularly, and maintain your hair's integrity year-round.
In This Article
The Impact of UV Rays on Hair
Importance of UV Protection for Hair
Strategies to Protect Your Hair from Sun Damage
How to Choose the Right Hair UV Protection Product
Get a UV-Proof Hair Routine with Davines SU Range
The Davines Approach to Sun-Damaged Hair
Preserving Your Hair Health Alongside UV Protection
FAQs
The Impact of UV Rays on Hair
Just like they do to your skin, UV rays damage hair. So in addition to a nasty sunburn on your scalp, they’re responsible for a few other hair concerns. UV rays break down the proteins inside the hair shaft, weakening its structure and making it prone to splitting and breakage. Additionally, they strip the moisture and pigment from strands, leading to frizzy hair that’s brittle and faded or discoloured. UV rays also create free radicals in your hair (unstable molecules that infiltrate cells and cause damage). That’s why sun protection for hair is so important during periods of prolonged exposure.
Importance of UV Protection for Hair
Protecting your strands from UV damage is a must when it comes to spending time in the sun. UV rays cause dryness, breakage and colour fading. UV protectants help prevent moisture and elasticity loss, while keeping hair colour vibrant. Here's why UV protection for hair is important.
- It prevents damage to the hair structure.
- It keeps colour vibrant.
- It protects the scalp.
- It keeps hair shiny.
- It minimizes frizz and split ends.
- It improves overall hair health.
- It reduces dryness and brittleness.
Strategies to Protect Your Hair from Sun Damage
Wondering how to protect hair from sun damage? These tips will significantly reduce the risk of damage and keep your hair healthy through the season.
Avoid peak sun time
Limit your time in the sun when it's hottest. Peak sun hours are generally from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. wherever you live.
Wear protective hairstyles
Styles like braids and buns that keep your strands tucked away provide chic UV protection for hair.
Use hair sunscreen
Using hair products with spf not only provides UV protection, but they add moisture to thirsty strands.
Drink lots of water
Staying hydrated helps keep your hair moisturised from the inside out.
Deep condition regularly
Adding moisture back into your hair regularly helps to counteract the drying effects of the sun, so once a week add a hydrating hair mask into your routine.
Avoid over-washing
Excessive washing can strip away your hair’s natural protective oils, leading to dry hair and a dry scalp, prone to damage.
Rinse after swimming
Rinse your hair thoroughly with fresh water after swimming in a pool to remove chlorine and other chemicals in the water.
Reduce heat styling
Damage from hot tools is just as real as damage from the sun, so avoid heat styling if you can, especially during the summer, and use a heat protectant when you can’t.
How to Choose the Right Hair UV Protection Product
Now that you know sunscreen for your hair is a must when you’re spending time in the sun, how do you choose the right one? Some things to consider are SPF level, water resistance, hair type and additional benefits.
- Look for a product with at least SPF 30, especially if you'll be in intense sunlight. And water resistance is crucial for swimming or sweating.
- If you’ve got fine or oily hair, choose lightweight sprays or mists that won't weigh down your hair.
- Dry or damaged hair types should opt for moisturising formulas that offer UV protection alongside hydration and repair.
- Look for additional benefits like heat protection, shine enhancement, or detangling.
- Choose a product with easy application, like a spray or mist, for even coverage of the scalp and hair.
Get a UV-Proof Hair Routine with Davines SU Range
Davines is dedicated to sun-protection and post-sun repair, and that’s why we created the SU hair line, a complete routine to protect your hair and skin before and after sun exposure. Formulated with antioxidants to protect hair and skin cells from free radicals caused by the sun.
An absolute must-have for the season is SU Milk, a sun protecting leave-in, great for use both before and after sun exposure. SU Milk protects the hair thanks to anti UV-A and UV-B filters, preventing it from drying out and becoming damaged by the sun’s rays. Use it after sun exposure too, as an additional conditioning treatment after SU Hair & Body Wash, a hydrating hair and body wash that moisturises your hair and skin after being outside.
If you’re really feeling sun-kissed, restore and hydrate your skin and strands with SU Aftersun and SU Hair Mask; a soothing, mineral-rich skin gel and restorative and hydrating anti-aging aftersun hair mask.
The Davines Approach to Sun-Damaged Hair
In addition to UV hair protection, Davines also offers several damaged hair products to restore and repair your sun-ravaged strands. Our damage correcting and anti-breakage products including shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, stylers and leave-in treatments possess high grade, all-natural ingredients to restore your hair's true texture. We also offer several different in-salon treatments to deal with extensive sun damage.
Find the perfect treatment for your hair at a Davines salon near you.
Preserving Your Hair Health Alongside UV Protection
Besides UV hair protection, the best way to avoid summer damage is to keep your hair in the best shape you can. Maintaining the health of your strands is essential for preventing issues like breakage and split ends. Healthy hair holds up better to styling and environmental factors, while damaged hair becomes more and more susceptible to further damage. Follow these tips for healthy hair through the scorching summer sun.
- Don’t wash your hair every day—wash 2-3 times a week or as needed based on your hair type and lifestyle.
- Focus shampoo on the scalp when you do, to cleanse effectively and avoid stripping the hair's natural oils.
- Use conditioner after every shampoo to help with detangling.
- Pat your hair dry with a microfiber towel instead of rubbing it vigorously.
- Massage your scalp daily.
- Deep condition regularly.
- Get regular trims (every 6-8 weeks) to remove split ends and prevent further damage.
- Avoid excessive heat styling and use heat protectant when you do.
- Be gentle when detangling, combing and styling your hair, especially when it's wet.
- Eat a balanced diet rich in protein and antioxidants.
- Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle and never brush your hair when it's wet.
- Oil your ends every night before bed.
- Sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase.
- Get enough vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc, and biotin.
FAQs
How can I protect my hair from UV rays?
Protect your hair from UV rays with physical barriers like hats or scarves, and by using hair products with SPF. Additionally, wearing your hair in protective styles like braids or buns and minimizing exposure during peak sun hours, as well as keeping your hair healthy can help prevent damage.
What is the best sun protection for hair?
The best sun protection for hair starts by applying a hair product with SPF to your scalp and strands, then putting your hair in a protective style, under a physical barrier like a hat or scarf, and avoiding the sun during peak hours.
Is UV protection the same as heat protectant for hair?
While both address potential damage and are important (especially during the summer), UV protection and heat protectant for hair are not the same. UV protection shields hair from UV rays and heat protectant safeguards from the high temps associated with hot tools. The ingredients in each are formulated to target their respective types of damage.
What is the best heat protection for hair?
A heat protectant product offers the best protection against heat styling. The Davines family of heat protectants come in formulas ranging from mists and serums, to milks and foams, and even a glaze. There’s a heat protection product to keep all hair types healthy and strong.
Do hair heat protectants actually work?
Yes! Heat protectants work by forming a barrier on the hair to minimize damage from heat styling tools like blow dryers and flat irons. They reduce dryness, breakage and split ends by absorbing or dissipating some of the heat, leaving hair smoother and healthier. This protection from direct heat prevents hair fibers from weakening and getting damaged and splitting or breaking.
Is there a non greasy heat protectant for hair?
Yes, there are non-greasy heat protectants for hair. All Davines heat protectants are designed with lightweight, non-greasy formulas to shield hair from heat without weighing it down or leaving an oily residue. Choose formulas specifically labeled as lightweight or non-greasy and avoid products with silicones which can build up over time and create a greasy feel.
Professional Treatments
Visit your local Davines salon to nourish, repair, and summer-proof your strands.
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