Fun in the Sun? Not Quite

With the golden sunlight glaring in our faces from dawn till dusk, it seems that avoiding it is no easy feat. A walk to the nearest MRT station, to work, or play, even heading out during lunchtime – these are all relatable situations that happen to us that cause sun exposure.

You might think a bit of sun won’t hurt, but with Singapore’s ultraviolet (UV) index off the charts, you might want to rethink that.

Find out how going under the sun affects your hair!

What Are UV Rays?

UV rays are the bane of women struggling to maintain their youthful looks. Horror stories of how these blinding, burning rays can age our skin have long been passed around. Your mother would have told you “Girl ah, don’t go under the sun! Take an umbrella!” often.

There are 3 kinds of UV rays: UVA, UVB and UVC. Both UVA and UVB rays are the ones that hurt your skin and hair, with UVB rays having the most impact. No UV rays are safe, so that means exposure to them only harm you.

How UV Rays Hurt Your Hair?

UV rays damage more than just your skin.

Research has shown how UV rays can contribute to hair loss, fading, oxidising, and protein loss.

Know how harmful bleach is? The sun’s rays affect your hair in a similar way. They react to the melanin in your hair and fades the colour in an irreversible (read: permanent) chemical reaction. It also hurts your hair cuticles and protein, called keratin.

Cuticle Damage

Hair that has experienced excessive exposure to the sun can be visibly damaged. That’s because of the UVA and UVB rays harm the exterior layer of a hair strand, called the cuticle.

Damaged hair cuticles can result in broken, split ends, and dry and brittle strands. It won’t look like the hair from TV ads, but like dried cuttlefish that breaks off easily.

The hair cuticle is made of layers of protein called keratin. When your hair cuticle is damaged, you will naturally experience protein loss too. This is also one reason for dry hair.

Hair Loss

Your hair follicles responsible for producing hair are just specialised skin cells. Like regular skin cells, overexposure to the sun damages it. Damaged follicles can directly affect your hair health the speed of its growth.

All of us have a layer of natural oils on our scalp. Overexposure to UV rays affects this layer by making blood vessels dilate and become inflamed. Occasionally, this damage can result in a compound’s production that might cause hair follicles to stop growing and shed instead. Say hello to hair loss.

Damage is Permanent

Damaged hair can be reconditioned with to temporarily appear healthy, but nothing can permanently “fix” or “repair” damaged hair.

Sure, you can camouflage it with protein treatments and oils for softness and moisture to improve its appearance, but those treatments wash off the hair shaft. The only way to permanently improve damaged hair is to cut it off and let it regrow.

Since your hair is a key part of your self-confidence, it is important to avoid damaging it!