2 women with beautiful hair enjoy the sun while protecting their hair and scalp from sun damage

The Expert Way to Protect Your Hair and Scalp From Sun Damage

BY JAY SMALL, TRICHOLOGIST, HAIRSTYLIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF AREY

 

Sun protection (SPF) is well-known to help protect your skin from sun damage and skin aging, but did you know that you also need to protect your hair and scalp from sun damage? 

If you're an outdoorsy type or, like me, live in a state where the sun is almost always blazing, your hair and scalp are constantly exposed to UV damage. And over time, that sun exposure can show up as faded, dry, brittle hair and an oversensitive scalp.

Bottom line, as a Trichologist, I am big on including sun protection in your haircare routine because sun damage doesn’t just change how your hair looks – it can also negatively impact hair growth.

How Sun Exposure Damages Your Hair and Scalp

Sunlight exposes your skin and hair to two main types of UV radiation: UVA and UVB. Both can play a role in damaging your hair and scalp.

Here’s how UV rays affect your hair and scalp: 

    • UV rays break down key structural proteins in your hair, such as keratin.1,2 This can lead to dry, brittle hair and increased breakage. 

    • UV rays can degrade melanin, the pigment responsible for your hair color.3 This results in fading color and dull hair. 

    • UV exposure can cause scalp inflammation and redness.4 This can trigger flaking on your scalp skin and increased sensitivity.

    • Radiation from UV rays can damage DNA in scalp skin cells.5 This can mean redness, flaking, and a higher risk of scalp skin cancer.

    • Sun exposure can disrupt healthy hair follicle function.6,7This can impact growth, thickness, and color.

As a Trichologist (hair and scalp health expert), here’s what I tell my clients about how to protect their hair and scalp from sun damage with the right haircare routine.

Discover the Arey 3-Step Sun Protection Strategy:

Protecting your hair from the sun isn’t about one product – it’s about layering strategies. Think of it the same way you approach skincare: prevent, protect, and repair. 

If you’re anything like a lot of my clients, you may think your hair protects your scalp from the sun. I’m sorry to have to tell you that your hair only offers your scalp some protection from the sun.8 The thicker your hair, the more protection, but UV rays can still penetrate through strands, meaning your scalp can take direct damage without you realizing it.

Step 1: Prevent – Shield Your Hair and Scalp

When UV levels are high, physical protection should be your number one sun care strategy. That’s why we love the Arey Hat, because it is a simple but highly effective solution for shielding your hair and scalp and preventing sun damage.

Wearing a sunhat provides consistent, full-coverage protection for your scalp and hair. Hats are dermatologist and haircare experts' most recommended forms of scalp protection because they block UV rays entirely, rather than just filtering them.

Step 2: Protect – Use UV-Protection for Your Hair

Just like applying sunscreen to your skin, an easy way to protect your hair strands from sun damage is by applying a lightweight sun protector for your hair before sun exposure.

Sun exposure can be extremely drying for your hair, especially if your hair is curly, colored, or greying – hair types that are naturally more vulnerable to dehydration.

Hydrated hair is more resilient, so using Live In Mist® regularly before sun exposure can significantly reduce dryness and brittleness caused by the sun.

Step 3: Repair – Soothe Scalp After Sun Exposure

Let’s face it, unless you live underground, your hair is going to be spending some time in the sun. The good news is that there is post-sun haircare that can help soothe your scalp skin after sun exposure. 

Oxidative stress occurs at a cellular level in your scalp skin when exposure to irritants (like UV rays) triggers an overproduction of free radicals (unstable molecules) that attack your healthy cells. The result – weakened, inflamed cells that can show up on your scalp skin as irritation, redness, and even swelling.

Here’s how Calm It Down® works to counteract sun damage to your scalp:

    • Supports hair color with a clinically efficacious peptide that stimulates your MC1-R receptor to boost pigment production.

    • Counteracts oxidative stress with powerful antioxidants, including Tangerine extract and Fo-Ti.

    • Soothes redness and irritation with pepper tree extracts and aniseed nettle extracts.

Arey is preferred by dermatologists more than any other anti-aging haircare brand because of our focus on scalp care as a part of haircare. 

Post-sun care is often overlooked when it comes to supporting your scalp and hair health, but sun damage protection is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain long-term scalp health and boost healthy hair growth. 

Protect Dyed Hair and Stressed Scalps From Sun Exposure

Unfortunately, if your hair is colored, bleached, or chemically treated, it’s much more vulnerable to sun damage.9,10 So, if your dyed hair is feeling especially dry or straw-like after sun exposure, it’s a sign that you need to give some support to your weakened hair strands.

So where’s the line between healthy sun exposure and damage? There’s no exact universal limit, but dermatologists suggest avoiding prolonged sun exposure – especially during peak UV hours (10 AM to 3 PM). 

Sunlight can be an important source of vitamin D, a nutrient that is vital for healthy hair growth. That's why vitamin D is included in our Not Today, Grey nutritional hair health supplement.  

The good news is that there's no need to hide away from the sun. Short bursts of sun (10–20 minutes) are generally well tolerated, especially outside peak hours. But once exposure becomes extended – think beach days, hikes, or outdoor workouts – your hair and scalp move into a higher-risk zone.

Arey, Helping You Build a Sun-Safe Haircare Routine

The good news? With Arey’s 3 step sun protection strategy – prevent, protect and repair – you can enjoy the sun without sacrificing the health of your hair.

Because great hair isn’t just about styling – it’s about being consistent about protecting what you have, starting at the scalp. That's why we offer up to 25% off on all subscription orders to help keep you on track with your hair health goals. Because we know that science + consistency = results.

We are Arey.

Have questions? Check out our FAQ page or say hey@arey.com.

 

Jay Small with customer

AuthorJay SmallJay Small is a sought-after hair stylist and Trichologist in Los Angeles with over 22 years of experience. His clients consist of high-profile business and creative leaders. He trained as an apprentice to the owner of Paul Mitchell and worked in education and product development for Paul Mitchell Systems. Jay is incredibly passionate about the creative process both in terms of styling hair and developing effective products.


REFERENCES:

    1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/
    2. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/
    3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19138021/
    4. https://www.healthline.com/
    5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8615538/
    6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8140904/
    7. https://www.today.com/
    8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25682789/
    9. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29221-8
    10. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/
Back to blog