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We know that too much sun wrecks our skin. For two generations we’ve been drilled about SPF sun cream, and we use it. The ancient Egyptians used extracts of rice and flowers, and for thousands of years Burmese women used thanaka cream from tree bark to give limited sun protection. But the first commercially effective sun creams started in the 1930s, though only with an SPF of 2. Now you can get SPF 100. But SPF research for hair has been late to the party.
Humid beach weather and sea salt-induced surf styles, can trick us into thinking our hair is thicker and full of body; a feeling of confidence enhanced by our beaming tan. But we know the sun damages hair, as these glowing effects are temporary, disappearing quickly after returning home. Hair is left dull, dry, colour-faded and difficult to manage.
When UV rays penetrate the hair’s outer cuticle, they create highly reactive free radicals which damage the melanin pigment causing colour changes, and attack the protein structure of the hair, leading to thinning, breakage, and split ends.
Little has come to market to practically prevent this holiday hair damage in a way that people want to engage with. The few available sun-oils for hair, may or may not provide protection, but are heavy style-killers so people rarely get past the first try. Wear a hat, wear an oil slick or stay indoors! Those were the choices, until now.
The science of hair SPF is still in its early days but a lot of research is going into it. Our own UV protection range started with our LifeSaver UV, an amazing leave in styling treatment which gives great beachy hair effects whilst also treating and protecting the hair; unlike sea-salt sprays which are actually corrosive. I like to do my own testing, and we rigorously assess all our own products before launch, both in the salon, on the catwalk and in harsh climates around the world.
The unprotected hair on the right has become brittle, faded and distinctly thinner. I was surprised myself at just how noticeable the differences were and how obviously damaging just seven days of unprotected sun was.
LifeSaver UV Leave-in Styling Treatment amazing protective properties are a breakthrough. It properly protects from thinning, drying, and colour fade but allows the hair to be worn in attractive styles.
Never stopping to rest on our laurels we tested a new SPF ingredient from sunflowers for our UV Protective Shampoo and UV Protective Conditioner as well as our new improved LifeSaver UV Leave-in Styling Treatment. This time we took to the blistering Negev Desert in Israel. One weft of hair cut in half and only one side protected with LifeSaver UV which was applied to the hair twice daily. Each weft had swimming pool water poured on once a day.
You can see that in just seven days the unprotected hair on the left was noticeably faded, dry and thinner.
Hair shrinks and wastes away under the sun’s rays. Long hair would take 3-4 years to fully replace the damage at the ends, and in that time would likely have had this punishment repeated a dozen times on successive holidays. LifeSaver UV Leave-in Styling Treatment is the new sun-cream for hair.
TIP ONE
Always protect your hair in the sun. Why not bring hippy chic to the beach and keep hair covered with a hat or scarf.
TIP TWO
The word ‘healthspan’ has been absorbed into our daily lexicon. It pops up as often as lifespan now as the movement to maximise health progresses. Healthspan is the length of time a person is healthy, not just alive, and was coined by gerontologists in a 1987 Science article. A period of life in which you are healthy and free from chronic disease or disability.
