Just as the sun damages your skin, it can damage your hair, too. Saltwater and chlorine also take a toll on our tresses. The not-so-pretty outcome: A few weeks into summer, hair that was shiny and easily managed looks and feels fried. Fried hair isnt just a figure of speech. Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH, a New York dermatologist, says the ultraviolet rays of the sun actually cook the hair shaft. The damage is most obvious when we see color-treated hair becoming faded, bleached, and brassy. Even hair that isnt colored will suffer from sun-induced stress. Those UV rays dry out hair and rough up the normally smooth cuticle, or outer layer, of the hair shaft. Frizz Factor The dryer hair is, the more likely it is to suffer from a summer malady thats even more irksome than mosquito bites: frizz. Thats because parched hair soaks up the extra humidity in the air, causing the shaft to swell and leading to breaks in the cuticle. Hair puffs up and goes every which way but smooth. Swimming Damage Swimming beats up your hair, too. Take a plunge in a pool and while youre doing the breaststroke, chlorine is stripping your hair of its natural protective oils. If youre a blonde, you may find your locks taking on an unflattering greenish cast. Thats caused by the copper molecules and other pool chemicals that bind to the protein in the hair shaft. A dip in the ocean stresses hair in another way. The heavy salt content in seawater draws water out of your hair and skin, Krant says. We end up with prune-y fingers and parched hair.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 22:08:19 +0000
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