Hair sun protection is one of the most overlooked forms of sun protection. If you are like most people, you spend most of the year looking forward to summer. However, your hair probably does not. While you may be thinking with anticipation of the warm, sun-kissed glow that your locks pick up each summer, in reality that beach bunny blonde is seriously hard on your hair. Hair that starts out summer with natural, sunny highlights can easily end in stiff, straw-like, dried out disaster if you do not take proper steps to protect your hair while you are enjoying yourself at the pool or the beach.

Here are several tips for effective hair sun protection:

•    Moisturize
Pool chemicals and salt from the ocean are incredibly destructive when it comes to your hair. The best hair sun protection is to constantly moisturize. Just like your skin, your hair needs moisture to resist environmental damage. Use a leave-in conditioner or mix up a weak mixture of your regular conditioner and water and spritz your hair each time you exit the water.

•    Look for Octyl Methyoxycinnamate
Generally long chemical names are not what you want for your hair. However, octyl methoxycinnate is one of the best ways to give serious SPF power to a hair product. Also, products that contain the antioxidant vitamins A, E and C will help defend your hair from free radicals – highly charged molecules that cause the cells that they come into contact with to deteriorate rapidly.
•    Cover Up
Placing physical protection between the sun and your hair is probably the most fool-proof method of hair sun protection. Tie a scarf over your head or throw on a big floppy beach hat for a glamorous and fully protected look. This is most important when the sun is strongest – generally between 10 AM and 3 PM.

•    Use the Right “Do”
A bun or a pony tail actually can be a great way to protect your hair if you are unexpectedly exposed to the sun. Pulling your hair back and working a dollop of regular sunscreen through it will protect it and give you a convenient, “beachy” look.

If you want to avoid damaged locks and major split ends, then you must remember to protect your hair from the sun. Hair sun protection will help your hair survive your fun in the sun and make it to fall intact.