It's that time of year again when your hairdresser starts talking about summer protection products and most clients reply that they already use heat protection and therefore feel they are fully protected against all the summertime can throw at them, but actually UV Protection is different from Heat Protection and throughout the summer you should take extra precautions with both your hair and skin!
Obviously we all need to protect our skin whilst in prolonged sunshine or intense heats, this protects our skin from painful burning caused by UVB sun rays. Unfortunately many people don't appreciate that the other sun rays -UVA rays are just as bad as they cause long term damage to our skin with little short term effect. Different rays penetrate our skin differently, UVB rays just penetrate the surface, the epidermis, these are the rays that change our melanin to tan the skin, where as UVA rays penetrate our dermis layer, drying out collegen and causing wrinkles!! The really scary thing is that UVA rays are so powerful that they are just as effective through glass, so when you are sitting in your window or driving in your car, those aging rays are attacking your skin and hair!!
So what can you do to protect yourself?
The most obvious answer for your skin is cover up and use products that contain sunscreen, most foundations do now contain a SPF factor, some moisturisers do too. Sunscreen for your hair is not so easy to come by!! It has taken me the last 15years of my career to find a product that truly protects your hair from all the UV rays. Alterna Bamboo UV range uses the properties found in the skin of the Kalahari Melon (yes, a juicy fruit found in a desert!) to protect your hair from all the sun can throw at it! In turn preventing all the damage, drying out and colour fading that is caused by the UVA/UVB rays, giving you long lasting colour and hydrated shiny hair.
Alterna also launched their BB Cream specifically in the Beach Range which also carries a UV Protector as well as extra moisture and shimmery golden flecks adding a summer glisten to your hair, this will be my favourite product on holiday this year!!
So what is the difference between UV Protection and Heat Protection?
Heat protection are surface products that help to keep the integrity of the hair surface under intense heat, our highest heat protector will withstand heat upto 232 degrees C/ 450 degrees F. Most straighteners and curling irons will have a maximum temperature of 220 degrees C and most new models have a temperature gauge allowing you to turn the appliance down. The effectiveness of a heat protector is dependant on a few things, the temperature of the appliance, how thorough the application is and the type of polymer in the product as the active ingredient. Hydrolysed wheat proteins are effective and two other copolymers, PVP and Quaternium 70. These are completely different products to sun protection and protect in a different way, instead of preventing the rays they are repealing heat and preventing loss of colour pigmentation through intense heat.
My favourite heat protectors are Cloudnine Magical Potion, created to be used with Cloudnine hot tools and Neal and Wolf Guard, a gorgeous smelling heat protector.
Alterna also do a Perfect Iron Spray in their Caviar range which has a higher price tag due to the amazing anti aging qualities of the Anti-aging complex as well as the highest level of heat protection on the market today.
Either way, during the Summer heat protection alone is not enough for hair, most heat protectors will not deliver enough moisture to the hair, neither will it protect from the damaging rays from the sun, also UV Protection will not give you any protection from intense heat need in styling tools, so if you are using straighteners, curling wands and blow dryers then a heat protector is essential as well as a UV Protector!!
If you would like to purchase any products mentioned in today's blog, you can find them in OliviaC Hairdressing online shop, www.oliviac.yoursalonshop.com
Thanks for your time and I hope this helps you protect your hair this summer
Olivia x