Top Hair Oils That Protect Your Hair From Sun Damage

Information on ways to protect your skin from UV damage is everywhere, especially during the summer months. But what about your hair? Yes, those locks deserve some safeguarding against sun damage too. Some good news—there are natural oils that provide some sun protection. Learn which oils have UV protection properties, how to use them on your hair, and why you want to choose natural over chemical sunscreens.

You’ve probably read that mineral sunscreen ingredients (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are preferable to commonly used chemical sunscreen ingredients. Why? Let’s start with how does sunscreen work and the difference between these two types of ingredients.

There are two types of UV rays that cause sun damage to the skin. UVA rays can penetrate the uppermost layers of skin and reach deeper layers and have the potential to cause long-term damage, like premature aging and skin cancer. UVB rays are those that cause sunburn and affect mainly the top layers of skin.

Natural mineral sunscreen ingredients protect the skin from damage by forming a physical barrier on top of the skin, reflecting UV rays. Chemical sunscreen ingredients work by soaking into the skin and absorbing UV rays before they can reach deeper layers of skin.

The problem is that some UV rays are still able to reach the uppermost layers of skin when you use chemical sunscreen.

But that’s not the only problem when it comes to chemical sunscreen ingredients. The most widely used come with a slew of potential health issues. Below is a snapshot of concerns over some of the most often used chemical sunscreen ingredients.

Octinoxate: Linked to hormonal disruption, cell proliferation in estrogen-responsive tumors, and alters the reproductive system in women and men.

Oxybenzone: Associated with allergic reactions and hormonal disruption.

Avobenzone: An organic sunscreen ingredient that is not as risky in terms of toxicity, but this ingredient breaks down quickly in the sun and is almost always paired with one of the chemical sunscreen ingredients above.

If you’ve seen hair sunscreen on beauty store shelves, they could contain the sunscreen ingredients to avoid listed above, so it’s important to check product ingredient listings before purchasing. There are natural mineral powder scalp sunscreen products that offer some UV protection to the scalp. But these most likely disappear once you sweat or spend even a little time in the sun.

Opting for natural oils that include sun protection properties is a great way to prevent the appearance of damage to your hair. As a bonus, they also keep strands moisturized.

When using natural oils to protect the hair against sun damage, it’s important to remember that they offer incidental protection and are not an actual sunscreen product. Still, they are a great way to guard against some UV damage while offering your strands the beneficial properties of the oil and they work on all hair types. While research published by Pharmacognosy Research journal found most natural oils to range in SPF value from .2 to 7.5, all SPF values shown below are approximate. Take a look at which oils offer some UV defense.

All of these work well to give hair a reparative look and feel post-UV exposure, as well as a few others, like tomato seed, white camellia seed, moringa, maracuja, and prickly pear oils. Use these once you come in from the sun in a product like Cult + King Wash Bar.

Natural oils make a great addition to your summertime hair care routine. While they may offer some incidental sun protection, they are not a replacement for actual sunscreen. If you plan to be outdoors for longer periods, don a hat or scarf to cover your hair.