by claire coshan

Created on: October 20, 2010

Kids love playing in the sun. And whilst most parents will always protect their child's skin from the sun, many forget that their hair needs to be protected as well. Children's hair is very strong but it is also very easily damaged so it needs to be looked after in order to keep it healthy.

And whilst many people may think that it is trivial to protect the hair, it is not trivial to protect the scalp. Children's scalps are highly sensitive and prone to burning and damage from the suns harmful UV rays. Of the sun damage that is done to our skin, 97% of it occurs before we reach the age of 18. This is why it is essential to protect your children from the sun.

The best way to keep your children's hair protected from the sun is to make sure that they are not out when the sun is at its hottest. These are the hours between 11 and 3 in the afternoon. This can be tricky since these are the hours that kids are most likely to play so you need to take some precautions to protect them.

Try to keep them in the shade. Again, this is a difficult task but you need to make sure that they are in the shade as much as possible. Especially when the sun is at its hottest. 

Many hair styling products now have a built in sun protection factor (SPF) Try to look for these and use them on your children's hair. Apply the products at  least twenty minutes before you leave the house. This will give the products time to properly absorb.

Whenever possible you should try to cover your child's hair with a hat or a bandanna. This will minimise the amount of harmful UV rays that can get to their hair. If you are using a hat then try to make it one with a wide brim or a large peak.

Apply conditioner to their hair before they go out and play. This will act as a barrier between the suns rays and their hair. Alternatively you could comb a small amount of sun cream through their hair before they go out to play. Do not forget to apply it to the scalp as this will burn if you do not. You will still need to reapply the sun cream every hour if they are outside. The suns rays and water will break down the protection barrier and so it needs to be replenished regularly.

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