Scalp care is the biggest story in hair right now, but dermatologists say the routine has a hole in it. UV damage starts at the follicle, and hair alone is not sunscreen.
The scalp used to be the least glamorous subject in haircare. In 2026 it is the whole conversation. Every strand grows from a living follicle, so scalp condition feeds directly into growth, shedding and shine, and the market has responded accordingly. There has never been a wider choice of products aimed at thinning and density, the two concerns that begin at the root rather than the ends.
One thing has been left out of almost all of it: sun.
Dr Sharon Wong, consultant dermatologist and hair specialist, puts the oversight down to visibility. The scalp is skin, but hair covers it, so it slips out of mind in a way the face never does. It is also one of the most sun-exposed parts of the body, and it rarely gets treated that way.
What UV actually does to hair
Sun exposure breaks down the proteins and lipids that hold hair together, according to Wong. The result is hair that is weaker, drier and more brittle, with a greater tendency to snap. Pigment takes a hit too. Natural colour lifts over the course of a summer, and dyed or coloured hair fades noticeably faster.
Dr Simon Jackson, scientific ambassador at Davines, points to the part that makes this different from a sunburnt shoulder. Skin repairs itself. Hair does not. Once the fibre is damaged, that damage stays. Sun exposure also produces free radicals and the oxidative stress that follows, and salt water, chlorine and long stretches of heat all stack on top of it.
The ageing question
Age changes the equation. Over time the scalp loses collagen and elastin, blood supply drops, inflammation rises, cell signalling shifts and stem cell activity declines. Follicles stop performing as they once did, and hair growth suffers for it.
Dr Aamna Adel, consultant dermatologist and founder of rhute, says the scalp shows its age faster than many other areas of the body. It has very little subcutaneous fat, it sits permanently exposed to environmental stress, and it collects UV damage over decades rather than years. The problem compounds as hair thins, because a widening parting means more skin taking the hit directly.
Why dermatologists take this seriously
The head and neck are the most common sites for UV-related skin cancers, Wong says.
Scalp melanomas account for six to seven per cent of all melanoma cases, a small share, but survival rates are considerably worse than for melanomas elsewhere. Part of the reason is timing. Hair hides them, so they tend to be found late.
Adel adds that repeated sunburn is not simply an unpleasant weekend. Cumulative exposure over years raises the risk of precancerous changes such as actinic keratoses, which can progress to squamous cell carcinoma if nobody treats them. The risk climbs for anyone with thinning hair or age-related hair loss.
How to cover it
Every expert here lands in the same place: physical protection first, topical second.
A wide-brimmed hat or a tightly woven cap gives far more dependable UV protection than hair does, Adel says, and that goes double for anyone with a visible parting, finer hair or patches of thinning. Hair blocks some UV. It is not a substitute for sun protection.
When the scalp is exposed and a hat isn’t practical, sunscreen goes along the parting, the hairline and anywhere else skin is showing. It needs reapplying like any other sunscreen, particularly during long stretches outdoors, sweating or swimming. Ultrasun’s UV Face & Scalp Mist SPF50 is £22.20 at Sephora and designed for exactly this job.
Jackson worked on Davines’ new SU range with the same before, during and after logic in mind. It is built around bitter orange peel extract, or Citrus aurantium, which carries antioxidant flavonoids that help shield the hair fibre from UV-induced oxidative stress while keeping it soft. The range includes the Su Protective and Hydrating Milk at £26 from Cult Beauty, the Su Hair & Body Wash at £22.75, and the Su Protective and Nourishing Hair and Body Oil at £32 from Cult Beauty.
For the hair itself, Adel recommends UV protective leave-in sprays or conditioners to limit damage and colour fade. Before swimming, she suggests soaking hair in fresh water and applying a leave-in conditioner or a pre-wash treatment such as rhute’s Triple Density Complex Pre-Wash Hair Oil, which reduces how much chlorine or salt water the hair can absorb. Rinse it out properly afterwards.
Scalp and strand are one system. Protecting only one of them is doing half the work.
