Over Scrubbing The Scalp
This is a common showering mistake made by many people. When you are in the shower it is not necessary to scrub your head so hard, since the cleaning products that you use are designed to do the job alone.
When your hair is wet, it is more vulnerable. So be gentle with it. Over scrubbing your hair, when showering can break it. A gentle scrub would be enough to clean the hair and prevent it from breaking.
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Brushing Your Hair When Its Wet Means More Will Fall Out
FALSE: In line with the previous myth, your hair doesnt fall out more if you brush it when its wet. Hair is more elastic when its wet, and it also has a greater tendency to split, which means that you feel as though more is falling out, whereas in fact its just broken. If your hair is in the process of falling out, brushing gathers up hair that is about to shed anyway: it doesnt actually cause hair loss.
Length Texture And Color Processing
Oil glands, also called sebaceous glands, are only present in your scalp. This oil needs to make it all the way down each hair strand to the ends in order to moisturize it.
This is why having longer hair often gets dry its more challenging to keep the ends moisturized.
Often, the longer your hair, the drier the ends, Dr. Khetarpal says.
For similar reasons, curly, coarse hair tends to be much drier than straight silky hair. In the case of curly hair, the oil needs to travel along corkscrew-shaped strands to moisturize to the ends.
Of course, if you have drier hair, you should wash less often.
For those with longer hair, its best to focus conditioning treatments on the ends, rather than the roots, Dr. Khetarpal says.
Some people also like to use natural oils, like coconut, olive or jojoba but my recommendation is not to overdo it.
Besides curly, straight, long or short, theres chemical processing, which also tends to make hair more fragile.
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Hairs May Become Ingrown
If theres buildup of product or oils on the scalp, you might experience ingrown hair. This is when a hair grows back into the scalp. Its often painful.
To help treat this, you can do the following:
- Apply warm compresses to the area at least three times a day.
- Use gentle scrubbing after the compresses with a moist washcloth.
- Shampoo daily with a soothing antiseptic shampoo.
- Moisturize the scalp.
- Avoid covering your head.
Dilute Your Shampoo With Water
We all love a rich lather with our shampoo because it feels clean. The more shampoo we use, the richer the lather, but it can be too strong for your hair. Thats why experts advise diluting your shampoo in a little amount of water before putting it on your hair. Using your tabo, place about 20 ml of water and add in the usual amount of shampoo. Shake it to make a lather and pour it on your hair.
Editors tip: Got weak and falling hair? Wash it with Dove Hairfall Rescue Shampoo and Dove Hairfall Rescue Conditioner. With Dynazinc and grapeseed, these products help fortify the hair fiber and nourish your roots to strengthen your hair and prevent falling hair.
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Folliculitis Can Lead To Hair Loss
Over time these pollutants, dirt and debris accumulation can lead to a scalp disorder called folliculitis. This condition is characterized by follicular inflammation across your scalp, usually due to a fungal or bacterial infection.
It first appears around your hair follicles as white-headed pimples or small red bumps and can give you a mild to extreme itchy scalp. It may even spread and become crusty sores that dont heal. If your scalp becomes severely infected, folliculitis can lead to scarring and permanent hair loss.
Rinsing Off In Hot Water Could Damage Your Hair
This is another tiny showering mistake that we all make which can lead to severe consequences. Even I used to do that mistake every day. As I have mentioned before, when we take hot water showers, the pores in our head opens up naturally. This will allow to deep cleanse your hair.
However, it is important to do something to close such pores at the end of the shower. This is where we make the mistake. We tend to finish our shower with the same warm water rinse. This will keep the pores open for a longer period of time. Making it easy for the dust and oil to enter back and moisturizing nutrition to leave from the scalp.
This will make the hair more dry, weak and vulnerable. Therefore we must rinse off our hair from cold water at the end, so that the pores in our head would naturally close again.
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Changes In Birth Control
Going off hormonal birth control or changing to a different type of hormonal contraception can also cause hormone-induced shedding. “Whether you’re just starting it, discontinuing it, or changing brands, your body can react by causing the hair to go into an increased shedding mode,” Dr. Fusco says.
This is another form of telogen effluvium, which means that its usually temporary. You can rely on volumizing products and styling tricks while you wait for your hair to regain its fullness.
Showering Water That Is Too Hot
Hot water showers are quite soothing and relaxing. But it can also lead to hair loss. Water that is too hot will have a negative impact on your scalp.
The scalp of a human contains a fatty lipid layer called Epidermal lipids or stratum corneum lipids which protects the scalp from germs.
The dermatologists and hair experts states that, water that is too hot can damage this layer. Yes, it will be regenerated naturally, but until such times, the hair and the scalp becomes more vulnerable.
Further, water that is too hot will negatively affect the keratin protein, and other nutrition in your hair. Such nutrition will help to keep your hair moisturized and strong. Therefore, if such nutritions are not present in your hair, then it will be more dry and weak. Which makes the hair to fall or break prematurely.
So what can you do about it? The best and the most easiest answer would be to say, shift to cold water showers. But that might be irritating and uncomfortable due to various reasons. So the next best option would be to shift to mild warm water. This is relatively better than hot water.
Therefore always be mindful when adjusting the temperature of your shower. Do not use water that is too hot.
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Gross Things That Can Happen To Your Hair If You Dont Wash It Regularly
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Have you ever wondered what will happen if you dont wash your hair at all? If the answer to that question is yes, you definitely need to concentrate a little more on your tresses because they need to be kept clean and fresh just like the rest of your body!
Of course, you dont have to wash your hair daily but doing so at least twice a week is a must.
In fact, this frequency is recommended by dermatologists because not meeting this requirement can leave you with stinking hair.Not just smelling hair, here are 8 serious hair and scalp problems you can face if you skip a wash:
1. Folliculitis
If you sweat a lot or have a rigorous workout routine, folliculitis can be an issue. Not washing your hair can lead to sebaceous secretion which can cause infection of the hair follicles. If you have dandruff, it tends to get mixed with the sebaceous secretion, increasing the risk of folliculitis.
Folliculitis causes inflammation of the hair follicles that can result in infection. Severe cases of folliculitis may cause crusty sores that take too much time to heal. These sores can cause permanent hair loss and scarring, said Dr Kusumika Kanak, Consultant Dermatology & Cosmetology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune.
2. Dandruff
You can develop major dandruff problem if you dont wash your hair for 1 or 2 weeks, she warned.
3. Hairfall
4. Excess oil and oily scalp
5. Hair Breakage
6. Acne
7. Seborrheic Eczema
8. Tangles
All In All Your Hair Could End Up Looking Great
With all of the weird and downright scary side effects that potentially await you when you stop washing your hair, why would anyone be willing to take the risk? Well, because your hair may just end up looking beyond phenomenal.
After embracing dirty hair herself, senior stylist Jill Engelson told Bustle,”It’s strange that I used to think my hair had to be clean to look good when today I literally hate my hair clean because it is always overly silky and flat.” If you’re a frequent hair washer, it could just be that you’re not giving yourself and your hair enough time to adjust to the change. You may be someone who can go weeks without any negative results or you might get to day four and have already begun scaring your coworkers with your incessant scratching. It’s impossible to truly know unless you give dirty hair the ol’ college try.
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Your Roots Might Get More Oily
This applies more if you have straighter or finer hair. OâConnor says these hair types are more prone to oil production which causes oilier roots and limp hair.
An easy fix to this is to use dry shampoo or a quick oil-absorbing spray. She recommends something like the Matrix Miss Mess Dry Finishing Spray to remove any of the excess oil on those roots when you decide not to wash your hair every day.
Thin Hair: Every Other Day
Let me just start off by saying, we are living in a time when many of us take pride on how little we shampoo our strands. I hear friends, clients, and colleagues discuss this lack of frequency with gusto on a regular basis. However, my fine haired friends remain perplexed. How can anyone go so long without washing?! they wonder. Fine haired strands tend to get oily much faster and much easier than other hair types, making it seem blasphemous to leave their hair in a dirty state for days on end.
“Most people with fine hair need to shampoo fairly often as oil and debris will weigh down the hair and make it look flat and greasy,” explains expert trichologist Michelle Blaisure, “so usually every other day you will need to shampoo.” Despite what’s trending in hair talk, thin hair needs a more frequent cleanse.
“It is a misconception that frequent washing increases hair loss,” says Blaisure. “If a person is not experiencing genetic thinning, they can wash and keep hair looking fresh and fabulous even daily so long as they are using a gentle shampoo.” For fine and thin hair, Blaisure suggests Bosley Professional Strength Nourishing Shampoo . Try pairing with a volumizing conditioner for added fullness.
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Bad Habit: Skipping Breakfast
Breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day anymore, but Kingsley says its good for hair. So many people say their diet is great, she says, but then they admit that they dont have time in the morning, and rush out the door without breakfast. She explains that everything you eat at breakfast goes to fuel the bodys essential systems. Hair isnt considered an essential systemmeaning that keeping the scalp fueled isnt an issue of life or deathso hair only receives nutrients once the major organs have been fed. Eating breakfast fuels the bodys life-giving functions and helps keep hair soft too.
Will A Lemon Or Vinegar Rinse Make My Hair Shinier
This old remedy does not apply nowadays. Decades ago, before modern shampoo, you would have washed your hair with soap. These soaps would deposit an alkaline film on your hair, dulling the hairs cuticle. An acid rinse, from lemon or vinegar, would neutralise this alkaline deposit and add shine. Modern shampoos do not create an alkaline film, so an acid rinse is unnecessary.
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Taking Oral Birth Control Pills
If youre one of the many women who are sensitive to hair shedding or thinning due to hormonal changes, the wrong oral birth control can weaken your hair. A pill that contains androgens can cause hair loss for someone whos androgen sensitive and doesnt know it, says Dr. Bauman.
Save your strands: Switch to low-androgen index birth control pills like norgestimate , norethindrone , desogestrel , or ethynodiol diacetate . If you want to know whether you have an androgen sensitivity, a hair restoration physician can perform a quick cheek-swab genetic test.
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The Role Of Ethnicity
A major determinant in how often you should wash your hair is your ethnicity.
In particular, African Americans have extremely dry hair, and if they wash too often, their hair can become dry and brittle, which can lead to breakage, Dr. Khetarpal says.
For these cases, she suggests limiting hair washing to one or two times every month.
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Textured Hair: Once A Week
Textured hair that is naturally more kinky or coily in its curl pattern is known to need a lot of moisture. The natural sebum your scalp produces can actually be of service to textured strands. Although textured hair can stretch their shampoos to last longer than other hair types, it yet again does not excuse attention to scalp care and the need for recurring treatments.
While we are experiencing a cultural movement that encourages us to embrace our natural textures, playing with different hairstyles can be especially fun for this hair type. Textured hair is adaptable to a variety of different looks. Despite the beauty of it all, hair pro David Adams warns, “be mindful about over styling.” From aggressive brushing, to the chemicals in low-quality styling products and home hair coloring treatments, Adams says all these factors can make our strands much more susceptible to damage and could actually ruin the health of our scalps. “Dry heat can damage the hair,” he says. Avoid “holding the hair dryer too close to the hair using curling irons and flat irons too often, and on too high a heat setting.”
“Shampoo at least one or more times a week,” notes Blaisure. With less frequent suds, your scalp may need an added boost to assist in removing build-up. To keep your scalp’s health in tip-top shape, try using an exfoliating scalp scrub every couple of washes. Blaisure adds that a scalp scrub can be especially helpful if your scalp becomes dry/flaky or oily.