When it comes to hair issues, everyone has a story. And it may look easy, but keeping your hair away from trouble it’s a tough job. Getting your crown and glory back is not only about taking care of hair but the scalp too. A bad scalp condition can bring along common concerns such as greasy, dry, and even thinning hair, all staying in your way of having healthy and easy-to-style hair. The best thing you can do? Acknowledge and understand the causes of your hair problems and fix them. Don’t worry. We made the learning process easy for you and summarized the basics of how to manage common hair issues for all hair types.
Greasy hair
Those who have thin hair tend to have more issues with a greasy scalp. This is because excessive sebum is more visible on straight hair, and less noticeable when the hair is thick and curly. Other causes that can make your hair greasy are heat and humidity, as they can accelerate sebum secretion, as well as hormonal changes. The male hormone androgen is the one that activates the sebaceous glands to produce sebum. Also, stress increases the androgen levels in women’s bodies, as well as men’s, but because men need more androgen, women’s hair tends to be grassier.
How to take care of greasy hair
If you can’t get rid of greasy hair, this is what specialists suggest:
Get a suitable haircut
Getting a precision-layered haircut is the first piece of advice. If your hair is long and straight, its weight pulls it down, sticking to the top of your head. This steals its volume, making it appear greasier.
Wash it often
A critical step for removing the excess sebum is to wash your hair more often, especially if you live in a city. There are many gentle hair products for frequent use. You might want to skip the harsh shampoos if you wash your hair daily, as those might damage the scalp and hair shaft. The transparent shampoos contain less viscous ingredients in their composition. Thus, they can better wash the greasy scalp without leaving any residues behind.
Massage your scalp
Massage your scalp before you wash your hair. Besides feeling fantastic, a head massage boosts blood flow, making it easier for your blood to transport all the nutrients responsible for healthy-looking hair.
Twice bubbles
If your hair is super greasy, you need to leave the shampoo for about 3 minutes on your scalp to action. If the shampoo has enough time to act, it’s more likely to remove the excess sebum.
Conditioner only for ends
Avoid applying conditioner on your scalp by any means. The last thing a greasy scalp need is more grease. It’s crucial to apply it on ends only. Also, consider products formulated with a small percentage of fat or none at all.
Apply an astringent
Astringents are really great at managing greasy scalp because they minimize pores and reduce sebum secretion. While the benefits of astringent are unquestionable, the alcohol-based ones are something you should worry about. For instance, applying hamamelis extract, using cotton rolls is a method hair specialists recommend, as it reduces oiliness, and calms inflammation.
Learn to relax
When you are stressed, your body produces more androgen, which amplifies the sebum secretion. You can try relaxing techniques such as meditation, tai chi, or yoga to relieve your body from stress.
Watch your pill
Birth control pills can affect your hormonal equilibrium. In return, this affects sebum secretion. For the best, mention your greasy hair when you talk to your doctor about contraception pills.
Dry hair
Dry hair can be unpleasant and challenging to control. Too much water can dry your hair, especially salt- or hypochlorite-treated water. Swimming and overwashing are the principal causes of dry hair. However, among other reasons, we can count hair dyes, permanent processes, styling tools, and over-exposure to the sun or wind.
How to take care of dry hair
Here’s what you can do to keep your dry hair hydrated.
Wash it gently
The shampoo does remove not only the dirt but also the protective fats of hair. If you have dry hair because of washing it too often, give your hair a break. Try washing it once or twice per week and use a shampoo that targets dry and damaged hair.
Use conditioner
When the hair gets dry, the external layers of the hairshaft fall off. What a conditioner does is stick back together with the layers, lubricating the hair, and stopping the static electricity, which makes the hair look dull. Therefore, you should always look for a conditioner made for dry hair and use it every time you wash your hair.
Cut the dry ends
Dry hair tends to suffer the most at the ends. The solution is to cut your hair ends once every two months to keep split ends under control. Damaged ends start where the comb stops when you’re combing your hair.
Keep it cool
Heat tools are a no-no. Better let your hair dry naturally or try those old-school tools, such as hair rollers that don’t need to heat up.
Protect your hair
The wind and the sun can have a negative impact on your hair if you over-expose it. Wear a hat or a cap when you spend time in the sun or wind.
Use a bathing cap
Chlorine is very destructive, so whenever you swim in the pool, wear a rubber cap. For extra protection, anoint your hair with olive oil before.
Hair loss
Losing hair is normal unless you lose more than 100 stands each day. Nutritional deficiencies, stress, hormones, unhealthy lifestyle — can weaken the hair follicles and make your hair fall quicker, and hinder the growth process, ultimately leading to thinning hair and hair loss.
How to reduce hair loss
Try sticking to these habits if you want to prevent hair loss.
Vitamins intake
Besides being good for your overall health, vitamin supplements help maintain the hair healthy and strong. Vitamin A promotes healthy sebum production, while vitamins B and E help create red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles. Also, deficiencies of vitamin H (biotin) are linked to hair loss.
Use a suitable shampoo
Another thing you can do is to use shampoo for hair growth. By doing so, you are lowering the chances of hair breakage. Always look for ingredients that act as DHT-blockers, such as saw palmetto, caffeine, and green tea.
Enrich your diet with proteins
Get the necessary protein dose every day: about 46g per day for women, and 56g per day for men. Eating proteins and having a consistent diet are vital to promote hair growth. Most nutrients needed for healthy hair are found in these superfoods, so you should include them in your diet.
Massage your scalp
Essential oils are super famous for their aromatic capabilities, containing strong properties that can benefit hair. The scalp massage helps your hair follicles remain active, helping hair to grow. Some oils also add strength and shine if used regularly, such as geranium and lavender oils.
Avoid brushing wet hair
Hair is in its weakest state when wet, hence brushing it increases the chances of breakage. If you must comb, use a wide-toothed wood comb and also use your fingers to untangle your hair delicately.
Use a hair growth device
Using a laser hair growth device is one of the best things you can do. They help reduce hair loss by stimulating the scalp and supporting hair follicles to produce thicker hair. Not only laser therapy boosts the scalp’s blood flow but they also reactivate dormant hair follicles, stimulating growth.
Stay hydrated
The hairshaft constitutes one-quarter of water, so drinking about eight glasses of water per day will visibly improve your hair’s health.
Reduce alcohol and fast foods
Alcohol dries, and when the body is dehydrated, it can dry out the follicles, making them more likely to fall out. On the other hand, fast foods may cause hormonal imbalance that can lead to severe hair breakage.
Skip the cigs
Smoking reduces the amount of blood that flows to the scalp, and this may accelerate premature hair loss. The association was largely attributed to toxins in smoke that can harm hair follicles and damage hormones.
Know your dont’s
If you want to keep your hair healthy, you should be aware of the products and tools that you’d better stay away from. Heat tools, hair sprays, gels, and dyes, all affect hair growths, in one way or another. Thus, seek more about which habits make your hair fall.
Stay active
When you exercise, the level of the hormone of happiness in the body is increased. Elevation of serotonin levels helps your body to fight stress, supporting healthy hair growth.
