For hair damaged by summer sun, salt sea water or festive hairstyles, now is the time to regain health, and even a properly selected shampoo can help.
On the other hand, external measures are not always enough. How to choose the right care products and meet shiny and really healthy hair in the fall?
Pharmacist Julia says that the hair itself gives off when they start to lack more intensive care - they start to dry out, fall, thin out, lose their shine.
“Hair can be weakened due to a lack of biotin, zinc or selenium. Biotin is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, so it provides the hair with nutrients, zinc acts as a building material and strengthens the hair, and selenium supports the overall health of the hair”, says the pharmacist.
Hair also needs vitamin A, which regulates the hydration processes of the scalp. In the summer, you can replenish this vitamin by eating more fresh carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes. Vitamin E takes care of the body supply of nutrients, ensures that hair is healthy and does not break. In order to get vitamin E, you should eat more leafy vegetables, nuts.
If the main hair problem is intense hair loss, blood tests should be performed and the health should be checked. “Hair loss and crumbling can occur with anemia, which is shown by blood tests. The disease causes a lack of oxygen-carrying erythrocytes and hemoglobin in the blood, which weakens the whole body and at the same time worsens the condition of the hair. "
Make sure - dry or greasy?
Weak or damaged hair requires complex treatment - both with the help of vitamins and safe products selected according to the skin type. Just don’t be fooled if your facial or body skin is dry or oily, that doesn’t mean your scalp belongs to the same type. Before choosing the means, a specialist should be consulted, and preferably a scalp has to be examined.
“Signals sent by hair can be very deceptive. If the hair do not tend to get greasy or dandruff appears, people are starting to think that their scalp is dry. However, thoroughly cleaned oily scalps are covered with a thin layer of grease, which dries and accumulates dirt - dust, remnants of styling agents, thus weakening the hair, and the symptoms may be the same as those of dry skin owners”, says the pharmacist.
Owners of dry scalp and hair need to restore the balance of the skin and normalize the pH, for those suits everything that nourishes the hair, especially products enriched with argan or olive oils. For oily skin it’s recommended products with nettle extract, that regulates the activity of sebaceous glands and inhibits the secretion of sebum.
Focus on the scalp, not the hair
In addition to all the extra measures that help strengthen the hair, once a week you should also just clean your scalp. Many don’t even think about it. According to the pharmacist, doing so regularly removes plaque, environmental dust, and residues of poor-quality products. In addition, after cleansing the scalp, the shampoo can penetrate deeper and become more effective.
Owners of dry skin benefit from all cleansers - both oily and exfoliators with grains. However, it is better not to choose a cleaning oil for oily skin. "Over time, it can clog oily scalp and weaken the hair follicles," explains the specialist.
The pharmacist also reminds that even with the safest shampoo, only the scalp should be washed, not all hair. In addition, a strong concentration of shampoo in one place can weaken the hair, so first distribute a small amount of it in the palms and only then massage it into the scalp.
Several ingredients secrets
There are general simple rules for owners of different skin types - avoid parabens, silicones, paraffin, mineral oils and SLS in the products used. They accumulate on the scalp, eventually drying out, damaging the structure of the hair.
"Unnatural chemicals provide a very fast but very temporary effect. Paraffin gives shine but accumulates on the skin, and silicones can provide short-term fluff. Mineral oils clog the skin, which can cause dandruff, and sulphates are a chemical additive that is usually added only to make the product foam”, explains the pharmacist, reminding her to avoid alcohol in products and unnatural fragrances for people prone to allergies.
"If the ingredients are listed at the beginning of the label, then their concentration in the product is the highest," Julia recalls one of the rules for reading the ingredients. So, if your hair doesn’t require frequent washing and there are very few ingredients in the hair care product, it really isn’t necessary to throw away the shampoo you use. The most important thing is not to abuse harmful ingredients, to change measures from time to time, to look for healthier alternatives.
