How Your Hair Affects Your Overall Health
By Space Coast Daily // March 14, 2023
How you wear your hair impacts your daily life. It can even dictate your mood and confidence on some days. Some people feel they can conquer anything if they wear their hair beautifully.
It’s indeed one’s crowning glory, and you may not know it; it also indicates the state of your overall health.
Hair Products Use And Your Health
Many use a variety of hair products to make their hair look perfect. But recently, there’s been a growing apprehension about using hair-relaxing and strengthening products. Uterine cancer concerns have surfaced due to reports indicating females who use these products more than four times per year are highly likely to develop uterine cancer, as opposed to those who’ve never used them.
Although there are new hair products made from organic ingredients today, it’s advised that everyone, including yourself, should be vigilant with the products being used on their hair.
Your Hair And How Its Health Affects Your Wellbeing
This post will explore how your hair affects your overall health and what you can do to keep it healthy. And it’ll discuss the essential factors influencing your hair’s health. Keep reading to learn more.
- Hair Loss Can Be A Sign Of An Underlying Health Condition
It’s normal to shed a few strands of hair daily. But if you lose a significant amount of hair, it can be a cause for worry and a sign of an underlying health condition.
Certain medical conditions like thyroid problems, hormonal imbalances, and autoimmune diseases can cause this. You must consult with your doctor as soon as you notice you experience excess hair fall to effectively deal with its root cause.
- A Healthy Diet Is Vital For Hair Health
Eating healthy can make your hair healthy. Certain foods can contribute to your hair’s shine and vitality. One of the essential nutrients your hair needs is keratin. Keratin can strengthen hair follicles and reduce hair loss. You can get keratin from protein-rich foods like lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, and so on.
Meanwhile, you must eat biotin-rich foods if you want thicker and more lustrous hair. Biotin is a type of B vitamin that increases the production of keratin.
If you feel that your hair breaks easily, you might lack collagen. Collagen is vital in strengthening your hair. Although there are a lot of collagen supplements now, you can increase your body’s collagen by eating foods rich in vitamin C, like citrus fruits and vegetables.
- Stress Can Affect Your Hair
When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol. Cortisol can lead to thinning hair, hair loss, and even the condition of alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder wherein your immune system attacks healthy hair follicles leading to bald patches on your scalp. It’s best to keep stress at bay and make lifestyle changes to prevent this.
- Proper Hair Care Is Essential
To maintain healthy, strong, and nourished hair, it’s best to follow a proper hair care regimen. You may consider these tips:
- Wash your hair – Use a gentle shampoo to remove dirt, oil, and product buildup. You don’t need to wash daily as this can cause your scalp to dry out. Wash at least every two or three days.
- Use conditioner – To moisturize your hair and keep it hydrated and shiny, use conditioner. However, don’t make the mistake of applying conditioner to your scalp to prevent oil buildup. Apply it only to the strands up to the tips of your hair.
- Refrain from using hot water – When washing your hair, it’s best to use lukewarm water. Hot water can cause brittleness and dryness as it strips your hair of natural oils.
- Avoid using heating tools – Try to avoid heating tools to set your hair. Or if you need to use them, use the lowest setting to prevent damaging your hair.
- Protect your hair from the sun – UV rays can damage your hair. It’s best to use hair products with SPF to protect your hair and protection like hats or bandannas when going out.
- Get regular haircuts – Regular haircuts prevent split ends and breakages and promote hair growth. If you don’t want your hair to look frizzy, dull, and lifeless, it’s best to get haircuts at least every six to eight weeks to maintain the health of your hair.
Incorporating these tips will ensure your hair looks best all the time.
- Your Hair Can Reflect Your Lifestyle Choices
Your habits and lifestyle choices will manifest in your hair. For example, smoking can cause reduced blood flow in the hair follicles, which can cause thinning. Also, it’ll damage hair fibers and lead to brittleness and dryness.
Meanwhile, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you can lose more hair than usual which can thin your hair in places. And as previously mentioned, when you’re constantly stressed, this can show in the health of your hair too.
- Hair Color Can Affect Your Health
Changing your hair color can instantly boost confidence and display your unique style and personality. Nonetheless, doing this too often can lead to the following:
- Allergic reactions – Chemicals in hair dye can cause allergic reactions in some people, causing scalp irritation, dryness, itchiness, redness, and swelling.
- Hair damage – Frequently coloring your hair can cause the strands to become brittle and break.
- Skin irritation – Hair dye chemicals can cause redness, itching, and flaking on your scalp.
It’s best to choose hair dyes that use organic ingredients. Today, there are plant-based hair dyes available for coloring hair safely. Just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Conclusion
Sure, you want to look your best at all times. It’s doable, even without using synthetic ingredients for your hair.
By paying attention to your hair health, eating healthy and nutritious food, and making smart lifestyle choices, you can have a gorgeous head of beautiful hair you’ll be proud to flaunt daily.