Dry and damaged hair? You could be making this common mistake
Hair problems may occur when you neglect your tresses for a long time. But at times overdoing certain things too often can lead to trouble. An expert tells how.
Are you among those who wash their hair a lot? In Covid times, hair health has come into focus as many people are reporting hair loss post their recovery from the deadly infection. Many others who are staying at home or working from home too may be neglecting their hair care routine as they are not stepping out. While not oiling your hair or washing them for days together can be bad for your hair health, over-washing is equally harmful. There may be some people who overdo their hair care routine by washing their tresses more than required.
Experts warn that this could lead to hair damage. "Water is not good for your hair. Water gets connected to hair shaft through cuticles and when it dries out, it evaporates and gets out of the cuticles. So every time it goes in and out of the shaft, your hair becomes more and more dry and frizzy and it also results in protein loss in the hair because of which your hair loses strength," Dr. Kaustav Guha, Head R&D, Skinkraft Laboratories.
"You will see that hair in the tip are drier than hair in the root as they have seen more wash cycles. That's why if you have long hair, you will notice that your hair in the tip are more damaged compared to those in the root," Dr. Guha adds.
ALSO READ: 5 signs of hair damage that are common, but you may miss!
So how many times should we wash our hair?
One should not draw a conclusion that only the process of washing hair is damaging them as it's important to wash your hair to get rid of dirt or grime. Plus, you will not feel fresh if you don't wash your hair. One must follow necessary precautions and use right products for their hair to protect them from damage.
Here are some Dos and Don'ts by Dr. Guha:
Don't underdo or overdo your hair wash: If you are not going out, you need not neglect hair. But at the same time, you need not overdo the hair washing routine. You can delay the wash cycle by a day conveniently in case you are not stepping out of the house. Once in three days is a good time for hair wash.
Oil or moisturize your hair: You can either use hair oil and leave it for an hour before washing so that shampoo doesn't dry it out. If you are not a hair oil user you can moisturise the hair with a good conditioner. Right hair care products are important. If you have dry, curly hair, you need products with high moisturizing content. On the other hand, oily hair require lighter conditioning. Sulphate-free shampoos are recommended as they maintain the natural oil in the scalp and hair.
Be gentle while washing your hair: Especially in times of monsoon when sweat is five times more than usual it makes hair more fragile. If a normal dry hair has break load of 120-150 gm, wet hair can break 30-40 gm more, which makes them five times more fragile. Be gentle while applying shampoo and also when you are drying them out with a towel.
So in nutshell, don't neglect your hair, but don't overdo washing them.
