Is city life ruining your hair? A hair expert shares 5 smarter ways to protect hair with pre-wash rituals, evening care, and plant-based choices

How does air pollution impact your hair? Learn expert tips on effective pre-wash rituals, evening care, and plant-based choices for vibrant locks.

City life buzzes with vibrant colors, energy, and movement, which is precisely why being out and about in the city is so exciting. Meanwhile, dust and fine particles accumulated from exhaust fumes, construction, and smog settle on hair and scalp. They combine with natural oil and sweat, creating a layer that may not be noticeable at first glance. This dulls your hair by scattering light instead of letting it reflect off the hair surface.

How to save your hair from pollution? (Adobe Stock)

By Tavishi Dogra

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust.

Career journey and experience
Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon.

From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?”

Subject expertise
With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions.

In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.

Education and professional background
Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.

Editorial Philosophy
I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

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"Dryness can also happen similarly. Build-up can irritate the scalp, and vigorous scrubbing can remove the lipids needed to keep hair soft. Pollutants can also cause oxidative stress that eventually damages the hair’s protective coating. Fortunately, a few thoughtful habits can restore hair softness," Hair expert Clelia Cecilia Angelon, Founder & CEO of Surya Brasil, tells Health Shots.

Smarter ways to protect hair: Pre-wash rituals, evening care and plant-based choices

1. Applying oil to your hair before shampooing can be worthwhile. Massaging light plant-based oils into your hair about half an hour before shampooing creates a barrier that helps prevent buildup.
2. A clarifying shampoo, used once every couple of weeks, could be appropriate for city life. This type of shampoo dissolves mineral deposits and other particles left by regular shampoos, and an apple cider vinegar solution can help the cuticle lie flat.
3. Consider night-time treatment. Soft brushing before bed helps remove loose dirt, and a silk pillowcase can reduce friction that can roughen hair. A leave-in conditioner with vitamin E or green tea also helps add a light protective film.
4. Plant-based hair care fits naturally here. Formulations with oils, butters, and herbal extracts condition hair without leaving heavy residue, which is why they're becoming more popular. Ingredients now widely used in hair care formulations include acai, aloe vera, murumuru, and hibiscus. Another ingredient used for many generations is henna, and formulations based on Indian botanicals now blend this long-term favorite with Amazonian herbs.
5. Knowing the ingredients in hair care formulas is also helpful. Some companies avoid ammonia and other ingredients such as ethanolamine, diethanolamine, and triethanolamine because, although they deliver quick results, they may harm hair health over time. Others use clean-ingredient policies that exclude thousands of ingredients they consider harmful.

Bright hair, brighter days

City life will keep moving, and your hair can keep up beautifully. With some night-time attention to your scalp and hair, better cleansing techniques, and thoughtfully chosen products, you can keep softness and shine within reach, whatever the day brings.

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