Use your head and take care of your scalp health
WITH daily cleansing, toning and moisturising, not to mention weekly exfoliation or sheet masks, we pay a LOT of attention to our faces but have you ever considered how much we neglect the skin on the top of our heads?
Focusing on the condition or our hair, rather than our scalp, can have drastic consequences, even leading to premature hair loss, experts say.
“Scalp health has a huge impact on hair,” warned Anabel Kingsley, trichologist at Philip Kingsley. “Like any skin, the scalp sweats, sheds dead skin cells and produces oil. To help keep your scalp in shape, give it similar care to the skin on your face.”
“It is your scalp that mainly determines what your hair is like,” agreed trichologist Tony Maleedy.
Whether you want to improve the look of your locks or are already experiencing problems like a flaky or itchy scalp, there are lots of things you can do to boost the health of your bonce.
Here, four experts share their advice for getting ahead in the hair game... “A good diet is essential for follicular health, so eat plenty of foods like eggs for the biotin,” said GP Dr Unnati Desai. “Selenium is another must-have – you can get that from oily fish, like mackerel or sardines. And zinc, you can find it in red and white meat, and spinach. Vitamins B1 and B5 are important.”
Kingsley points out you could be causing problems with the way you wash your hair: “Your scalp needs to be cleansed properly. Using a similar method to how you would cleanse the skin on your face, spend about one minute gently massaging your scalp when you shampoo and rinse well.” “I’d always advise patients suffering with a scaly scalp to wash their hair with medicated dandruff shampoos containing salicylic acid, coal tar or a tea tree oil,” said Friedmann.
Desai recommends
Spend a minute massaging your scalp and rinse well
“If it cannot be treated with over-the-counter remedies, it is worth seeing a dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment,” Friedmann said. What can I do about hair loss? “When you wear your hair up, tie it back loosely. Tight hairstyles can place a lot of stress on your hair follicles,” Kingsley warned. “Long term, traction can damage hair follicles and cause a type of hair loss called ‘traction alopecia’.”
Friedmann added: “Stress-related hair loss is common in people who suppress feelings of stress and anger.”
He added: “Forget wonder creams and supposed miracle shampoos, visit a dermatologist to discover the cause of your hair loss and whether it’s treatable.”