The issue of hair loss is a challenging and difficult one. It can be brought on by a wide variety of variables, both in terms of one’s physical health and one’s mental health, including nutrition, anxiety, and now pollution in certain cases. It turns out that pollution is not only bad for the environment and for your health, but it may also cause damage to your hair. This is a very concerning discovery. Several empirical investigations have arrived at this conclusion.
When you go outside, whether it is to go to work, for a run, or to walk the dog, soot and grime can gather on your scalp and hair. This can be a problem for people who have sensitive scalps. It is essential to maintain clean hair and a healthy scalp. The buildup of these pollutants over time can irritate the scalp and cause your hair to become dry, lifeless, and brittle. This can also lead to an unhealthy scalp. In addition to this, they have the potential to cause irritation of the scalp. You may be at a larger risk for these unfavorable outcomes if you reside in a city or in close proximity to a factory that is operating while you go about your daily life.
Air Pollutants and Hair Health
Pollutants in the air, such as lead and mercury, pose significant dangers to the health of those who are exposed to them. Blood diseases and skin conditions are common medical concerns, and both of these conditions will immediately affect the health of the scalp and hair. In addition, scientists warn that exposure to air pollution frequently produces symptoms that are similar to those of androgenic alopecia, which may interfere with existing treatments. Pollutants in the air will also have an effect on our whole mental and physical health, ranging from the air we breathe to the food we eat. After being ingested, it has an effect on the body, including the potentially damaging effects of consuming tainted nutrients and the inability to trigger autoimmune responses.
How does pollution affect hair loss?
The scalp and hair are irritated and damaged when large suspended particles, small airborne particles, smoke, and gaseous pollution all reach the scalp and hair. As a result of the rising levels of pollution that are associated with modern living, cases are growing more severe.
What are the possible consequences?
In 1994, the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre in Lucknow published a study regarding the detrimental effects of pollution on human hair. Pollution-related hair loss has been shown to coexist alongside or even mimic androgenetic alopecia, with hair loss taking on an uneven, amorphous pattern. It may worsen and precipitate the onset of diffuse alopecia areata, early cicatricial alopecia, or chronic telogenic effluvium.
How Air Pollution causes Hair Loss
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Smog and Hair Follicle Health
Smog is one of the most prevalent forms of air pollution in the world, caused by the combustion of fossil fuels in the presence of sunlight. Smog contains small particles of soot that circulate through the air. Power plants, factories, and cars all contribute to pollution and soot. Smog particles invade the bloodstream and damage cell health, causing hair follicles to shed old hairs and stop naturally creating new ones.
Since the hair is in direct touch with smog and soot, it can cause skin damage. The hair on the skin is supposed to be the first line of defense against dangerous particles before they enter the body, therefore it is vulnerable to injury whenever you are outside. Smog and soot, while they will cling to hair strands, can also clog hair follicles and hinder proper cell regeneration. These are necessary for the health of the scalp and follicles.
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Greenhouse Gases and Scalp Irritations
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are electromagnetic waves that collect and release particulate particles into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and water vapor are examples of greenhouse gases. The greater the frequency of exposure, the greater the risks. According to research, particulate matter from greenhouse gases can cause dandruff, itching, hair follicle pain, scalp irritation, and greasy scalps, all of which are commonly connected with hair loss and baldness. Hair in direct touch with air pollution exhibits strand breaking, dryness, and early hair loss, just like male pattern baldness.
Allergens and Hair Loss
Pollen, mold, and dust allergens can trigger allergic reactions in the body, resulting in health-related responses such as hair loss. When the body comes into touch with air-borne allergens, everything from food that generates an auto-immune reaction to plants in your yard that cause skin irritation might be indicative of air-borne allergens and create an allergy. Because most allergy sufferers have symptoms all year, hair loss becomes a concern when living in an environment that causes a reaction.
How to Protect Your Hair and Scalp from Air Pollution
Although both your head and individual hair strands are prone to harm from air pollution due to the fact that the head is the part of the body that is exposed to it the most frequently, the methods by which you safeguard each are distinct from one another. Since the particulate matter in the air can be as fine as 2.5 PM, it is simple for it to become entangled in individual hair strands and to infiltrate both the scalp and the hair follicles. The question now is, how can you safeguard yourself?
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Use A Moisture Masque To Restore Hair Health And Vibrancy
The first step, which is also the most evident, is to put on some sort of head covering, such as a hat with a loose fit or a scarf. Is it healthy for your hair to wear a hat all the time? The consensus amongst specialists is that hats and other hair coverings are OK so long as they are not overly constricting and do not place undue stress on the scalp. The most important benefit of wearing hats and scarves is that they shield your hair from any and all particles that may be floating around in the air, including hazardous pollutants.
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Consuming macro and micronutrients daily
In order to stimulate new hair development, the next step is to watch what kinds of macro- and micronutrients you take in on a regular basis. Your hair will have a dull and lifeless appearance if you do not consume a diet that is nutritionally enough. Not only will the components of air pollution cause harm outwardly, but you also won’t be obtaining the nutrients that will assist your hair withstand the impacts of it as it damages your scalp and hair follicles. This is a double whammy of sorts.
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Take a Nutritional Supplement For Optimal Hair Health
You should also make sure that your hair is properly hydrated because air pollution, such as soot and grime, can absorb the moisture that is naturally present on your hair, causing it to dry out more quickly than it normally would. The dirt and soot can also cause your hair follicles to become clogged, which will cause your hair to shed in an unnatural manner. Removing the impacts of air pollution on your hair follicles and restoring their ability to function properly can be accomplished with the help of a product called Rejuvenating Scalp Scrub.
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Cover Your Hair Whenever Possible
If you want to keep your hair covered, you can do it with a hat or a scarf. Because of this, it will be shielded from coming into direct touch with dirt and other impurities in the air.
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Wash Your Hair Regularly
It is important to make it a routine to wash your hair on a regular basis in order to keep the pollutants at bay and to prevent itching and dandruff. When you wash your hair every day, choose a light shampoo that does not include sulfates and massage it into your scalp. After using shampoo, be sure to rinse it out completely and then follow up with a high-quality conditioner to rehydrate your hair from the middle lengths to the ends at all times.
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Avoid Using Mechanical Tools
It is important to keep in mind that brittleness, breakage, and split ends are all possible outcomes of prolonged exposure to high levels of pollution. Therefore, it is in your best interest to refrain from using mechanical hair appliances such as straighteners or hair dryers, as doing so might further increase the likelihood that your hair will become damaged.
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Apply Hair Serum
If you are unable to keep your hair covered, you should put a high-quality protective serum through your hair before going outside. Your hair will be protected from a variety of potentially harmful gases and pollutants by the hair serum, which will work by coating it in a thin layer that protects it.
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