People with eczema find it hard to not use everyday hair products. Using shampoos, conditioners and hairstyling can make eczema worse. especially on our scalp, face and neck. These products can also trigger hand eczema which is a cause of contact dermatitis. If eczema is severe, there can be temporary hair loss. In this blog post, we will be talking about the different types of eczema and what you can do to minimize irritation. Different types of Scalp Eczema: Atopic eczema: This can affect any part of the body, including the scalp. A severely red and sore scalp can result in temporary hair loss, but the hair will grow back…

Many expensive hair oils contain silicones because they can give you better results and are much cheaper. Silicones can easily make your hair smooth, soft, and shiny. Compared to natural oils, silicones have a very light texture and can spread easily. Natural oils are not as light as silicones. Hair oils can be suitable for you if you have extremely dry and frizzy hair. There are products that can contain silicones from different suppliers and there can be a big difference in the quality of silicones between these suppliers. You can try to use a cheap hair oil and see if it works for you. Some commonly used silicones are…

Conditioner or co-washing is a method of cleansing your hair with conditioner. Co-washing uses non-ionic surfactants such as cetyl alcohol, as it’s main surfactant. People with curly or sensitive skin can use co-washing daily or several times a week, as it is less damaging to the hair shaft than shampooing. Co-washing can prevent the breakage of hair and also balance sebum production. It can also reduce dryness. However, there are no scientific data to prove this. Over time, conditioner use can lead to the build-up of dirt and oil due to improper cleaning. Therefore, shampoos should be uses at least once or twice a month.

Reversed hair washing is the process of washing your hair in reverse. So you first apply your conditioner and then apply shampoo and rinse it off. Sometimes the reserved washing can also be done by rinsing the conditioner out and then applying the shampoo. Why do some people reverse shampoo? Some people experience weighted down, greasy feeling strands after conditioning their hair. Shampoo is mainly used to remove oil and built-up from your scalp and the hair near the scalp. The lengths of the hair do need such cleansing. Hot water and conditioning agents can damage your hair and a conditioning agent in the lengths of your hair can form…

Hair is negatively charged and is insulated by the hair’s protective lipid layer, but many strong cleansing agents contains negatively charged surfactants which leave the hair even more negatively charged. What is the problem after shampooing? The negative charges on each hair fiber repel each other and this leads to friction between the hair fibers. Brushing, grooming, styling of these charged hairs can lead to dry hair and even breakage of hair. How can you solve this problem? You can solve this problem by using a conditioner. Conditioners can reduce friction and thus reduce hair breakage. Conditioners can neutralize the negative charges of the hair by adding positive charges. The…

Shampoos are mainly designed to remove dirt and oil from the scalp and also the hair which grows near your scalp. The rest of your hair doesn’t need such cleansing because it doesn’t get as oily or dirty, but too much cleansing of your hair can strip away moisture and can lead to dryness and split ends. The cuticle is the outermost layer of your hair made up of overlapping cells that lay flat over one another (like fish scales, but facing downwards). The cuticle protects the inside of the hair from damage. When the cuticle layers are lying down flat, that means the hair has a smoother texture. When…

The main objective of a shampoo is to clean the scalp and the hair near the scalp. Now shampoos can distinguish themselves by different surfactant systems, conditioning agents (for example silicones) and also other functional ingredients (for example anti-dandruff). The ingredient that takes care of the cleaning is surfactants. A surfactant is a molecule that binds to the water and oil and removes the dirt from your hair when it’s washed out. Sometimes a combination of surfactants are used for a better result. We are going to be talking about the surfactants depending on their harshness/mildness and the amount of skin irritation and dryness they bring to the hair. There…

Many hair products advertise with claims such as restore the moisture levels and hydration for your hair. Products can’t really affect this. Moisturized hair (hair containing high levels of water) doesn’t say that it’s healthy, it’s actually the opposite. How is the level of moisture (water) in your hair regulated? The amount of water level in your hair is highly determined by the relative humidity of the environment. The hair absorbs a lot of water if the relative humidity in the environment is high and the hair absorbs only a little water if the relative humidity in the area is less. So the water content in the hair changes in…

After you use a certain product, your hair tends to have a different feeling. This is because the silicones are causing build up and your hair has a weighted down feeling. What is product build-up and what is that weighted-down feeling you have on your hair? There are polymers found in condition agents (such as silicones and cationic polymers like polyquaterniums) and styling polymers (usually present in mouses and gels). These polymers create a polymer firm around the cuticle. These agents tend to stick to the hair and with repeated use and it can cause build up in the hair shaft. If these polymers are not removed properly from the…

Hair consists of lipids, keratin, and protein. These proteins get damaged due to solar radiation. This leads to dull, frizzy hair, split ends, and brittle hair. It also decreases the strength of the hair. The melanin present in your hair can also protect the hair from UV damage. Light hair colors such as grey/blonde are more susceptible to UV damage. It is because these hair colors have less melanin present in them. Sunlight can also affect the color of your hair. When the hair is exposed to the sun, the natural pigment present in the hair breaks down and the hair becomes lighter. How can you protect your hair? You…