Hair Conditions

Alopecia means baldness. Usually we have about 300,000 hairs on our heads, and we lose anything up to 300 hairs each day. Each hair grows at a rate of around about a centimetre a month, a phase in the life of the hair called anagen.

After about three years of life the hair falls out, a phase called catagen. The hair follicle then goes into a resting phase called telogen before starting a new three-year hair growth cycle.

Hair Loss Causes

There are many conditions that can affect the growth and life of a hair, the most common being so-called male pattern baldness where there is gradual loss of hair from the front and sides of the scalp, causing a receding hairline, and thinning of the hair on the top of the head.

What is Greasy Hair? – This hair type is oily and looks dark and lank. It needs frequent washing to look its best as the oil quickly coats the hair, sometimes in a matter of only a few hours.

Greasy Hair Causes – This is when the sebaceous glands produce far too much sebum and is and made worse by several factors including: an imbalance of hormones, nutritional deficiencies, high saturated fat diet, stress, excessive brushing, perspiration, hot, humid climate and constantly touching the hair.

Greasy Hair Advice – Greasy hair should be washed using a gentle, non-aggressive shampoo that is also designed to add volume to the hair.

What is Frizzy Hair? – This happens when even the slightest amount of moisture comes into contact with the hair, causing it to go out of control. It appears messy and dry and completely lacks any lustre. It usually happens when it is raining, even if it is only a fine drizzle.

Frizzy Hair Causes – Frizzy hair can be inherited, but it is usually caused by physically being rough with the hair such as harsh brushing or pulling the hair into elastic bands and other hair accessories. Too much heat and chemical treatments can also contribute to frizziness.

Frizzy Hair Advice – For frizzy hair a mild shampoo should be used and massaged well into the roots and right through to the ends.

What is Dry Hair? – This hair type looks dull and brittle and feels very dry and porous. It tangles very easily and is very difficult to comb especially when it is wet. Dry hair tends to be thicker at the roots, whilst being much thinner at the ends, which makes it more likely to split.

Dry Hair Causes – Dryness can be due to a deficiency of sebum, caused by a decrease or lack of secretions from the sebaceous glands. This can be due to a variety of factors, however nutritional deficiencies should not be ruled out.

The most common causes of dry hair are over-use of heat-styling equipment and hair dryers, excessive shampooing, misuse of perms and colour treatments, sun and wind damage and the use of harsh hair products.

What is Flaky Itchy Scalp? – This is not the same as dandruff. It is basically dead skin that flakes off of the scalp and appears on the shoulders. In addition, the scalp is red and itchy and tender to touch, whilst the hair appears dull.

Flaky Itchy Scalp Causes – There are many reasons why this can occur, the main ones are nutritional deficiencies, hereditary illnesses, stress, failure to properly rinse shampoo, sebum deficiency, harsh hair products, pollution, central heating and air conditioning.

Flaky Itchy Scalp Advice – Clearly the real cause of the problem must be investigated, but following the advice on this site will be advantageous as it will help rule out any nutritional deficiencies that may exist.

What is Permed or Coloured Hair? – This hair type is often more porous than hair that is unadulterated.

Permed or Coloured Hair Causes – The chemicals that are used to alter colour and structure of the hair cause physical changes to each follicle and make the hair drier than before.

Permed or Coloured Hair Advice – Permed or coloured hair basically needs gentle cleansing with a good conditioner applied separately after shampooing.

There are special products available for these hair types, with colour care products that focus on prevention of fading from the sunlight and permed hair products that improve elasticity of the curl, so that it retains its bounce and flexibility when styling.

Each person produces different amounts of sebum (an oil from the sebaceous glands), which directly determines the type of hair that person has. Other external factors such as perming, colouring and heat styling also have an effect on hair type.

What is Normal Hair? – This hair type is neither dry or greasy and is easy to manage and holds its style well.

People with normal hair type are usually eating a sensible well-balanced diet and are looking after their hair really well and are not abusing it with chemical treatments, harsh hair products and over styling.

Normal Hair Advice – Normal hair can be washed daily with a simple, but good quality two-in-one conditioning shampoo.

What is Dandruff? – Also known as seborrhoeic dermatitis and is not to be confused with a flaky scalp, this condition is when the skin becomes scaly on the scalp and starts to shed at an increased rate.

There is also an increase in sebum from the sebaceous glands. The scales become oily and fall from the scalp appearing as white particles on the clothes, especially around the neck and shoulder area. It is known as ‘cradle cap’ when it occurs on the heads of babies.

Dandruff Causes – Dandruff is usually caused by an infection from a yeast called Piyrosporum ovale, which irritates the skin and increases the production and shedding of skin cells. Other causes can be poor diet, stress, food allergies, sluggish metabolism and hormone imbalance.

Protecting the hair is never more important than when on holiday in the sun. The reason for this is that we subject it to hours of strong sunlight and exposure to chlorinated and/or salt water when we go swimming. In addition, hair can also be affected by winds and can dry out or get tangled very easily. In fact, more damage can occur to the hair on holiday compared to any other time. It is therefore crucial that every effort is employed to protect the hair from these harsh conditions.

What is Combination Hair Type? – This hair type is greasy at the roots and dry and often split at the ends.

Combination Hair Type Causes – This is mostly due to poor treatment of the hair and is when the hair scales become altered so that the sebum cannot get the hair ends, which results in dryness. At the same time there is a build-up of sebum at the roots resulting in greasiness near the scalp. Excessive chemical treatments, harsh shampoos, over-washing, too much heat from equipment or the sun can affect the hair in this way.

Combination Hair Type Advice – Combination hair should be washed with a very gentle shampoo, ideally one that is specially formulated for combination hair.