An indispensable attribute of female beauty is thick, beautiful and clean hair. And so that they always look like this, you need to make a lot of effort, time and money. To preserve and restore curls, a lot of cosmetics are used - masks, shampoos, balms, oils, serums, firming mixtures, vitamins, etc. And yet, most women have some kind of hair problem: they are either too dry or too greasy. And in the latter case, the impression is that the girl has a constantly dirty head.
No woman will feel attractive with greasy curls. In addition to the fact that it does not look very aesthetically pleasing, those around her may find the girl a slut who does not take care of herself. But this is not the worst. Dirty hair on the head can be a consequence of serious systemic diseases and signal that it is time to immediately consult a doctor.
Hormonal changes and diseases of the endocrine system
Oily hair occurs due to the hyperreactivity of the sebaceous glands on the head. Sebum or sebum is always secreted, and in the optimal dosage it serves to protect the skin and hair from environmental factors. But when the glands produce excess sebum, the strands quickly become greasy. Sometimes this happens literally a few hours after shampooing.
Various causes can cause hyperreactivity of the sebaceous glands. And one of the most common is hormonal changes in the body. Most often they occur in adolescence, during pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal contraceptives, during menopause or with frequent stresses. During this period, the production of testosterone increases, and the sebaceous glands are sensitive to an increase in the level of this hormone.
Also, the condition of the hair is affected by diseases of the endocrine system. They can be reflected in excessive fat content, or, conversely, dryness of the strands, and are also often accompanied by hair loss. The poor condition of the curls should serve as a signal for contacting a doctor for an examination.
Bad habits
A dirty head is often the result of bad habits. First of all, you should think about proper nutrition. Fatty, spicy, smoked foods increase sebum production. All sweets act in a similar way. In order to keep the strands healthy, you need to eat properly and include fresh vegetables, fruits, cottage cheese, poultry, cereals and legumes, fish, gelatin and seafood in the diet.
It is necessary to completely abandon cigarettes and alcohol. And watch your hands closely. Many people have the habit of touching their hair all the time, skipping strands between their fingers, straightening their hair, etc. All this leads to the fact that dirt and grease from the hands gets on your head, and it quickly becomes dirty.
Washing and care
A dirty head after washing - what to do in this situation? Our grandmothers washed their braids once a week and walked with thick hair without signs of grease all seven days. In the modern world, girls wash their hair every other day or every day, and often in the evening the curls become dull and greasy.
The thing is that the benefits of civilization only harm us. Today, everyone is washing their hair with hot and very warm water, but meanwhile, pores are opened from excess heat and sebum production is growing. Therefore, the strands need to be washed under barely warm water, not higher than 37 ° C. It is also necessary to use a hot hairdryer as little as possible - it overdries the hair, and at the same time, due to an increase in temperature, leads to the appearance of excess sebum.
Hair should be washed no more than 1-2 times a week. And from shampoo they need to be washed thoroughly, to squeak, otherwise they will quickly become contaminated.
Shampoo Selection
A dirty head is a direct consequence of the effects of modern shampoos. They contain highly active surfactants that wash away not only dirt and excess sebum from the strand, but also a protective lipid film. To this, the body responds by activating the sebaceous glands. And it turns out a vicious circle - the more often a person washes his head, the faster his head becomes contaminated.
You can deal with it. And first of all, you need to pick up a good shampoo. It is not difficult to do this if you carefully study the products.
Today, all detergent compositions for the head can be divided into three categories conditionally - sulfate, mixed and sulfate-free.
Sulfate - this is almost all the products of mass markets, and the main active ingredient is salts - lauryl sulfate, laureth sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate and other substances. All of them negatively affect the hair, but some, for example, lauryl sulfate, are especially dangerous. So if you use sulfate shampoo, then only those where the salt content is not more than 1%.
Sulfate-free shampoos are made on the basis of soap root, glucose or coconut oil. They are harmless, but are expensive and poorly soaped. Therefore, today many people use detergents with a mixed composition, where the concentration of aggressive surfactants is reduced by the addition of other, more harmless components, such as betaine.
Some people wonder why a dirty head even after applying expensive branded shampoos. The thing is that not one, even a good and popular tool can solve all the problems. And although more expensive formulations often have high efficiency, they are not suitable for someone because of individual intolerance. So you can get rid of the effect of oily hair both with the help of branded shampoo, and when using inexpensive products from the nearest supermarket. The only question is how long the result will be.
Rules for using dry shampoo
If the head is dirty, and there is no time to wash, and the hair tends to oily quickly, then it is worth using dry shampoos. This product in the form of a powder or a dry spray is applied to the hair roots, where it absorbs excess sebum. After that, the hair again looks clean, smells good and the volume returns to them. However, when using dry shampoo, the following recommendations should be followed:
- Do not use the product on wet strands, otherwise it will turn into flakes. For the same reason, it cannot be used in rooms with high humidity.
- Before use, comb your hair.
- Do not apply the product over the entire length of the hair - only on the roots.
- Do not use several times during the day - an excess of dry shampoo will make strands heavier. In order to refresh the hairstyle, it is better not to add a new portion of the powder, but to shake the hair.
- With caution, use the product on dark hair - white particles will make the curls dull. Therefore, brunettes need to choose a special dry shampoo, without a brightening effect.
- Dry shampoo does not replace styling. For styling, you need to use the usual foam, mousse or varnish.
- The tool will not remove residual varnish or gel from the curls.
- Dry shampoo is an emergency assistant. It can be used once a week. And at the first opportunity, you need to rinse your head.
Home recipes
Oily hair needs special care. To reduce the activity of the sebaceous glands, after each washing, they must be dried with herbal decoctions, for example, oak or chamomile.
Masks for regular use should be chosen with clay - white, red or green, or based on colorless henna. In nutritious oil-based masks, it is necessary to add a little lemon juice - it will make the strands less greasy.
Scalp diseases
What to do if a dirty head itches and the skin around the roots does not look healthy? This is a consequence of any disease. Scab, ringworm, furunculosis, microsporia, psoriasis, and dozens of other diseases can appear on a person’s scalp. But if the hair is oily, then most often this means the presence of seborrhea or seborrheic dermatitis.
Seborrheic dermatitis is accompanied by a wet rash, redness, peeling, and yellow or white seals form on the base of the hair. This is a fungal disease, and it is treated with pharmacy drugs, as well as ultraviolet light.
Seborrhea occurs due to disruption of the sebaceous glands. Allocate oily and dry seborrhea. In the first case, the locks become greasy, the head becomes dirty, and the skin is irritated. When dry - dandruff forms, the skin becomes sensitive and overdried.
If these problems occur, you should contact a trichologist who will prescribe treatment.