Why Your Scalp Health Directly Affects Hair Growth, Breakage, Thinning & More

Are you dealing with hair loss, breakage, thinning, slow growth, itching, redness, dandruff, and or a scalp condition? There can be quite a few factors as to why this is, so let’s dive deeper into some potential causes. A majority of these issues happen due to the health of your scalp.

Each hair grows through an individual follicle, sebum (a.k.a. oil) is also produced by each individual follicle via the sebaceous gland. Follicles that are full of sebum or blocked by dead skin, dandruff or infection will have an impact on the quality of hair growth. Among one of the biggest culprits of low hair quality is from buildup around the hair follicles, which is caused by the overuse of hair and scalp products, such as dry shampoo, sprays, and heavy oils. If not properly cleaned, the buildup from these products can clog the follicles, leading to breakage, dryness, and even hair loss. When hair follicles die out, they don’t come back, which is why it is so important to maintain a healthy scalp!

Hair Loss & Thinning

This starts to happen when hair follicles slowly shrink up, causing the scalp to become dry and further damaging the hair follicles. When this happens, the hairs gradually become thinner until they stop growing entirely. Hair loss can also be a result of genetics, hormonal changes, and even from aggressive styling techniques. Sun protection is also important as sun damage can cause structural impairment to the hair shaft, which weakens it. UV rays can trigger hair protein loss, as well as degradation of hair pigment. Once your hair absorbs the UV radiation, a photochemical breakdown starts, which produces free radicals. Sun damage can come in the forms of discoloration, dry and brittle strands, broken or split ends, thinning and frizziness.

Dandruff

Many people think that dandruff is caused by a dry scalp, but dandruff can also form from an oily one. Having too much oil on the scalp causes an excess of skin cells to build up and later shed. Your dandruff could also be the result of a scalp disorder, like psoriasis or eczema, or an excess of malassezia (a yeastlike fungus) that can cause dandruff. Oily scalps create the perfect conditions for this particular yeast to grow and spread. Tea tree oil is a great natural remedy to use to help kill off this bad bacteria on your scalp, try our vegan and completely all-natural tea tree shampoo and body wash. Other factors could include not washing your hair enough, stress, hormones, the consumption of too many dairy products, fatty, salty or sugary foods, and temperature changes such as cold weather.

Itching

The better your overall scalp environment, the less likely you will suffer from itchiness or other irritations. An itchy scalp is usually caused by a moisture imbalance that causes the scalp to dry up and become easily irritated. Normally, itchiness will be due to bacteria caused by sweat, sebum and pollution remaining on the scalp. But, it could also be caused by a reaction to a particular ingredient used in a product, shampoo or conditioner. Another common cause can be shampoo products not being rinsed from the hair thoroughly, which can dry out and irritate the scalp. Slightly increased washing may help improve the situation, as dryness or irritation can be caused by build ups of skin cells or bacteria.

Damaging Hair Products

Your hair care products will directly affect the healthiness of your scalp, and may be the source of all your problems. It is best to avoid products that contain mineral oil, parabens, sulfates, silicones, dimethicones, trimethicones, formaldehyde, alcohol, sodium hydroxide, and even fragrances. These ingredients will strip your hair of its natural oils and cause follicle blockage, causing your scalp to over-produce sebum. This could be why your scalp is oily the day after shampooing. Be mindful of products that cause build up and leave residue on the hair. A lot of scalp conditions result from dirt and build up on the scalp, especially dry shampoo. It holds onto dirt and hair styling products, suffocates hair follicles, and irritates your scalp. Other products to avoid are things like heavy hold sticky gels, mousses or hairsprays with a high alcohol content that can cause extreme dryness to the scalp. Styling products can cause excess buildup that inhibits oil production and irritates hair follicles, especially if you’re not shampooing often enough to remove it regularly. If you still use conditioner on your scalp, try skipping it for a month to see how your hair adjusts. Most conditioners will have ingredients that will leave a residue on the scalp, resulting in heaviness or oiliness to the hair soon after washing.

How Often to Wash Hair

While daily washing can strip the hair of its natural oils, causing dryness, irritation, and flaking, infrequent washing can be just as harmful as it allows products and natural oils to buildup, causing damaging inflammation and a lack of new hair growth among other issues. For the optimum health of your scalp and hair, we recommend that you wash your hair every other day as a minimum. The key is to find the right balance and determine what works best for your hair. As a general rule of thumb, try washing your hair every other day and adjusting it if need be from there. Yes, shampooing does remove lipids from the hair, especially those derived from our sebum. However, shampoo also removes compounds that are harmful to our scalp. The longer you wait to wash your scalp, the greater chance that harmful chemicals can build up.

Other Tips to Try:

• Use brushes and combs only when styling your hair. Don’t over brush.
• Use wide-tooth combs to avoid breakage and use leave-in conditioners on the bottom half of your hair, or try a deep conditioning hair mask
• Don’t rub your hair or scalp abrasively with a towel after showering
• Shower on the lukewarm side if you’re trying to fix dry scalp, hot showers dehydrate and strip the natural sebum your scalp needs to self-lubricate
• Exfoliate your scalp just like you do with your skin, scalp exfoliation boosts skin cell turnover, cutting down on flaking that results from dry scalp.
• Put down the hairdryer and give your scalp a break from all that heat a couple of days a week, along with hair straighteners and heated styling tools.

We have curated an amazing all-organic hair and scalp oil that is specifically for hair growth, maintaining a healthy scalp, and generating shiny and lustrous hair.

Inside this hair rejuvenation bottle is:

Amla Oil - Fights hair loss, stimulates hair growth, and prevents prematurely gray hair. Known to help hair grow fast, moisturizes scalp, strengthens hair follicles, works on dandruff, is highly moisturizing, and stops itching and dryness.

Moringa Oil (Behenic Acid) - A natural hair and scalp cleanser, which makes hair strong, fights dandruff, and seals split ends. Moringa has one of the highest naturally occurring levels of behenic acid, a common ingredient in hair conditioners. Using moringa oil as a leave-in moisturizer on clean damp hair allows you the benefits of traditional conditioners and serums without the filler. Moringa also makes a nourishing oil for the scalp that encourages healthy hair growth. Best of all, it won’t leave a greasy after-feel for those with thinner hair.

Pomegranate Oil - A true scalp miracle oil, anti-bacterial, loaded with Vitamin C, increases blood flow, makes hair strands strong and shiny. Pomegranate also contains essential vitamins and minerals (B1, B2, C, potassium, and magnesium), is anti-carcinogenic, and supports and maintains immune, hormonal, circulatory, and metabolic health.

Black Cumin Seed Oil - Extremely soothing for eczema and psoriasis, and is anti-parasitic, anti-dandruff, and ultra-moisturizing

Argan Oil - Contains high contents of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamin E, it naturally helps hydrate and soften your hair, increases hairs elasticity and helps restore shine to dull, lifeless hair.

Neem Oil - Antibacterial and anti-microbe, it kills tiny mites or other head lice problems.

Cedarwood Essential Oil - Promotes hair growth and reduces hair loss by balancing the oil-producing glands in the scalp. It also has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties, which can treat different conditions that may contribute to dandruff or hair loss.

Orange Blossom Oil - For a fresh and pleasant aromatic smell it works with cedarwood oil to promote relaxation, and as a hair conditioner to help balance oily hair.

Virgin Pomegranate Seed Oil - A highly skin-nourishing oil that absorbs quickly into the skin. It is said that Pomegranate Seed oil contains a human-compatible form of phytoestrogen that can support hormonal balance and skin health in women and men alike.