What Causes Poor Hair Quality? The first thing many people notice about someone is their hair. Hair is considered a good indicator of overall health, and the appearance of one’s hair often reflects both physical and mental well-being. When hair isn’t growing or falls out, it can cause significant distress to those who are suffering from this condition.
Hair loss is usually caused by an underlying medical condition that needs treatment before resolving the problem. Some issues can arise at any age that may affect the quality of one’s locks, but these are not always serious. All hope for regrowth should not be lost as there are treatments available that can help improve one’s situation.
An imbalanced diet is one of the most common causes of hair loss, especially among women. Many people don’t understand that just because they’re not eating fast food every day doesn’t mean they’re eating healthy. Most people eat junk! Yet many think that doing so will make them unhealthy.
This idea can turn out to be false for some because nutrient deficiency caused by an imbalanced diet is often overlooked as a cause of poor hair quality. So sit back and think about what you are putting in your body every day. Is it helping or hurting?
Scalp problems are also known as infections when they have beyond your skin. Itching or burning can sometimes be an indication of scalp problems.
A recent study suggests that exercise improves your hair quality by increasing blood circulation to the scalp. This is especially true for cardiovascular workouts, as they increase blood flow and strengthen the heart, which means it pumps more oxygenated blood with each beat throughout the entire body, including your scalp and, subsequently, your hair follicles!
Furthermore, exercising increases Dihydrotestosterone which encourages new cell production and its derivative estradiol – both necessary for good hair health. The same study also indicates that lack or reduced physical activity decreases these key hormones and metabolites, so get moving!
With age comes wisdom. Well, not quite, but it does bring with it a loss of hair. As you grow older, your body becomes less active in terms of hormone production, which what causes poor hair quality to decrease due to an increase in Dihydrotestosterone. This is because age-related decreases in testosterone may lead to an accumulation of 5α-reduced C19 steroids, known precursors.
Habitual actions such as smoking, chewing tobacco, and drinking alcohol have been proven clinically to cause hair fall. Although this is only true when excessively done over time. The chemicals involved in these habits damage cells, thus creating a lack of nutrients for hair growth. This is one of the main reasons why smokers and drinkers age faster than non-smokers and non-drinkers.
Hair bleach, dye, straighteners, chemical relaxers (salt, pepper) carry harsh chemicals that damage cells. Therefore caution should be taken when performing these activities on your hair because it can cause permanent or temporary hair fall.
Many prescribed medications contain ingredients such as Minoxidil and Finasteride, which are primarily used to treat Male Pattern Hair Loss (androgenetic alopecia). However, long-term ingestion of these drugs will cause hair thinning or even complete hair loss if taken in excess.
A study performed on women found a possible link between weight loss and hair thinning. This is especially true for those who have gone through this process rapidly.
Their body could be going through an accelerated amount of hormonal changes, which causes one’s metabolism to slow down (a mechanism that prevents starvation) – resulting in a further deficiency of nutrients required for healthy follicle growth.
Therefore it might be beneficial to try out other methods such as eating nutritious foods and working out at least 150 minutes per week before resorting to rapid weight loss and subsequent health problems.
This cannot be stressed enough: Good nutrition, specifically obtaining adequate proteins, is vital for healthy hair growth. This is because hair is mainly made up of a protein called keratin which comprises 90% – 95% of the total composition. Hair loss can result from a diet deficient in iron, zinc, and vitamin c, which are all essential to hair health!
Stress has been clinically proven to cause or aggravate alopecia. This is true whether it’s emotional stress, physical stress, mental stress, etc. And we all know too well how stressful school life can be. So make sure to find methods to unwind and destress yourself throughout the day.
The amount of sleep you get can be a determinant of how your hair feels and looks. For instance, getting less than 6 hours of sleep each night increases stress levels, eventually resulting in further hair loss.
Furthermore, sleeping on one’s stomach, too much heat exposure and tightly binding hair can all contribute to insomnia and hair loss if done excessively or for long periods! So make sure you don’t do any of these things too often – even though they might be great for quick hairstyle changes, the effect they have on your hair is not so great.
In the same way, any disease that weakens the immune system will have a detrimental effect on your hair’s health! This includes diseases such as diabetes, lupus, thyroid abnormalities, and arthritic problems.
These conditions are known to cause hair loss when left untreated or when victims fail to maintain a healthy lifestyle where sufficient nutrients are ingested daily via proper eating habits and sufficient exercise. The list goes on, but you get the idea ;).
Emotions can be a powerful determinant in one’s overall health – including our sense of well-being which very much relates to our body’s health. When you’re stressed, anxious, or depressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol which causes further hair loss in excess amounts!
So make sure to find ways to destress yourself throughout the day and not let your emotions overpower you – it’s not easy, but it’s worth working towards.
What causes poor hair quality results from a combination of factors, including high temperatures from blow dryers and straighteners. In addition, the individual’s genetic composition may determine their susceptibility to damage from using these appliances and how quickly they can recover from said stress.
If someone does have poor quality hair after being exposed to harsh flat irons or other similar heating tools, one can take steps to help mend and rebuild hair strands that had been damaged. One can use deep conditioners and heat protectant sprays before subjecting their hair to the heat treatment; this will keep one’s hands out of their scalp and hair while it is drying.
Lastly, by limiting the amount of time spent on such treatment (i.e., quick blow drying sessions and spending less time under the heat of a flat iron), hair will be more likely to retain its quality over longer periods.