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Itchy Scalp - Some Easy Remedies

Itchy (and dry) scalp is often accompanied
by flaking skin

Also see this newer post for some new ideas! Itchy Scalp can have lots of causes. "Dandruff" refers only to the flakes, not the cause of the flakes. Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as Seborrheic eczema is eczema, or a recurring inflammation (causing itching, rashes, scaling or "flaking") of the skin on oilier parts of the skin such as your scalp, eyebrows, face, chest. Most often associated with allergies, you can develop Seborrheic dermatitis as a result of contact with chemicals or friction on the skin. Once your skin has become inflamed and irritated, it's "waterproof" barrier has broken down - tiny cracks open up and allow chemicals through where they can cause further irritation. Elsewhere on your body, eczema usually looks like dry, red, flaky patches that don't become smooth or soft no matter how much skin lotion you apply. They may crack and bleed or get "weepy" and blister. On your scalp, your skin tries to make up for this loss of integrity by producing more oily sebum in a desperate attempt to avoid dehydration. The combination of sebum and available nutrients through access to deeper layers of your skin encourages overgrowth of bacteria and fungi which would normally live on your scalp in smaller numbers. The top layers of your skin and the sebum on top of your skin work to control infections, so when inflammation weakens the system, infections are likely to occur. The activities of these bacteria and fungi produce irritating chemicals as well. Your skin speeds up it's repair cycle, so there are more dead skin cells to slough off, and they tend to stick together under these conditions, causing flakes.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Red patches occurring on the
scalp with Seborrheic dermatitis

You might respond by scratching (don't do it!), by washing your hair or skin more often to remove the oils and flakes, and using dandruff shampoos. Shampooing with oil-stripping shampoos and dandruff shampoos can be counterproductive for an irritated scalp. I have yet to find a dandruff shampoo not loaded with coloring, fragrances (two big offenders in skin irritation) and other potentially irritating ingredients and I am amazed they do not cause scalp misery for more people.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
I'm going to suggest some ways to control itchy scalp and Seborrheic dermatitis which are mild to the skin and hair. You're always walking a tightrope between too much washing, which leaves your scalp dried out and irritated and not washing enough, which leaves dead skin and sebum and other things bacteria and fungi like to grow in, on your poor scalp.
The ideal maintenance (un-medicated) shampoo for itchy, flaky scalps has no fragrance, no colors, no formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Phenoxyethanol is a newer preservative that also has a fairly high rate of irritancy. Mild detergents such as Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, Decyl polyglucoside, Lauryl glucoside are good to look for. Cocamidopropyl betaine can cause eyelid dermatitis, so be careful with that one. Alkyl sulfonates are good for removing excess oils (C14-18 olefin sulfonate, for example) as long as the shampoo is not highly concentrated. Diluting shampoos is a good idea to prevent over-cleaning. Steer clear of herbal extracts. Such a shampoo should be gentle on skin and hair, but still clean well enough to avoid overgrowth of organisms. Avoid heavily fragranced and colorful conditioners and styling products also, at least when your skin is acting up.

Powdery vs. greasy flakes: You might notice dry, powdery white flakes or greasy, yellowish flakes with or without an itchy scalp. These are usually both signs of skin irritation and breakdown of the skin's barrier function. The treatment is basically the same - but if you have dry, powdery flakes you need to be extra careful not to dry out the skin with hot water and too much detergent and keep your head protected from dry, cold or hot wind.

Sore or itchy bumps: Small cysts, or bumps on the scalp or around the hairline are also symptoms of dermatitis and tend to respond to the same treatments. Do not rub, scratch, or try to "pop" these bumps.

Before going further: Do not apply oil to your scalp and leave it on indefinitely! No matter how much sense this seems to make and no matter how good it might feel right now, any extra oil or scalp grease you apply is food for oil-loving fungi on your scalp. When they get a lot of food, they start eating and growing and reproducing and this is all very irritating to your skin. Oils you apply to the scalp need to be washed off after a limited amount of time or they work against you.

To deal with dry hair and medicated or frequent shampooing: Some people shampoo every day and this can help control flakes. If you need to do this, but it makes your hair feel dry, try applying some coconut oil, olive oil (other oils will work well too) to your dry hair just before shampooing. This will buffer the stripping effects of the shampoo on the natural oils on your hair. Or condition your hair before and after washing.

Sugar scrub: mix equal parts olive oil and sugar - it should be on the oily side, massage into dry scalp and leave on for at least 10 minutes, then shampoo out.
Chemical exfoliants like Salicylic acid are commonly included in dandruff shampoos. Salicylic acid can be just awful for your hair! An alternative is to use a product made for skin (in the U.S., Scalpicin regular strength contains Salicylic acid) and apply it only to the scalp. Some acne medications have Salicylic acid as the active ingredient and could be applied with a cotton ball to affected areas of the scalp to control flakes without drying the hair excessively. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid. It breaks down the bonds between dead skin cells to help them slough off and is not repelled by oils, so it can get down through the sebum to help free up scaling skin so that it will not provide a good home for bacteria and fungi.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Control Itch: Topical hydrocortisone creams (1%) or solutions are commonly used for skin inflammation (allergic rashes, bee and wasp stings, hives) and can be helpful for itchy scalps. Scalpicin Maximum Strength contains hydrocortisone and is easy to apply as a liquid. Creams are more tricky to apply, but also help moisturize. Look for a cream with as few ingredients as possible. Hydrocortisone decreases the skin's inflammatory response to help reduce your symptoms and relieve itching. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Control Bacteria and Fungi: Tea Tree oil has mild anti-fungal and general anti-microbial properties. If you use a sugar scrub, you can add 10-15 drops tea tree oil to the scrub, or to your shampoo or conditioner. But be careful, it is possible to be allergic to tea tree oil! Test a little of your diluted tea tree oil solution behind your ear, in the crook of your elbow or wrist 48 hours before using - if there is any itching, bumps or a rash appear, do not use it on your scalp. Here is a quick read about tea tree oil. They suggest that 10% tea tree oil solution controlled the symptoms of athlete's foot fungus (a different fungus than the one that tends to be a problem on your scalp). So if one tablespoon of olive oil weighs 14 grams, then you need 1.4 grams of tea tree oil per tablespoon oil, or just about 1/4 teaspoon tea tree oil per tablespoon of olive oil. Another study of Seborrheic dermatitis used 5% tea tree oil in shampoo for 4 weeks with improvements in itchiness and greasiness, and some improvement in flaking. You can read the abstract here. 5% tea tree oil in a teaspoon of shampoo is 1 drop per teaspoon (10% is 2.5 drops per teaspoon shampoo). Commercial antifungal shampoos (Nizoral with the antifungal Ketoconazole is an example) address the fungi directly whereas zinc and selenium shampoos may alter the sebum in a way that is unfriendly to fungi. Coal tar shampoos are effective for some people, and work by softening scales and slowing bacterial growth. Coal tar can make skin especially sensitive to sunlight - an important thing to know if you choose such a shampoo. While these shampoos can help control the secondary fungal overgrowth and reduce itching and flaking, they do not change the fact that Seborrheic dermatitis can flare up again. Many of them are full of potentially irritating chemicals, so if your scalp is red and irritated, be extremely wary. Never dilute a medicated shampoo! You'll dilute the medicine.

Control friction irritants: Use a satin pillowcase - or a silk one. Some people can be allergic to the protein on the outer part of the silk fibers. In fact, medical-grade silk (used for stitching wounds) has this protein removed to avoid reactions, so be wary. Satin is made from either polyester or acetate and in very dry air, this can cause static which is mostly just annoying. Using a humidifier helps with this. A slippery pillowcase will let your hair slide around as you move rather than tugging at your scalp or "scouring" your scalp when your hair sticks to the pillow but your scalp moves (like every time you breathe). Line winter hats with slippery fabric, put satin ribbon on the hat band of summer hats. Avoid hairstyles which pull on your hair and scalp - only loose and low ponytails. Every tug of hair in irritated skin makes it more irritated!©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Chemical irritant avoidance: Avoid fragrances, artificial colorings, scented/colored laundry detergent, fabric softener in your laundry (think towels and pillowcases which touch your head). Try to avoid sleeping with hair products in your hair (gels, mousse, leave-in conditioners, hairspray) when you are having a flare-up of scalp itch because this increases your exposure to potentially irritating ingredients. While you put them on your hair, inevitably they contact your scalp, neck and ears. If a certain product irritates your skin, see if you can isolate which one it is and then check your other products (the ones that do not irritate your scalp). When you find ingredients in the itchy products which are NOT in the non-itchy products, consider those as potential irritants and try to avoid them.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Soothe dry scalp: Wear hats in cold, windy weather. Use the oil-sugar scrub described above to exfoliate flaky, dry surface skin and soften the scalp. You can also apply an oil like olive oil, apricot kernel oil, or coconut oil to your scalp (before showering). Warm it slightly first and leave it on for 30 minutes before washing your scalp and hair. Pierce a (liquid) vitamin E capsule and add it to the warmed oil for extra scalp benefits. If you have a single itchy, dry patch you can apply a little skin lotion or hydrocortisone cream if it is itchy. Some people can cleanse their scalp with conditioner. Often this is detrimental to irritated skin because of irritants in the conditioner, or because the conditioner itself aggravates the skin. Do not wash your hair daily if you have dry scalp. If you like to rinse out styling products like I do, rinse your hair and then keep it out of the shower spray - keeping an irritated scalp under warm water for too long tends to make it itchy and dehydrated. Avoid using shampoos which strip oils - this means look for a mild shampoo (one that also doesn't dry out your hands and face if you wash them with it) or dilute your shampoo with a generous portion of water just before using. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Housekeeping: Wash your pillowcase weekly. If you have dust mite allergies or pet allergies or outdoor allergies and you keep your windows open, wash your sheets weekly and consider investing in an allergen-proof pillowcase (they have zippers), and possibly an allergen-proof mattress and box spring cover. When you wash your sheets and pillowcases, there are 2 ways to kill dust mites (otherwise you'll just have clean, live dust mites). You can wash the sheets in hot water - which may or may not be economical and be sure you read fabric care labels! Or you can add 35-40 drops of tea tree oil to the wash water. A dust-mite controlling laundry additive sold in the U.S. as De Mite uses tea tree oil and oil of wintergreen as active ingredients. Drying sheets in bright sunlight can also kill dust mites, but if you have outdoor allergies/hay fever, you will be very uncomfortable if you dry your sheets outdoors during allergy season. All this work pays off because it reduces your exposure to allergens and irritants. Even without hot water or tea tree oil, washing your sheets, pillowcases and blankets removes the dust mite allergens and the dead skin cells (yours) which are their food.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Some brands which offer fragrance-free shampoos and conditioners (I would dilute nearly ALL of these shampoos). Some will leave you with a squeaky-clean, tangly feeling. If well-diluted, that's just the effect of the shampoo, not necessarily hair damage. Some of the "mild" detergents are just weird like that. Using conditioner will restore your hair's nice feeling and detangle. I've linked to the shampoos, you can look around the websites for information about conditioners.

Earth Science
DHS
Free&Clear
Jason Natural
Stonybrook Botanicals
Rainbow Research
California Baby
Cliniderm (Canadians, the gentle cleanser might be a fantastic shampoo)
Magick Botanicals (Oil free shampoo and conditioner)
Avalon Organics (Olive and Grapeseed)
Desert Essence
Logona Free (ingredients can be found here)
Paula's Choice
Cure Care (conditioner only)
Unicure (shampoo and conditioner links at the bottom of the page)

Unscented bases: Another idea is to look for unscented shampoo (and conditioner) bases. You'll usually find these online. They are sold for the purpose of adding fragrances, colorings, and active ingredients - but you can buy them and use them as they come, or dilute them (I say that a lot, but it really works) either when you use them, or in a clean bottle with boiled and cooled, distilled water.
Disclaimer: None of this information is intended to cure skin disease. In fact, that's pretty hard to do, these remedies can treat the symptoms for healthy adults. If your scalp itch is so bad it distracts you from your activities, keeps you awake at night; if you have large areas covered with red patches, blisters or oozing places on your scalp, please see a doctor. Untreated, these lesions can become infected, hair loss can occur.

What's Cookin' This Week: In the Bathtub

Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate - Epsom Salts!

Epsom Salt Soak (not really a recipe, just passing along the relaxation)

The recipe:

½ cup to 1 cup Epsom salts (depending on the size of your tub and depth of your bathwater)

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

That’s it. Sprinkle the salt into the bathtub as it fills and mix. Soak for at least 15 minutes – so bring a magazine, the newspaper, some music, or a good friend (a really, really good friend) and enjoy!

Be sure to rinse with fresh water or you’ll have a very tacky residue on your skin.

I prefer to keep my hair out of the water, or only give it a quick dunk and then wash out the salt.

Get your Epsom salts at a drugstore (pharmacy, druggist, chemist), avoid using the kind you buy at a garden shop.

The Nitty-Gritty©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Prolonged exposure to very warm water is drying to the skin because the components of the top layers of the skin which retain moisture are water soluble.

But there are those days when sore muscles and joints or the need to relax profoundly, overwhelm concerns about skin. If you have never had a bath with Epsom salts, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Why/How Do Epsom Salts Work?©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄). Just magnesium and sulfur and oxygen. And they’re not merely acting on your skin. While you might think of salts as being bad for skin, think of this: if you are swimming in fresh water and you get some in your nose, it burns, you sneeze. No fun. If you swim in the ocean and get salt water in your nose, no such reaction. When you have a skinned knee or a bad burn, it is far less painful to wash the raw skin with (sterile) saline solution than with plain water. Sterile saline solution is a good thing to have in your medicine cabinet! I buy sterile saline meant for contact lenses (this is not a contact lens cleaner) to wash nasty injuries. It’s especially good for kids and pets who don’t like to have wounds cleaned. My point is, Epsom salt isn’t likely to cure anything, but it won’t hurt you. I suppose one could hypothesize that the sulfate component (or just the "saltiness in general) could be good for treating oozing-type rashes like poison ivy or eczema, and it might discourage skin fungal infections, but I can’t back that up with any facts.

Deeper Than Skin Deep©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

The amount to use is about 1% Epsom salt. At this concentration, your body will actually absorb some of the magnesium and sulfur from the water. 1% was the reliable level required in a study conducted to test whether the minerals from Epsom salt could be absorbed trans-dermally, to increase blood levels of these minerals. Too much Epsom salt will make the water feel slippery or slimy. My bathtub is 54x23 inches, if I fill it with 5 inches of water (length x width x depth) that equals 6210 cubic inches (about 27 gallons or 102 liters). That’s not totally accurate, the back of my tub slopes. So I would add from ½ to 1 cup of Epsom salts. Some of the subjects tested absorbed minerals at lower concentrations – so there is a range in the recipe. If you have a large tub and take a very deep bath, use 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Epsom salts.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

After one bath, the test subjects had an increase in blood levels of magnesium of around 45% and a 50% increase in sulfate. After 24 hours, the magnesium has left your body, but the sulfate may be stored until your body has as much as it needs.

What is magnesium good for? Magnesium plays an important role in contraction and particularly relaxation of muscles. Maybe this is why an Epsom salt bath is so deliciously relaxing. You also use magnesium in the enzymes which control so many chemical reactions in your body, and in the process of manufacturing proteins to maintain and repair your body. And, of course, you need it in your bones! If you drink hard water, you get more magnesium than soft water drinkers. Otherwise, we get magnesium from fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Sulfate – now this gets really interesting. Sulfate is required to produce compounds in cartilage (chonrdoitin sulfate), lipids used in your brain (remember, your brain is mostly fat!). When your hair is actively growing, it uses chondroitin sulfate, and skin also uses chonrdoitin sulfate to stay healthy (chonrdoitin sulfate is part of connective tissue, which includes skin). The sulfate we ingest comes from protein-containing foods and from our drinking water. There is no RDA set for sulfur or sulfate, but if you don’t eat many protein-containing foods (you’re a vegan or nearly so), or have difficulty absorbing nutrients, a little extra sulfate might help and is not likely to hurt. As hair and skin go, too little sulfur in your diet can lead to easily-damaged hair and skin disorders.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

You would have to take Epsom salt baths a number of times to increase the levels of these minerals consistently, (okay, I need to correct myself here, sulfate is a salt by itself, not a mineral) but even if you rarely indulge in baths, I’ve just laid out another good excuse to slide into a warm tub.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

If you have a chronic disease such as high blood pressure, you should check with a doctor before using Epsom salts in your bath – altering the magnesium in your blood might be incompatible with blood pressure medication. And don’t drink the water from the bath or let your dog or cat drink the water, Epsom salts are also used as a laxative. The increases in magnesium and sulfate in blood from Epsom salts in bath water were determined to be safe for healthy adults only.

That's all for now - enjoy the soak.

National Research Council. "7 Sulfate." 2005 Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Westgate GE, Messenger AG, Watson LP, Gibson WT. 1991 Feb;96(2):191-5. Distribution of proteoglycans during the hair growth cycle in human skin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Report on Absorption of Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salts) Across the Skin

RH Waring, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham. U.K.

Verges J, Montell E, Herrero M, Perna C, Cuevas J, Perez M, Moller I., 2004. Clinical and Histopathological Improvement of Psoriasis in Patients with Osteoarthritis Treated with Chondroitin Sulfate: Report of 3 cases. Medicina Clínica.

Lining Winter Hats

Let’s talk about hats in winter. You need to protect your head, your ears and (of course) your hair from the cold, dry air and the wind. Your ears will never forgive you if they get frostbitten because you did not wear a hat for fear of messing up your hair! Frostbite (when your skin actually freezes and even blisters) anywhere on your body is an unforgettable experience. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

What about your hair under that necessary hat? You would not take a very fine wool sweater, wrap it around your head, and then pull on a tight cap and go for a walk or out to shovel snow. If you did, you’d find that lovely sweater matted, fuzzy, undefined, losing shape and over time, developing thin patches from breakage. I wear a hat a few times each day in winter for about 4 months of the year. It adds up to many hours that could damage the strong-but-delicate fiber on my head which is my hair. Not to mention irritating sensitive skin.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

First I lined my husband’s stocking cap with some satin (acetate). Directions and a link to better directions follow. But I’ll tell you right now, this is not the best fabric to choose for a full hat lining! Not unless you can find some very thin and flexible satin. Husband, good sport that he is, pulled on the hat and declared it would be “extremely warm” and “probably work out just fine.” Translation, “I think I liked it better without the lining.” I pulled his hat on and found I could not hear a thing. And the satin was thick, so the hat might have been too warm and stiff. Lesson: If you’re using satin, don’t line over the ears and don’t use it for a snug-fitting cap.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

I recommend using silk or a silky, lightweight fabric (like swimwear or a silky scarf you might find at a thrift shop or second-hand store). It’s thinner, lighter and preserves your hearing. You can try to find bits from the end of a bolt of silk at a fabric store (my local fabric store did not stock silks at all – special order only), or do what I did, buy an inexpensive silk pillowcase and use that for several hats!

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Here is how I lined the stocking cap: First, measure around your head. The lining needs to be cut at least ½ inch or 1 cm wider than your head’s circumference to allow for stitching. Cut a rectangle using the number you just calculated, using the hat for a height guide. Leave a little extra fabric on top and bottom for stitching. Next, you’ll fold over and sew the top and bottom of your rectangle so the edges do not fray. (See blue arrows). After you do that, you can fold the rectangle in half with the SHINY SIDES TOGETHER and sew a seam here, no more than the ½ inch or 1 cm allowance you calculated (see the photo below).

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

To make the lining fit better in a tapered hat like this one, cut one side at an angle like this (as shown at left) and sew up that side just like you did to close the rectangle.

Next, you need to gather the top, so thread a needle and sew in and out around the open top (it’s a circle now that you’ve sewn the ends of the rectangle together), then pull the thread so that the top puckers and closes up like this.

Now all you need to do is to slip the lining into the hat. If it’s too long, fold up the edge and sew it there.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

You’ll want to hand or machine sew the lining to the hat with a very loose stitch around the bottom of the hat, and also put in a few stitches at the top of the hat so the lining doesn’t pull out or slide around. If you fold the brim of your hat like the one shown, sew the lining in above the fold. You’ll need to try it on and mark where you fold the hat or else pin it in it’s “folded” position so the lining isn’t sticking out.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Line a Tam

I like my tam for not smashing my hair. I wear it with my hair piled into the slouchy part in back. But it’s lined differently than the stocking cap. You could cut a big circle for the top, a long rectangle to go around, sew them together to form a tabular shape (a cloche or bell-shape) and be done with it. But I wanted to keep the roomy slouch. This makes my acrylic tam warmer and more windproof.

First, make a pattern. I used newspaper and cut a circle wide enough to fold in and meet the brim of the tam which is shown in middle – it’s brown. My circle was 18 inches (46 cm). I used the ruler shown and a marker as a protractor for an even circle. The ruler has a little hole in one end. I may be a sloppy seamstress, but that’s no excuse to let a chance to use a protractor escape!

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Next I cut some V-shaped vents so that I could fold the sides in without a lot of bulk. I judged their size by folding them in, clipping them together and then trying on the newspaper pattern until it closely matched the dimensions of my hat. My V-shaped vents were about 2 inches wide at the widest (5 cm) How cute do I look in a newspaper tam? You'll never know!

I cut the silk using the now-fitted pattern. I folded the edges over and sewed them on a machine with a tight stitch to prevent fraying. Sew the edge folding the dull, less smooth side towards dull side. I sewed the V-shaped vents together with the same tight stitch. To keep the slippery/shiny side facing in towards your head and the seams facing away from your head, put the smooth, shiny sides facing each other as you sew these V-shaped seams.

This looks feminine and delicate, seems a shame to stuff it in my pilled, dog-chewed brown hat...

Finally insert the lining into the hat, shiny side facing in (towards your head). I went a little overboard sewing the lining in here and if you don’t want it to show, sew it a little higher. I find the band of this hat itchy, so I sewed it right up to the edge.

Lastly, you’ll want to sew the lining to the hat in a few places around the sides and the back so that it is easier to put on and take off and the lining doesn’t bunch up, slide around, or pull out when you take the hat off.

This is a project that will require about an hour and probably more than a few obscenities. But it is so very worth it when you feel how soft the lining is on your skin and hair. If you have even very basic sewing skills, you can pull this off. It doesn’t have to look good, it just needs to be functional. Good luck!

Here is a link for more instructions for lining a snug-fitting cap: http://nownormaknits2.typepad.com/now_norma_knits_2/2006/11/how_to_line_a_h.html

This is an alternative way to make a lining for a slouchy hat like a tam, but it doesn’t provide as much room for longer hair:

Mechanical Hair Damage

Hair has a lot of enemies. That's why it keeps growing. Sunlight, chemical treatments, packing tape that your brother sticks in your hair because he thinks it's a great joke - all hard on your hair.
Certain grazing animals have teeth which grow throughout their lives because the grasses they eat contain a lot of silica, which grinds down teeth and the initial parts would soon be worn out.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
People have hair which keeps growing to keep our heads covered, even if our hair should be broken or pulled out. You only need see a bald person who was outside with no hat or sunscreen to understand the severity of the sunburn you can get on your scalp. Sunburn leads to water loss from skin, unhealthy skin, potential for infection. Not to mention an overheated scalp can make an overheated person and hair may help us modulate the temperature of our heads. Where we keep our brains. Our constantly-growing hair is always growing and replacing itself because nature expects it to wear out.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
The damage nature anticipated the most is mechanical damage. Spend some time in tall grasses, brambles and briars, dense woods down by rivers and you'll catch your hair (and skin) on many things. Branches and shrubs and grasses will catch and tangle your hair. Seeds and twigs and thorns will be caught in your hair and clothing which will anchor firmly without speedy removal.
If that's not your lifestyle, then think of washing your hair - there's some rubbing of hair fibers against each other, your scalp and fingers. Strong shampoos can dissolve oils and free hair's proteins. Combing and brushing create far more friction, and wet combing creates more friction than dry combing. Sleeping applies a massive amount of friction to hair. Sliding a hair under the weight of another hair alone can cause erosion of cuticles. Wearing hair up in a ponytail daily, even with fabric-coverd ponytail holders can result in the same sort of damage because of the friction of the hairs rubbing as you move. Rubbing on collars of shirts and hats is another source of hair damage.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

We can weaken our hair with too-frequent shampooing and chemical treatments or make it more porous, but it is our handling of it and the forces applied to our hair (knots, twisting, pulling, rubbing, pressure) that can break it, dull it and of course these things also lead to dehydrated, porous, less-healthy hair.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

You cannot avoid all mechanical damage, but you can try to prevent it - which is important if you want healthy hair without having to add a lot of products to it, if you want your hair to grow long, or if it has already been damaged and you want to prevent further damage.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

I'll be posting soon with how to line a hat with satin to reduce the friction on your hair and scalp. I didn't believe the difference this could make until I started lining hatbands with satin ribbon. I just snagged some fabric from my local fabric store! If you are accomplished at sewing, please overlook that upcoming post. I only sew when I need to.

Source: Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair

Robbins, 1994. 3^rd Ed. Springer-Verlag, New York

Formaldehyde - Spotlight on Preservatives

I’m writing this because I have sensitive skin and allergies and so many hair and skin products are “off-limits” to me because they contain preservatives which make my skin itch, burn, turn bright red, break out in a rash. Actually, I'm writing it because 3 more products I love have started to make my skin itch and that annoys me because now I have to come up with new homemade recipes or search for something non-itchy and not-expensive.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

One of the best-known skin offenders are preservatives related to formaldehyde. You know, a part of the recipe for embalming fluid. Yep, it’s that nasty.

I’m not going to mention the formaldehyde in hair smoothing or straightening products (except that I just did)! These are sources of formaldehyde which are not only skin-contact problems, but also unhealthy to breathe for the person having their hair straightened and for the stylist doing the work.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

You won’t find pure formaldehyde in your hair (or skin) products (except maybe for nail polish), you’ll find formaldehyde-releasing preservatives instead. Why? Because they’re some of the most effective preservatives out there for preventing the product from playing host to bacteria and fungi which would break it down, reduce shelf life and could introduce dangerous microbes to the body.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Your greatest exposure to formaldehyde in life is actually from building materials, carpets, foam insulation and other man made materials (for example, plywood or fiberboard is partly manmade whereas solid wood planks are not – and have become far more expensive than the former). And the risk is that the formaldehyde is released as a gas which you breathe and at high concentrations this can cause cancer (people who consistently breathe such high concentrations include morticians and some biologists).

In cosmetics and hair products, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives can be skin irritants or allergens. If you use a product and immediately – or even over time, begin to experience itching, redness, burning, a rash or outbreak of acne, you may want to consider these preservatives as possible causes:

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Imidazolidinyl urea

Diazolidinyl urea

dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin

Quaternium-15

2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol

Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate

A small number of people have a sensitivity to formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (3% to 9%). Imidazolidinyl urea and Diazolidinyl urea may be less irritating than DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, but all release formaldehyde. These preservatives are officially listed as “probable carcinogens,” although the greatest risk comes from inhaling the gasses. Less research has been done on transdermal (though-the-skin) absorption, although the formaldehyde released appears to have the potential to be absorbed through the skin. The National Academy of Sciences is disputing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s position on formaldehydes as possible carcinogens in cosmetics. In science, you need very clear proof of cause and effect which can be produced and reproduced in clinical tests – especially when you are declaring a useful product to be dangerous (because the bacteria controlled by formaldehydes can also be extremely dangerous). Meanwhile these preservatives are still widely used, particularly as alternatives to paraben preservatives which were very weakly associated with breast cancer (see this post for more), even though parabens are not as likely to cause skin reactions (in one study, only 0.6% of people tested had a skin reaction to paraben preservatives – compared to 3-9% for formaldehyde-releasing preservatives) and unlikely to be related to breast cancer unless well-designed research can demonstrate a link.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Avoid formaldehyde-relseasing preservatives if you suspect they cause you any skin reactions. And be aware that you can use a product for months (even years) before you experience a problem, or it can appear right away – like a skin medication I used which caused my face to turn bright red and burn for 6 hours after application, and I used it for weeks before I realized it was a problem with the preservative and not the intentional effect of the medication! Live and learn.

Another tip: Open your windows whenever you can, even if just for a short while – let the wind in and out. Especially in a new house or when you have new carpet or new furnishings. You don’t want to breathe all the formaldehyde which is gassing off these products.

Autumn to Winter Hair and Humidity

This post is timely to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere - to our friends and family in the Southern Hemisphere - hope you are enjoying spring into summer!

Humidity is water vapor suspended in the air.

How humidity is measured:

Dewpoint – the temperature at which the air is saturated with as much water as it can hold, and so dew (or fog) forms. Dewpoint tells us the most about how dry the air is. Unless a new air mass moves in, the dewpoint can stay the same all day. This is what you want to watch to know just how moist or dry the air is.

Dewpoints below 50° F (10° C) are “dry.”

In the 50s (10-15° C) is “comfortable”

60-65° (15- 18° C) is “muggy”

65-70° (18-21° C) is “humid”

70° (21° C) and greater is “oppressive” – rainforest-y - you feel you need to grow gills

This is important for hair because dewpoint tells you how much moisture is in the air. Except for hair which has a very strong curl pattern, low moisture in the air tends to lead to flatter, less defined wavy or curly hair.

When researchers measure the effects of air moisture on hair, they use relative humidity. Partly because that’s what can be manipulated in the laboratory. Relative humidity changes throughout the day as the temperature changes because it’s a measure of how much moisture there is in the air relative to how much moisture the air could possibly hold. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold because air “expands” as it heats and that means you can cram in more water molecules.

Let's say you have a box in a laboratory at 74°F (this experiment was real). Add hair which has previously had all the water removed. Set the relative humidity at 29% and the hair will then take on moisture from the air so that contains 6% moisture. This is very dry – your mouth and nose and lips would feel parched. So here's how it stacks up:
At 29% relative humidity, hair holds 6% water

At 40% relative humidity, the hair holds closer to 8% water

At 50%, the hair holds about 10% water – 40-50% is the “comfort range”

At 65%, hair holds around 13% water – at 65% relative humidity, the air starts to feel “wet”

At 70%, hair holds close to 14% moisture©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Note the temperature never changed during the experiment. In real life the temperature fluctuates throughout the day and the dewpoint tends to stay the same. But in winter in the high latitudes, away from the humid coastal areas, it’s pretty safe to say that you won’t encounter relative humidity above 50%! If you have a thermometer or humidistat in your home to measure humidity indoors or outdoors, it is measuring relative humidity. I used this experiment to demonstrate how much less water your hair can hold when the air is dry. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

When your hair has a lot of moisture from the air around it, it stretches more and bounces back less readily. Like worn-out elastic. Stretching damages hair. If you pull on a piece of taffy or chewing gum, you can see how the outer surface breaks. This is also what happens to your hair (more or less).

Even though hair can stretch more when it has absorbed more moisture, it takes more force to make it stretch in high humidity than in low humidity. In dry air a smaller stretch (or pull, or tug with a comb or snag on a button) will damage hair than in humid air.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Temperature also makes a difference. At higher temperatures, it takes more force to cause hair to break and at lower temperatures, less force is required to break or otherwise damage your hair.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

So when it is cold and the air is dry, your hair breaks more readily than when it is warm and humid.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

How to prevent hair breakage in cold, dry weather?

You need to plasticize your hair! “Plastic” means pliable and flexible. Oils, fatty alcohols, silicones, cationic surfactants (in other words, hair conditioners) can give your hair the desired flexible quality and help prevent tangles. Humectants may or may not be helpful for hair. If you like humectants, you may lean towards those that are polymers or "film formers" (aloe vera, flaxseed gel, vegetable “gums” like guar, xanthan, carrageenan, panthenol) rather than humectants like glycerin. Conditioners may prevent some loss of moisture to the air from your hair and definitely help prevent breakage due to tangles and rubbing on clothes, scarves and hats.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of deep conditioners:

Truly the best protection for your hair in low humidity and cold weather is to protect it with a warm hat, a scarf or hooded scarf. These hold warmth and moisture around your hair so it is not exposed to extremes.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Other interesting humidity tidbits: When hair is surrounded by ample humidity, as it is taking on water, it swells and also lengthens slightly. As your hair is absorbing moisture, a whole bunch of things can happen depending on your curl pattern, the amount of water vapor in the air, the temperature, and how porous or damaged your hair is. If it’s not too overpoweringly humid, your waves and curls may be more defined and more bouncy as they are hydrated by the water in the air. As the humidity creeps up, your hair may absorb far more water and begin to lose its curl pattern, getting big or puffy or frizzy (undefined) or become limp. When your hair swells with water, the resulting disruption of the cuticle (the scales are “lifted up”) causes hair to look less shiny. In this state, it is more prone to tangles. Very porous/damaged hair can potentially hold more water than not-porous or little-damaged hair. Damaged or porous hair is more prone to frizz in high humidity than healthy hair. But in general, wavy and curly hair gets bigger, frizzier, and less defined in very high humidity.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

For those of us with wavy hair or loose curls, low humidity can dramatically change our hair’s curl pattern. The hair just doesn’t have the moisture it needs to express a defined wave pattern. Lock in moisture after cleansing with rinse-out and leave-in conditioners or oils, use a humidifier in your home.

Source: Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair

Robbins, 1994. 3^rd Ed. Springer-Verlag, New York

Your Hair on Chlorine

First of all, you need to know that your hair’s cuticle – the layer of protein “scales” which form its outermost layer have an additional covering called the epicuticle, composed of protein and fatty acids. An additional layer of protection.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Chlorine in water from your tap or in swimming pools diffuses through the cuticle of your hair. This causes hair proteins to break down beneath the epicuticle, but these proteins are too large to move out of the epicuticle – so frilly bubbles appear as the inward moving water and chlorine swell the hair and the degraded proteins cannot escape, despite the pressure caused by the swelling. This is difficult create when you want to photograph it! I have seen it before and I have a great picture which I cannot reproduce because it is in a copyrighted text.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Chlorine in your water or swimming pool breaks down your hair’s protective outer layers. This robs the hair of its ability to hold water (stay hydrated) and also strips away oils and fatty acids. In short, chlorine makes your hair more porous, dry and weaker.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

For a highly chlorinated home water supply, there are filters you can put on your shower which remove chlorine (your skin will like this too). The filter cartridges must be replaced 2-3 times per year and will not alter water hardness, but can remove some metals and some undesirable chemicals.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

When you are swimming, wear a swim cap. But only to keep your hair from tangling and to keep hair out of the pool’s drain. Swim caps do not keep water out!

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Recipe: Chlorine Odor Remover

To remove chlorine odor and metals which could cause discoloration from your hair, mix a scant 1/8 teaspoon of citric acid with 2 cups water (about 0.5-1 ml citric acid crystals or powder in 500 ml water). If your hair is long or very thick, double this recipe. Rinse your hair very well after swimming (shampooing is not necessary) – for at least 1-2 minutes. Then apply the citric acid rinse and leave it on for at least one minute. Then rinse and apply conditioner. Why would metals be in pool water? As a part of fungicides used to keep the pool fungus-free, or as a part of the local water in general. Copper (from fungicides) and iron are especially discoloring to hair.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

The Tests:

To keep chlorinated water from contacting your hair, you need to apply a protectant. I tested several and microscopic photographs will follow. I used no treatment (control), coconut oil, olive oil, conditioner with oils and silicones, and conditioner without oils or silicones. I rubbed these on dry hair and made sure the hairs were thoroughly coated. Then I placed the hairs on slides in water with enough bleach added to simulate swimming pool water. I erred on the side of too much. Swimming pools are also buffered to moderate their pH and I did not do that with the solution I made up, the pH was too high for hair. So when you see the untreated hairs below, don't panic - it's probably not that bad where you swim.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

At the outset, the untreated hair showed some lifting of cuticle scales and bubbles on the surface. The oil and conditioner samples were all coated with their respective treatments and protected from the water.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

The Results:

After 20 minutes:

-Untreated hair: Further lifting of cuticle scales

-Oil treated hair (both oils): oil coating remains, perhaps less robust, some water seems to be finding its way to the hair in the olive oil treatment.

-Conditioner treated hair (both with and without oils and silicones): Hair is still surrounded by conditioner, no water appears to be penetrating the conditioner coating.

After 30 minutes:

-Coconut oil treated hair: Coconut oil coating is intact and repelling water

-Olive oil treated hair: Large bubbles are appearing in the oil coating – water has penetrated the oil barrier.

-Conditioner treated hair (with and without silicones): Conditioner barrier is intact and repelling water.

Untreated hair, start

Untreated hair at 20 minutes

Untreated hair at 30 minutes

Coconut oil, start

Coconut oil at 20 minutes

Coconut oil at 30 minutes

Olive oil, start

Olive oil at 20 minutes

Olive oil at 30 minutes - small and large bubbles due to water penetrating the oil barrier
I believe the bubbles close to the hair are the moisture and proteins from the cuticle, pushing the
epicuticle outwards...

Conditioner with oils and silicones, start

Conditioner with oils and silicones, 20 minutes

Conditioner with oils and silicones, 30 minutes

Conditioner without oils and silicones, start

Conditioner without oils and silicones, 20 minutes

Conditioner without oils and silicones, 30 minutes

Conditioner applied to dry hair (or wet if you prefer, I did not test this) seems to be good protection for hair against heavily chlorinated water. I suspect this is because conditioner is a wetting agent, so it is not repelled by hair as the oil was, and also because conditioner bonds to hair. Coconut oil either ties with conditioner, or is a close second place.

Note that if your hair is quite porous (damaged, bleached, chemically relaxed or permed) oil, especially coconut oil, will penetrate the hair better than for the hair used in this test, which has no chemical treatment.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Also note that this test was done with hair held on slides in chlorinated water without movement. When you are swimming, there will be some movement of water under your swim cap. But the swim cap will keep more of whatever treatment you use in place to protect your hair.

Another note: Conditioners and oils tend to make your swim cap slip off – you’ve been warned.

Managers of swimming pools want to have as few chemicals (lotions, oils, conditioners) added to their pools as possible because maintaining swimming pools is expensive and can be difficult. Use as little oil or conditioner as you need to protect your hair. Respect the rules of the facility you use for swimming as best as possible while taking care of your hair. I have never used any treatments on my hair while swimming because I'd been advised not to for the sake of the pool's maintenance.

Take-home message: In this test, the best protectant against chlorinated water was conditioner applied to dry hair. Coconut oil was very effective, but olive oil was no longer repelling water by 20-30 minutes.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

If you want to use these to keep the chlorinated water out of your hair, make sure you have thoroughly coated all your hair with conditioner or oil. Leave no strands behind! Comb your treatment through your hair with your fingers, pat and press it into your hair. Dab off any excess with a towel. Then put on your swim cap and get swimming. (Or at least put your hair in a bun or braid/plait to reduce tangles and hair in the pool's drain).

After swimming, rinse your hair well with water, shampoo out oils or conditioner if you need to. Use a citric acid rinse if your hair picks up chlorine odor (recipe above).

There are swimmer’s shampoos and swimming protectant creams, but I wouldn’t waste money on them. Swimmer’s shampoos do not deodorize the hair as well as a citric acid rinse in my experience, and tend to be very drying to hair. I used inexpensive conditioners for this test and they worked nicely.

If you cannot use protectants on your hair because of pool rules, then rinse your hair well after swimming and use plenty of conditioner, consider using a conditioner with protein if your hair tolerates it.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Conditioners used: AG Hair Cosmetics Colour Care Sterling Silver and Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple

Source: Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair

Robbins, 1994. 3^rd Ed. Springer-Verlag, New York

Late Fall and Hair Shedding

Did you know that in the normal, healthy scalp the number of hair follicles in the "telogen" or "resting and falling out" stage is the higher in fall than at any other time of year? About 20% of your hair follicles have ceased growing and are preparing to fall out in fall, compared to about 10% in very early spring.

So if you are losing more hair now (late October) through December, this is normal.

Source: Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair

Robbins, 1994. 3^rd Ed. Springer-Verlag, New York

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