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Journalism of Courage
This is one of those questions that always keeps popping up despite very clear answers — does shampooing lead to hair fall? But the fact is you need to keep your hair clean, remove pollutants, dirt, dandruff and dead cell clusters from the scalp to improve your hair quality and prevent hair loss.
WHY IS SHAMPOOING ASSOCIATED WITH HAIRFALL?
Shampooing itself does not cause hair loss. Then why do people get alarmed at the sight of a clump of hair falling out after a wash? “The hair growth cycle consists of four stages: anagen (active growth), catagen (transition), telogen (resting), and exogen (shedding)phase. On an average, individuals lose around 50-100 hairs daily. This is a natural part of the hair growth cycle. The hair follicles in the telogen phase are loose and, therefore, shed on the day of shampooing. It does not indicate hair loss,” explains Dr Radhika Raheja, a Faridabad dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon.
Although shampoos are cleaning agents, using them too frequently can strip your hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness and potential breakage. On the other hand, not shampooing enough can lead to a buildup of oil and dead skin cells on the scalp, which might cause discomfort or conditions like dandruff.
So shampooing frequency has to vary depending on your hair type and scalp condition. As Dr Raheja advises, “If you have normal hair, shampoo every second or third day. If you colour your hair regularly, then the regimen is once to twice a week, separated by a couple of days to avoid dryness. Those with dandruff should use a gentle shampoo (with ingredients like caffeine and biotin) or a medicated one to manage their condition.”
HOW TO REDUCE HAIR FALL WHILE SHAMPOOING?
1) Avoid brushing wet hair in the shower. Your hair is at its weakest and most fragile form when wet. “This is one of the major causes of hair fall, which mistakenly gets attributed to the shampoo. This leads to hair breakage, too,” says Dr Raheja.
2) Never skip the conditioner. “Without a conditioner, your hair becomes tangled, dry and prone to hair fall,” she adds.
3) Don’t use hot water for washing your hair. If you love hot showers, use lukewarm water while washing your scalp. “The hot water washes the scalp oil off your head and opens the pores, loosening your hair,” says Dr Raheja. So, the best way is to use lukewarm water and then wash it off with cold water.
WHAT INGREDIENTS SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN MY SHAMPOO?
Dr Swati Mohan, senior consultant, dermatology, Fortis, Faridabad, says much of the mismatch between hair type and shampoo happens because people are not checking the ingredients on the label of their bottles. “Avoid shampoos with sodium laureth sulfate. This ingredient can damage the proteins in your hair, including keratin. Stay away from labels which say DMDM Hydantoin or formaldehyde. These ingredients can cause allergic contact dermatitis on your scalp, leading your hair follicles to enter the resting phase, which may contribute to some hair loss. Also selenium sulfide, while used to treat dandruff, can sometimes cause hair loss,” she says.
If you’re losing your hair even after these correctives, then it’s best to consult a dermatologist.
