Causes and Home Remedies for Dry Hair

Hair is a remarkably tough material but over time abuse can wreak havoc with its natural properties. The hair becomes weakened, loses its elasticity and shine and becomes dull, brittle and eventually breaks. Hair is composed primarily of proteins (88%). These proteins are of a hard fibrous type known as keratin. Keratin protein is comprised of what we call "polypeptide chains". Hair normally has a moisture content of approximately 10%. Dry hair is hair that does not have enough moisture and oil to maintain its normal sheen and texture.

Dry hair may result from too much washing, harsh detergents, a dry environment, inadequate diet, or underlying conditions, such as those due to malnutrition. Dry, brittle hair may be a symptom of metabolic diseases such as hypothyroidism and Menkes kinky hair syndrome. Dry hair is often caused by too much time in the sun, chlorine, salt water, over-shampooing, permanents, heat styling, or neglect. Healthy, silky hair is something we all want, but in our fast paced, fast food world, dry hair is what many of us have.

Causes of Dry Hair:

The primary causes of dry hair can be narrowed down to two incidents: One, lack of sebaceous gland production - sebum oils produced by skin glands or two, over-styling and heat damage. Sebaceous glands produce hair oils - sebum - and are associated with all glands of the skin, including the scalp.

Heat is the number one enemy of your hair. It causes the moisture in the strands to evaporate. Thus, one of the most important parts of caring for your dry hair is being aware of not subjecting your hair to too much heat. This is to lock in the moisture as much as possible.

Dry hair, scalp and dandruff are the end results of certain elements that rid the natural oils your body is producing so that the oils can reach your hair and skin. Nobody is born with damaged hair, so you must think about this when trying to recapture or get back your healthy scalp.

The scalp and hair however, were not designed to withstand a consistent stream of hot air more than 40 degrees Celsius. We are talking of course of the humble yet violent blow dryer. The blow dryer may have been useful to Hollywood stars, theater actors and hair stylists for the past few decades, but the fact remains that it damages the hair.

Eat healthy. This is probably the best thing you can do to bring back life to your hair. Hair is dry because there is not enough sebum produced in hair follicles. To maintain the natural moisturizing abilities of the scalp, it is advisable to include fish such as salmon or try some flaxseed oil in your diet. Food rich in zinc, like oysters, is also good for the hair.

Environmental causes of dry hair basically include anything that happens to your hair that comes from the earth. The most common one is easily the sun. Powerful, unfiltered UV rays can have some very negative effects on the hair and scalp. You should treat your hair like you treat your skin. Use a shampoo or hair care product with UV protection.

Home Remedies for Dry Hair

Massaging scalp and hair with hot oil can be an excellent treatment for dry hair. Massaging improves blood circulation at the roots and stimulates oil glands. Hot oil can easily penetrate pores and nourish the hair. One may take half cup of coconut oil, add four crushed almonds to it and steam the mixture. The warm mixture is to be massaged on the scalp and hair, a towel is to be wrapped around the head and the oil is to be kept on the hair for 30 minutes, and then one can shampoo the hair. This is an effective remedy for dry hair. Even heated olive oil can serve the purpose. For massage you can also use Hylix herbal hair oil. It will cure the dry hair problem as well as dandruff and baldness.

One may make a smooth paste by mashing 2 ripe bananas and adding half cup beaten curd to it. This paste is to be applied along the length of the hair from root to tip. The hair may then be piled up to a bun and kept for about 15 minutes. Shampooing is to be done after this. This treatment will definitely make the hair soft.

One may beat up an egg in a cup of milk or yoghurt, squeeze the juice of one lemon in to it, add one teaspoon coconut oil or olive oil to the mixture and apply it to the hair. Then one is to wrap a warm, moist towel round the head and keep the hair drenched in the mixture for an hour. After this shampoo is to be applied. This is an effective treatment for dry hair.

Find powerful herbal remedies Dryness and Roughness of Hair

One may heat a cup of mayonnaise until it becomes oily, then apply a coating of liquid mayonnaise on the hair and keep it for 15 minutes and then wash off. This will check the hair from becoming dry.

Honey is an excellent natural conditioner. A hair pack made out of yoghurt and honey is good for dry hair

Lime juice is also an effective conditioner. One may apply lime juice to the hair before the final rinse. This treatment will reduce the dullness in hair.

One may spray beer to the hair after shampooing. This will impart shine to the hair, doing away with dryness.

The problem of dry hair is an object of concern for many these days. Hair becomes dry when they become deficient in moisture and the natural oils secreted by the oil glands at the base of hair follicles. These deficiencies cause the hair to lose their natural luster and even texture. Thus dry hair is coarse in texture, uneven, has split ends, frizz and is quite brittle. This often leads to hair fall. Dry hair resembles unwashed straw; it is thicker towards the scalp but has tapering ends. It is very difficult to run comb through dry hair as there can be several tangles. Combing of dry hair often leads to loss of hair.