If combing your hair gives you nightmares because of the amount of hair that land into your comb, in hand, and on the floor, then we feel you. A lot of young girls and women stop combing their hair outright just to escape these quick heart fails. Every time you wash your hair, a thick handful of hair is shed and can be seen floating next to the bathtub. While your most effective armor to combat this nerve-racking hair fall condition is a highly nutritious diet rich in proteins and fibers, there are other factors too that are helpful. Keep stress and anxiety at as much bay as possible. Admittedly, it is easier said than done, but still, if you can engulf yourself in more fitness activities and mindfulness and put your mental well-being over everything else, then you can maintain a calmer mind state through everything.
Also, with external aggregators like pollution and regular chemical treatments further damaging the hair cuticles, leading to breakage and abnormal hair fall levels, using high hair products can really help improve the condition.
Most women stop washing their hair regularly and reduce it to just once a week or ten days, due to the fear of losing too much hair. Do not do that. Washing your hair less than needed, leads to build-up on your scalp and across the hair length and causes aggravated hair fall, as a result. The sweat, dirt, grim and natural oils, all accumulate and further attract dirt to your hair, weakening their strength and leading them to breakage.
Just as they say that people with oily skin should not skip using a moisturizer daily as every skin needs hydration and replenishing, similarly not washing your hair for the fear of hair fall, counterproductively leads to more hair fall. Wash your hair at least 2-3 times a week to maintain their health, but use proper hair products like shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, and serum, specifically formulated to address the hair fall concern.
While the market has coveted hair care brands like Kerastase, Moroccan Oil, Loreal, Schwarzkopf, Wella, Garnier, Dove and others that have specific product ranges for hair fall, you need to know the ingredients that will effectively work to help you with the problem. Do not trust your hairdresser at the salon, or the drugstore owner when they advise you on any hair fall shampoo to pick. It is always better to be well-informed and researched about the self-care products that you are using on your hair and skin. After all, they are vital to your appearance and are a reflection of your health and well-being.
Before we enlist the important ingredients that are globally researched by hair experts and found to stop or effectively alleviate the hair fall problem, let us talk about the ingredients to particularly avoid in your hair fall shampoo. Read the ingredient list on the shampoo you plan to buy and if it contains any of the below, drop the idea there and then. It will do your hair more harm than good.
Ingredients to Avoid in a Hair Fall Treatment Shampoo
1. Sulfates (myreth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate) – Sulfates are like cleansers or detergents for your hair. They do clean the scalp and remove dirt and oil but they also strip your hair of its natural moisture, making them extremely dry, damaged, and brittle.
2. Sodium Chloride – Sodium chloride is our common table salt and is often used in hair shampoos and hair masks particularly to thicken the product texture. It makes hair dry and deteriorates its natural shine and smoothness.
3. Alcohol and its derivatives – Mostly cheaper shampoos have alcohol as an ingredient, but dry the hair and damage the follicles permanently. Alcohol derivatives like propanol and isopropanol are particularly hazardous. However, not all alcohol derivatives are both for the hair. Cetearyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are rather beneficial.
4. Propylene Glycol – It is a popular hair product ingredient that is quite commonly used, but causes heavy hair fall. It is a skin irritant that helps the product penetrate the scalp, but while doing so, it damages the hair roots and causes them to break at the root level itself causing the hair to fall.
5. Parabens – These are chemicals that are added as preservatives to hair care products to inhibit the growth of bacteria and to increase their shelf life. But adversely, parabens interfere with regular hormonal functioning and cause further hair fall.
6. Formaldehyde – Surprisingly, a lot of hair products in the market today contain this harmful chemical. It is also used in hair treatments like keratin and smoothening and no doubt, post these treatments, women notice a huge increase in their hair fall. Avoid this chemical in your shampoo at all costs.
Ingredients in a Shampoo That Help Reduce Hair Fall
To help cure hair fall, natural active ingredients are really helpful. Also, the hair needs to be sufficiently hydrated, else dry, damaged hair are brittle and hence, more prone to hair fall. It’s good news if you notice any of the below ingredients (or as many of them) in your hair fall shampoo.
- Minoxidil – When used as an active ingredient, Minoxidil is very effective in treating hair loss. It can also be used as a topical treatment but a lot of brands these days add it to their shampoo formulations as an easier way to derive benefits.
- Pumpkin Seed Oil, Rosemary Oil and Green Tea Extract – Nourish the scalp and hair shafts and strengthen hair quality
- Zinc – Maintains hair strength and prevents excessive hair fall
- Biotin – Helps majorly with fostering hair growth
- Collagen – Increases the body’s hair building proteins and promote thick, lustrous hair
- Rice Protein – Promotes hair growth
We hope this guide proves helpful to you, next time you go ahead buying an anti-hair fall shampoo. Supplement your diet with hair boosting foods and stay happy and content as much as possible. These efforts will definitely bring about a major reduction in your hair fall woes.
Love
Team LadyInRoseGold
