The rainy season can lead to rise in hair fall by making them brittle and weak. Here are tips to prevent hair fall in monsoon.
The monsoons are often a double-edged sword for our hair. While the rainfall may provide respite from the heat, for our hair, the humidity has a frustrating side effect – hair fall. However, hair fall is a major side effect of that feel-good monsoon weather. The good news is that you can follow certain tips to prevent hair fall in monsoon.
Simple yet effective strategies to prevent hair fall in monsoon include not letting the rain water wash your hair, keeping you scalp clean as well as avoiding excessive oiling. Some dietary tips and products can also help prevent hair fall in monsoon.
Why does hair fall increase in monsoon?
Constant rainfall causes humidity in the atmosphere, and your hair tends to absorb the extra hydrogen in the air. Our hair is structured in such a way that they are sensitive to airborne hydrogen, and excessive hydrogen absorption makes them fragile and brittle leading to hair fall in monsoons.
Tips to prevent hair fall in monsoon
Hair fall is hard to deal with, but there are various remedies that you can follow to slow down your hair fall and recover them. Here are some tips suggested by the expert to deal with monsoon hair fall.
1. Keep away from monsoon rainwater
As much as the monsoon weather provokes you to step out and soak in the rain, you should protect your hair from rainwater and refrain from stepping out in the rain. The rainwater is often acidic or dirty which usually does more harm than good. A study, published in the International Journal of Trichology, suggests that rainwater can attract dirt as well as pollutants, which can clog hair follicles and lead to hair loss.
2. Scalp wash
Wash your hair at least three times a week during the monsoons. “Our scalp tends to generate more oil during the monsoons so washing it frequently with a good ant-fungal shampoo would help to avoid fungal infections and seborrhoea of the scalp,” says dermatologist Dr (Lt. Col) Vijendran Pragasam. A study, published in the International Journal of Trichology, states that humidity can also be breeding ground for bacteria.
3. Avoid oiling your hair during monsoons’
As aforementioned, the scalp tends to be more oily during monsoons, so you shouldn’t use oil during this weather. Oil often clogs the pores and can irritate the scalp. If at all you want to use oil, apply it one hour before bath and wash your scalp immediately after an hour. Also, make sure to use a light oil.
4. Check your diet
Your diet plays a major role in how shiny and healthy your hair grows. It is a good idea to increase ground nuts, almonds, sprouts or egg white in your diet. This will give essential proteins for hair growth. A study, published in Dermatology Online Journal, suggests that deficiencies in some vitamins and minerals can lead to hair loss. “Refrain from consuming excess of cheese, high sugar content foods and mayonnaise,” says Dr. (Lt. Col) Pragasam. These processed foods cause hormonal imbalance in the body and aggravate the issue of hair fall.
5. Avoid using heating products
During monsoon, our hair takes longer to dry out. Mostly in a hurry, we tend to use more products like hair dryers, tongs, or straighteners that make our hair brittle and weak leading to more hair fall and breakage. The hair is already weak during the monsoons and using heat styling products can cause further damage.
6. Other factors
Reduce consumption of alcohol and smoking as these worsen already existing hair fall. You must also sleep well and keep stress at bay as these also cause hormonal imbalance in the body, thereby, increasing stress. Exercising at least four times a week is also essential to keep hair fall during monsoons under check.
Recommended hair diet to prevent hair fall during monsoon
While there isn’t a specific diet that can stop hairfall, there are various nutrients that can be added to our diets which are necessary for hair growth and hair care. Protein is on such nutrient that can help prevent hair loss. Make sure to add lean meat, fish, poultry, beans as well as lentils to your diet. Another essential nutrient is iron. It helps to transport oxygen to hair follicles. For iron, have green leafy vegetables, red meat. Biotin also helps hair health a lot. Eggs, nuts, avocado are all rich in biotin. Vitamin D rich foods such as fatty fish, egg yolks; as well as foods rich in zinc such as lentils and nuts must be added to our diets in order to prevent hair fall in monsoons.
Besides this, make sure you are hydrated, and limit processed foods. Also consult a doctor if you feel the hair fall is excessive.
Summary
While hair fall in monsoon is fairly common, there are many ways to prevent it as well. Not letting your hair get wet in the rains, keeping your scalp clean as well as not oiling your hair can prevent hair fall in monsoon. Also making sure to have a balanced and nutrient-rich diet can help.
FAQs
How can you treat monsoon hair?
Make sure to wash your hair well with a gentle shampoo. If you have oily hair, you will have to wash it often, maybe even three times a week to remove the excess oil. Massage scalp to stimulate blood circulation and get all the dirt out.
How can I save my hair in the rain?
While one should not get one’s hair wet in the rain, if you catch yourself in heavy showers, and end up getting wet, try to minimise the water that soaks your hair. Try to shield your hair as much as possible. Pat gently with a towel or squeeze the water out of your hair, and let you hair air dry.
