6 Common Hair Disorders & Timely Treatments

Hair can be a very versatile fashion accessory. In fact, beautiful shining hair is an asset of great value. A good daily hair care routine and prompt treatment for hair disorders is therefore of a lot of importance.

Hair can have many disorders and having an insight into these can help us prevent or treat many such disorders. Hair disorders can include split ends, dandruff, dry and itchy scalp, premature greying, hair fall and alopecia.

Let’s start with the most common problem falling hair followed by the rest:

1.    Falling Hair: 

Besides alopecia hair fall can be due to the following:

• Certain type of hair styles like tight plait, pony or very tight buns tend to decrease your hair line over a period of time thus one must refrain from doing so.
• Applying rollers in a wrong manner can pull out your hair from the roots leading to hair fall and breakage.
• Excessive use of chemicals is a major cause of hair fall in today's time.
• Excessive thermal hair styling, tong rod settings, ironing, blow drying etc.
• Not having a balanced diet.
• Fast paced and stressful life.

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Treatment: Some treatments that you can follow to treat hair fall include:

• Hair oil therapy
• Following a diet that is rich in protein, iron and vitamins
• Keeping the scalp clean
• Drying the hair with a towel
• Brushing the hair daily at least twice
• Avoiding excessive use of chemicals and thermal hair styling
• Avoiding very tight hair dos
• Meditating and reducing unnecessary stress

2.    Dandruff

Dandruff is a problem faced by many. It may sound normal but in some cases it can lead to many problems. Dandruff is usually a mild eczema in which scales of dead skin cells flake the scalp. It is also sometimes caused due to psoriasis, which is a condition where the skin cells multiply abnormally fast, thereby, forming a thick layer of skin that comes off in flakes. Usually a shampoo with selenium compound or coal tar extracts help in taking care of the problem.

Dandruff, if not treated on time may lead to acne, hair loss and secondary infections on the scalp. Some reasons that aggravate the condition of dandruff include:

• Poor blood circulation
• Improper diet
• Lack of hygiene
• Use of strong shampoo
• Insufficient rinsing of hair after washing
• Using soiled towels, pillows, combs, brushes

Dandruff can be either dry or oily. Dry dandruff can be treated by: 

• Herbal shampoos
• Hot-oil treatment
• Herbal hair tonics
• Henna treatment

Oily dandruff can be treated by: 

• Consume less oily food Wash hair regularly
• Do not oil the hair and leave over night
• Take a diet rich in fruits and green veggies
• Drink a lot of water
• Take adequate sleep

3.    Alopecia

Abnormal hair loss that’s what alopecia is. Usually found in men, it starts with a receding hair line and thinning of hair in women. One way of identifying alopecia is by checking for excessive hair on the pillow in the morning.  In alopecia, hair loss is visible more in front and top.

Alopecia can be of four type:

• Alopecia totalis (total hair loss)
• Alopecia senilis (loss of hair in old age)
• Alopecia premature(baldness before the age of 40)
• Alopecia aerate (sudden falling of hair in round patches all over the head)

Exact cause of alopecia is still unknown but it is usually related to the nervous system. The cause is said to be lack of blood supply to certain parts of the scalp.  Other causes include typhoid, influenza and nervous shock. The treatment for alopecia is purely medical.



4.    Premature Greying of Hair

Till some time back premature greying was a rare phenomenon; but in recent times it has become a matter of concern as many are suffering from this hair disorder right from their teen age.

Causes for some are medical while for some it is genetic. Although a lot of study is being conducted but a satisfactory reason to explain this phenomenon is yet to be identified. However, some reasons are surely connected to greying of hair in an early age, such as:

• Severe nervous shock
• Severe illness affecting the production and transfer of melanin (pigment responsible for hair colour in the body)
• Congenial (birth) defect in formation of melanin
• Suffering from very high fever
• Over exposure to sun

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For treatment you may use various hair oils that you can make at home. For more details, refer to our article on hair oils.



5.    Flaky /Itchy Scalp

Flaky and itchy scalp produces tiny white pieces of dead skin. It should not be confused with dandruff, which is usually just noticed on the shoulder. However, in this condition of flaky/itchy scalp, the scalp turns red and hair become dull in appearance.

Causes: Some major causes are: 

• Hereditary
• Stress related
• Insufficient rinsing of shampoo after a wash
• Vitamin imbalance
• Pollution
• Staying for long periods in air conditioning or central heating

Treatment:

An effective treatment for this condition includes using a moisturising shampoo and conditioner with herbal extracts.



6.    Split Ends

Split ends is a condition where cuticles of the hair get damaged and fibres of the cortex layer are unravelled. The hair becomes brittle and is prone to tangle easily. The split can happen anywhere along the shaft and not just at the end.

Causes: Some major causes are: 

• Over perming or colouring
• Insufficient conditioning of hair
• Too much brushing with poor quality combs/brushes
• Careless use of hair pins and rollers
• Excessive thermal hair styling
• Lack of trimming
• Too much exposure to sun

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Treatment: Effective treatments for split ends include: 

• Snipping of split ends regularly, which is the best solution for this problem
• Deep conditioning
• Application of henna
• Regular trims
• Minimum use of heat styling

Few remedies and timely precautions can spare us from a lot of hair disorders. Understanding the various disorders and their causes is the first step towards a corrective remedy.