Effect Of Air And Water Pollution On Hair

Hair fall is an epidemic problem which has grappled more than 70 % of population and irrespective of gender it affects everyone. It has been so common that we can see even teens have been affected by hair loss. There are several causes which contribute to hair loss like unhealthy food diet, unbalanced lifestyle, genetics and pollution. But there is one of the reasons whose contribution is increasing every day in hair loss is pollution whether it would air or water pollution. With the technological advancement, we are ruining our environment more and more every day. But we forget that we are ultimate the bearer of consequences and one thing which bears direct manifestation is our hair.

Hair loss problem is more intensified in cities as per compare to villages or outskirts as ambience in cities are more polluted. And this problem is even more intensified in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Jaipur etc. Sometime pollution is so high that it causes baldness to such extent so that hair regrowth is only possible through hair transplantation. But you don’t have to worry much as there are very good hair transplantation facility in these cities and their result are very promising and cost is quite affordable. Among these cities, hair transplant in Pune is most favorable destination due to its effective treatment and affordable costing.

How air pollution is affecting our hairs?

Skin and hair are our external cover and thus they are first one to manifest the effects of air pollution. Today air is heavily loaded with dust, matter, lead, smoke, nickel, ammonia, arsenic and hydrocarbon which does not only put adverse effects on our interior health but also affect our hair very badly. The reason behind this is, toxic content present in air enter into skin of scalp and hinder the capability of hair to generate fiber. Toxic content present in air also get entered in blood stream and hinder the growth of hair. These problems get more serious in city areas or area nearby industries. But the problem is not restricted out of your house only, even pollution come from kitchen fire, smoking tobacco, chemical and common dust also add to it.

 Tips for reducing air pollution effects:

• Use hat or cap or any other means to cover your hair in order to save them from dust and smog.
• Ignore hair treatments like dye, bleach, hair dryer and coloring of hair as much as possible in polluted hair as chemicals use in these treatments can get reacted to the contents in air.
• Avoid oiling of hair before leaving outside as dust particles suspending in air may stick to hair and settle on scalp which would be difficult to remove.
• Deep conditioning is good option to treat hair damages as it thoroughly clear the scalp and give nourishment to hairs.
• Homemade and traditional hair treatments are best for keeping hair health and its growth.

How water pollution is affecting our hairs?

Whatever water we use, whether it is ground water or surface water it consist of heavy minerals which get from factories and other household wastages.  The concentration of heavy mineral gets distributed from one area to another with the help of rainfall. Water can consist of several minerals which can adversely affect our hair, some of them are:

• Calcium: It gets deposited on hair and makes hair dry and brittle. It also cause deposition of dandruff over the scalp and difficult to get rid off.
• Copper: This is one more mineral which get attached to hairs firmly and lead to lightening of hair.
• Lead: Lead acetate is one of the heavy metal which is not only harmful to hairs but also to entire health. It cause dry and brittle hair and also premature hair grey and is a major cause for `hair fall.

Apart from these iron, magnesium and silica are the other contents found in water which not only harmful to hairs but also to overall health. Even if polluted water is being use for irrigation, we are getting fruits or vegetables which are high on heavy metal contents and harmful elements which cause baldness, itching and cancer.

Tips for reducing water pollution effects:

• Boil water every time before consumption, whether it would be for drinking or for bathing. Take this precaution more precisely if you live in those areas where water is polluted and sanitation facilities are also not good.
• Avoid direct contact with rainfall as rain consists of harmful chemicals like nitrates, sulfur, and oxides which can cause hair fall and several skin diseases.
• In case you have to go to zones where water facility is highly polluted then opts for distilled mineral water even for bathing.
• If hard water is available in your area, then addition of vinegar in water help to remove the deposition of scales in your hair. Vinegar’s acidity helps to neutralize the water and hence make your hair silky and soft.
• Similar to vinegar we can use lemon also as neutralizer of water to make hair silky and smooth. Add one tablespoon of juice in four cups of water and wash your hair with this solution after shampooing. This also helps in curing with dandruff problem.