Air pollution consists of various solid particles and gasses in the air resulting from dust, pollen, car emissions, chemicals from factories, among countless other reasons. Every day we are all up against all kinds of pollution, especially those living in a metropolitan city. Pollution has a very negative impact on your general health. It can significantly affect your hair as well. Hair is even more susceptible to damage because it is generally left uncovered or unprotected when we go out.
If you have constant exposure to pollution, it’s very easy for various pollutants to cling to your hair strands.
Research shows that air pollution can seriously damage hair along with causing other health hazards, reduce level of proteins responsible for hair growth. Following the air pollution around you, it can also make your hair dry, brittle and increase hair fall.
If you want to know how to protect your hair from pollution, keep reading to find out simple tips and methods that can help you prevent the damage caused by air pollution and make your hair stronger!
Read related– How Much Hair-Fall Is Normal?
How to Protect Hair from Pollution?
Although it is impossible to prevent damage from pollution completely, here are a few habits and tips that you can adopt to reduce the effects that pollution can have on your hair and to make your hair healthier:
1. Cover your hair when stepping out:
Cover your hair with a hat or a scarf when you step out. It is a beautiful way to protect them from the sun and any airborne particle that can be harmful to your hair.
2. Use a Gentle Shampoo:
Try and use gentle products on your hair, especially when you notice the symptoms of pollution affecting your hair. When you start experiencing hair loss, breakage, etc., it is time that you use more gentle products that are designed to revive damage. As it is almost impossible to avoid pollution, and you don’t want your hair to feel dull, lacklustre, feel heavy, and coated, shampooing regularly can help too.
Naturally infused shampoo can make a big difference, too, as natural products like tea tree oil helps unclog hair follicles, nourish them, and provide them protection.
Regular shampooing using a gentle product is also necessary to avoid dust, dirt, and grime on your hair that can cause hair and scalp problems such as flaking and itching. However, make sure to not over-shampoo because over-shampooing can strip the scalp and hair of natural oils, which can dry hair causing even more hair breakage and split ends.
3. Be mindful of your styling products and routine:
It is important to be conscious of your hairstyling products and routine in general because often we are busy, and we do things that might have a damaging impact. For example, going out with wet hair is a mistake as it attracts more dust and grime. So, avoid going out with wet hair and applying cream or oil-based products while going out.
Another important thing you need is to minimize heated tools like straightening iron or curlers. Pollutants make our hair fragile as it is, and when we use devices like this, the heat-powered process speeds up drying and damaging process.
4. Set aside time for hair care:
It is imperative to take out some time now and then for your hair care. Regardless of how busy you get during the workweek, setting aside even a few minutes for hair care can be very beneficial. You can start by applying a hair mask which can take up a maximum of 30 minutes. With air pollution on the rise, hair masks are a great way to hydrate our hair, make it stronger while also recovering it from damage. Doing this process of hair mask once a week can help your hair replenish from all the harm caused by everyday pollution.
5. Moisturize your hair with oiling and conditioning:
Hydration is important, be it for your hair, your skin, or your general health. Hydration, in this case, though, goes beyond drinking sufficient water. It is also about applying gentle and nourishing products that suit your hair. It is about oiling and conditioning your hair to moisturize your beautiful hair. Conditioning and oiling both penetrate deep into the roots of hair and hydrate and repair damage. They also prevent hair from heat styling by maintaining the tensile strength of your hair.
Taking care of your hair, skin, and overall health is essential, but dealing with pollution can be stressful, especially if you travel every day, be it work or school. But this does not have to make you feel helpless because by denoting just a few minutes, you can make a big difference. A small step to protect your hair from dust and pollution can go a long way, and you really will be surprised to see the change. So, try to follow the above anti-pollution hair care tips and control the effects of air pollution to a great extent.
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