HYDERABAD: Wearing a helmet is inevitable, so is hair fall and hair damage. Wearing helmet for long can worsen the already existing hair issues. The accumulated sweat and dirt damages the roots, resulting in hair loss. Avoiding your helmet will land in bigger loss than just hair.To avoid any such loss, Dr Kannaiah Thallapally and Dr Shakeena Dayana, Hair transplant experts and dermatologists suggest tips to keep both your hair and scalp healthy, even with the helmet on.
If your scalp is problem free and healthy, there is no chance for hair loss due to helmet. Thus, treating an itchy, flaky and dandruff prone scalp is the first step. “Under severe and intractable conditions, unhealthy scalp should be treated medically under the supervision of a doctor. If it is not too severe, one can try a few home remedies,” Shakeena says.The home remedies include, apple cider vinegar mixed with water and sprayed on scalp and hair for ten minutes will relieve from itchy scalp, ginger juice on the roots for 30 minutes for dandruff, Onion juice for 15 minutes is also equally good for dandruff, curd and aloe vera pulp for 45 minutes for dandruff, flaky scalp and dry hair.
Dr Kannaiah, who is the youngest hair transplant specialist to have performed more than 1500 hair transplant surgeries in a span of eight years advises the hair-conscious to maintain cleanliness of the scalp and hair. “Using a mild cleanser every day will ensure the sebum does not stick to your hair and scalp and doesn’t allow dirt to settle. In case you have been riding a bike for too long after hair wash with cleanser in the morning, wash your hair with just plain water before going to bed. Proper moisturisation of hair helps lessens the effects of friction between hairs and the inner surface of the helmet, so deep conditioning post wash will certainly help. If you are someone who doesn’t like using chemicals, natural hair moisturisers like aloe vera and coconut oil can be preferred,” he shares.
The doctors say wearing a helmet properly will prevent traction alopecia, a type of alopecia caused due to continuous pulling of hair in the backward direction. (Alopecia is a type of hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, which is where hair growth begins). Wearing too tight helmets will pull the hair on the front-line in the backward direction with high tension. Choose a helmet of the right size, that is not too tight or too loose on the head. Take time to put on the helmet by jiggling and shifting the helmet till you reach the most comfortable position, where no hair is pulled back tightly. Similarly, take care while removing the helmet.
“The scalp sweats up while wearing a helmet, making the inner layer of the helmet wet. It is important to clean the helmet regularly to avoid fungal growth. Store the helmet in hygienic and airy place so that it can easily get dried up,” Dr Shakeena says.Says Dr Kannaiah, “Take quick breaks between the rides to take off your helmet and give your hair and helmet some time to dry. Wiping with a cotton cloth can make the process of drying quicker. Wearing a piece of cloth or scarf on your head covering the hair before putting on the helmet can be effective to reduce the risk of hair loss due to helmet. The cotton cloth reduces friction between hair and helmet and also will absorb the sweat quickly. Do not forget to wash the cloth regularly before putting it on.”
purnima@newindianexpress.com @iyer_purnima