Home Remedies for Dry Hair

Dry hair is a term that is used to describe hair that is not coated with the normal skin secretion called sebum. This is a problem that affects many people and causes hair to have the feeling of being dry, damaged, non-lustrous, and quite a pain to tame by simple combing. Most people believe that sebum’s biggest contribution is to the skin surface but the fact is that sebum is equally important to the hair as well. In fact, the sebaceous glands that produce sebum are located around the base of hair and it is the over flow from these that comes forth into the skin. Sebum production is not a standardized process and the sebaceous glands will adjust the amount of secretions that it creates based on the requirement on the surface of the skin; therefore, when you wash your hair excessively, more sebum is created to offset this loss. There are many things that you can do to offset this loss of hair artificially also but from a dietary perspective, it is important that your intake of essential fatty acids is at a required level.

Sebum is a substance that comprises of wax monoesters, triglycerides, and essential fatty acids – fundamentally, this is a highly oily substance comparable to grease. It is created by the sebaceous glands taking these individual elements from the blood and storing them in cells. These cells then burst forth when required. Apart from the environmental aspects that can cause sebum production to increase, it is believed that a diet that is high in fat can also increase secretions. It is also known that human sex hormones have a great role to play in production. This can be seen in the condition called acne that affects everyone as they go through puberty.

From a dietary perspective, consuming a lot plant oils is the best source for essential fatty acids. Flax seed, olive oil, seafood, leafy vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and almonds are all major sources of essential fatty acids. For women, the regular intake of estrogens from consuming nuts like almonds and flax seed are great sources of plant estrogen that can have an effect on the sebaceous glands. There is no similar alternative for men though their natural secretions of testosterone should do just fine. Another simple treatment for dry hair is wash hair in cold water that will ensure that it doesn’t get lost during a wash.