It’s almost March, and soon there will be April showers, May flowers, and endless waves of green polled as every tree and flower starts waving their leafy arms for joy.
Sure your hair will be glistening in the warm and moist spring air and you’ll be able to break out the sun dresses, but pollen can mean allergies, and allergies are no fun.
With winter departing, most people would think that it’s time for a relaxation in the routine and haircare department as moisture returns to the air, restoring the sheen to your hair as it blows in a wind filled with cherry blossoms. But not so fast, winter is still probably harder to negotiate, but spring requires a diligent touch also.
The air will be saturated with pollen and other kinds of tree trash. How many friends do you have that become congested and red-eyed every year when the leaves come back? I have several, but what you might not know is that allergic reactions on the skin can damage or kill hair follicles.
There are several ways in which pollen kills your hair
- The pollen is so small and finely grained it can clog the pores on your scalp.
- Pollen can bring about allergic reactions like rashes and hives which can block nutrients from reaching your hair follicles.
- Pollen can enter your body in large amounts through most openings, whether that’s the mouth, eyes, or nose. This causes a small spike in inflammation, which can damage your hair, as well as every other cell in your body.
Pollen can be hell for your hair
If you don’t have any problem with pollen then disregard this article, but all allergies, food or flora, can cause damage to your hair follicles.Normal food allergies like stone fruit, tree nuts, animals,seafood, or gluten, can cause rashes and hives. If you’ve never had an allergic reaction like me until I turned 24 and had to be hospitalized after an all of a sudden development in the shellfish allergy department,these hives and rashes can damage hair follicles and lead to hair loss.
The absolute worst thing you can do for your hair if you have a food allergy is to abuse it if you don’t regularly use pore cleansers on your hair. If the food you have an allergy to is acidic, or greasy, or you eat them with greasy or acidic sauces, you’re practically asking for baldness.
This is because the oils in the grease can travel through the blood and congeal in the pours in the scalp. This blocks blood, oxygen, and nutrients from reaching the follicle, while acidity has a similar effect.
Pollen and foods are similar in the way that they can damage the hair. Whether it’s a rash or a greasy slice of pizza, they both interfere with the vitals of the hair follicle and skin cells on your scalp.
Possibilities for Pollen Protection
Regularly vacuum your hair and your house – any areas where people might come in with pollen on their clothes or shoes. If you have a pollen allergy along with another allergy of some kind, try to avoid triggering them both at the same time. Also, if the tree pixy dust becomes too much for you, hope in the shower and scrub your scalp lightly with a shampoo that helps cleanse pours. It won’t prevent rashes or hives developing if you have a serious pollen allergy, but it will help to relieve itches and replenish moisture, as well as clear out dead skin cells which can prolong any problems.
In addition to keeping pollen at bay, fleas, mites, animal dander, animal saliva, metals, latex, plastics, various oils, and obviously food can all trigger allergic reaction in humans, and should be avoided during the pollen-y months if you have had a problem with these in the past.
Three more solutions for helping keep pollen out of your hair (figuratively and literally speaking) are to wear a common commuter masks like folks in the far east do as it will filter most of the pollen away from your mouth and nose, change the air filter in your car if it becomes too filled with pollen (which it will) and keep a common allergy supplement like Benadryl on hand to combat any symptoms.
The bottom line is that spring and the pollen it brings can damage your hair. Maybe not all at once, but 30-40 springs in a life can stack up against those with a pollen allergy.
Furthermore, if you’re unsure about whether or not you have a common allergy, food or otherwise, special doctors called allergists can perform a full battery of exposure tests to find out exactly which things might be causing a reaction. It may savetens of thousands of hairs in a lifetime, and a whole lot of self-esteem to boot.
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Donna Schwontkowski
Donna Schwontkowski is known for her practical advice on hair care and is passionate about tracking new hair care methods and hair growth products. She recommends only those brands that she strongly believes can help in effectively resolving your hair problems.
I completely agree because I have experienced the bad effects of pollen firsthand. I was unaware at that time that pollen can damage hair. I must admit that it is one of the most difficult problems to deal with. I would advise everyone to take the advice offered in this article seriously and remain proactively prepared for pollen attacks.