Health and Wellness
Can Showering Cause Hair Loss? Here’s What You Need to Know
Hair plays a significant role in our society. It is associated with beauty and youthfulness. In men particularly, it represents virility and masculinity. Hair loss can make people feel self-conscious or disheartened and can impact their quality of life. What Causes Hair LossSeveral factors play a role in hair loss including genetics, age, diet, stress levels, medical condition, nutrient deficiency, and even how you shower. While we can’t totally control all of these factors, we can do something to prevent the exacerbation of hair loss by avoiding some of our bad habits such as when we take showers.Before we discuss the adjustments we need to make in the bathroom, let’s understand a few facts about our hair and hair loss. In a 2017 research review by the American Family Physician (AFP), the three stages of hair growth have been described as follows: Anagen: The active growing stage. About 90 % of hairs are at this stage. Catagen – The degeneration stage and less than 10% of hairs are at this stage. Telogen – The resting stage, 5% to 10% of hairs are at this stage. Hair is shed during the telogen phase. You shed your hair during the telogen phase. If the phases become imbalanced and more hair enters the telogen phase, you may observe increased hair loss.Many scientists have divided the last stage into two parts: the telogen and exogen stages. The exogen phase is essentially an extension or a part of the telogen stage of hair growth. During the exogen phase, which can last about 2 to 5 months, new hairs are growing in the follicles as old hairs are shed from the scalp, often helped along by washing and brushing.According to the American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD), shredding 50 to 100 strands of hair throughout the day is normal. Thick hair typically has a higher number of hairs overall according to Healthline, in an article on March 2, 2021. Don’t be surprised if you lose more hair because you have more hair. How Showering Causes Hair LossThe shower is the place you’re most likely to notice hairs that have fallen. It is usually not a cause for concern. The following practices in the shower room have however been confirmed to cause hair falling out at an increased rate. 1) Washing your hair using hot waterUsing hot water to wash your hair may increase the number of shredded hair by weakening your strands. Celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend explains that hot water can damage the keratin proteins in the hair, and strip away the natural oils on the scalp making the hair feel dry and weak, which leads to breaking. He further described that hot water opens the hairs’ cuticle layer causing moisture loss and brittleness. His advice is to wash your hair in lukewarm water and rinse in cool water.Water warm enough helps melt away the natural oils on the scalp without over stripping and drying out the scalp and hair. Rinsing the hair using cooler water helps seal the hair's cuticle layer, keeping in moisture to prevent breakage. 2) Using harsh shampoo and conditionerUsing strong or harsh shampoos and conditioners may irritate your scalp. Observe how your hair responds to various hair shampoos and conditioners. Look for products designed for your type of hair, i.e, whether it’s dry, oily, fine, color-treated, etc. Use a gentle shampoo and lightweight treatment conditioner to help repair damage and prevent breakage. Finding the right products may take some trial and error. 3) Using hard water for your hairA study from The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has proved that hard water is not good for hair. The NCBI studies, particularly, have confirmed the correlation between hair loss and hard water. Hard water is full of mineral salts, calcium, and impurities like sand, metal residues, dirt, and more. Hard water can change the texture of your hair and make your scalp produce more sebum, which can lead to baldness. When treated to make it fit for use, the end result is not completely free of these mineral salts and has additional residues of chlorine and fluoride.Excess exposure to chemically treated or harsh water is the root cause of hair breakage, hair damage, and premature graying. If hair breakage is not treated on time, it can lead to hair thinning and permanent hair loss. 4) Taking showers frequentlySince hair is shed from the scalp often helped along by washing, could less frequent showers reduce hair shedding? There’s some debate over this question. If you’re using hot water or irritating hair products, two factors known to contribute to increased hair shedding in the shower, taking fewer showers could likely reduce hair shedding. However, waiting longer between showers as a way to reduce hair loss could just mean you notice more hairs in the shower coming from those that do fall out naturally, no matter what. It can look like a lot more shedding since they’ve had a few days to build up. 5) Showering with tap waterTap water is not healthy for the hair. It adds more impurities to the water degrading water quality further. Heavy metals from the faucets can be discharged into your water and make it hazardous to your hair, where they are capable of acting as biocatalysts and altering your hair on a cellular level. The presence of heavy metals along with the high amount of sodium fluoride and limescale present in tap water can make your scalp dry, inflamed, and more prone to flakiness. These impurities can accelerate the process of hair miniaturization, which is directly proportional to hair fall. Tap water can also harm your skin, teeth, and overall health. Showering Tips You Need to Know to Protect Your HairYou can protect your hair’s healthy growth and prevent them from falling out in the shower by taking these necessary actions: 1) Wash your hair in lukewarm water and rinse in cool waterHaving said this, make it a habit check the temperature of your water first before getting into the shower or bathtub to ensure that you’re using the right temperature for your hair. 2) Keep shampoo and conditioner in your routineUse treatment products that are gentle and right for your type of hair. You can use fortifying conditioner to help repair hair damage and prevent breakage. 3) Dry your hair properlyLet your locks air dry or use a microfiber towel to get your hair as dry as possible before you blow dry. 4) Address potential underlying causesIf you feel like the hair is coming out in large amounts in the shower, you should first consider any potential underlying causes. Talk with your doctor if you can’t track your hair loss back to a possible cause. 5) Use the right kind of water to wash your hairAvoid using hard water and treated tap water if you want to prevent significant thinning of hair over time. 6) Use a shower filterUse an appropriate shower filter that purifies water from your tap or shower and provides you with water that protects both your hair and skin from unwanted chemicals. Using blu's Ionic Shower Filter to Prevent Hair LossThe most effective solution to prevent hair, skin, and other health issues is the using our Ionic Shower Filter. It purifies water that helps moisturize your skin, prevents hair loss, and boosts your immunity.The Ionic Shower Filter is an intelligent health solution that addresses health problems at the root cause. It will not only protect your hair against breakage but will contribute to better skin and health. Affordable yet effective, the product is eco-friendly and high-tech.The Ionic Shower Filter improves the quality of water. Through its patented technology, it efficiently removes 99% of harmful water pollutants including chlorine, chemicals, and minerals like iron, copper, nickel, lead, and chromium, that strip your hair and skin of their natural oils, leave your skin dry, and cause hair loss.With the Ionic Shower Filter, you can enjoy multi-stage filtered and ionized shower water. Its ionic stainless steel spray plate generates millions of healthy negative ions through its 244 circular perforations. The highest-grade stainless steel it is made of prevents lime scale buildup and minimizes showerhead bacteria.It features a patented permeable mesh filter chamber that enhances the ionization process and efficiently removes large sediments and insoluble pollutants from your shower water.The Ionic Shower Filter also helps you save on water and energy with up to 50% savings without compromising your shower pressure and comfort. This is made possible by the Neoperl® Flow Controller that utilizes German technology that regulates water flow, effectively reducing your water and heating consumption.Proper scalp care is the key to maintaining healthy hair. This involves being proactive to prevent hair loss. Using the right hair care products and advanced technology in the shower will go a long way in enjoying a headful of healthy hair.The Ionic Shower Filter is an intelligent health solution that addresses hair and skin problems at the root cause. It will protect your hair against damage as well as contribute towards better skin, and overall health.
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Everything You Need to Know About Chlorine
showering in chlorinated water is more dangerous than drinking it“Taking a warm shower or lounging in a tub filled with hot chlorinated water, one inhales chloroform.” Researchers recorded increases in chloroform concentration in bathers’ lungs of about 2.7 ppb after a 10-minute shower. Worse, warm water causes the skin to act like a sponge; and so one will absorb and inhale more chlorine in a 10-minute shower than by drinking eight glasses of the same water.”“Showering in chlorinated water could be even more dangerous than ingesting chlorine via glass of water.” chlorinated water leads to skin imperfections and diseases, acne, rashes, dry skin and wrinkles“Chlorine causes skin irritation, burns and necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues.” “Chlorinated water, particularly at high temperatures, poses special risks for wrinkles.” “When you shower, heat opens your pores and allows the chlorine to seep into your skin. Chlorine strips the skin of its natural oils and causes it to dry and crack, which can lead to wrinkles.” chlorine leads to asthma and other respiratory problems“Free chlorine attacks the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. When it is breathed in large quantities it causes serious congestion of lung tissues, and in extreme cases may cause death. A number of organic chlorine compounds have been found to be a hazard to health.”“Chlorine causes breathing difficulty (from inhalation), throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty), severe pain in the throat, pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue.”“Most chlorine exposures occur via inhalation. Low level exposures to chlorine in air will cause eye/skin/airway irritation, sore throat and cough. Chlorine’s odor provides adequate early warning of its presence, but also causes olfactory fatigue or adaptation, reducing awareness of one’s prolonged exposure at low concentrations. At higher levels of exposure, signs and symptoms may progress to chest tightness, wheezing, dyspnea, and bronchospasm. Severe exposures may result in non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, which may be delayed for several hours.”“Chlorine irritates the eyes, the sinuses, throat, skin and lungs, dries the hair and scalp, worsening dandruff and leads to arthritis and headaches.” chlorine causes dandruff, hair breakage and hair loss“One of several studies on the topic was published in 2000 in the journal Dermatology. In that study, a team of researchers examined 67 professional swimmers and 54 non-swimmers. The researchers found that 61 percent of the swimmers showed signs of hair discoloration, compared with none of the non-swimmers. The scientists also found that the hair discoloration coincided with surface damage of the swimmers’ nail plates, apparently due to chlorine.”
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Everything You Need to Know About Ionization
Ionization is a natural process occurring as a result of particle collisionsDuring ionization a molecule either gains or loses an electron. The first group is called “negative ions” (beneficial for health); whereas the latter is known as “positive ions” (harmful to humans).“Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge. They are created in nature as air molecules break apart due to sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water.”“Falling water has sufficient energy to tear apart electrons from the air. When enough energy acts on a molecule such as carbon dioxide, oxygen or water, it displaces an electron. The original molecule that lost an electron becomes a positive ion. These ions, in turn, react with dust and pollutants to form larger particles. The displaced electron cluster around a charged atom and acquire a negative charge.”“Every home has a built in natural ionizer — the shower.”improvements in mood, concentration, and sleep are caused by “negative ions”“This surfeit of negative ions has long been associated with improvements in mood and physical health. Researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow discovered that negative ions are able to help protect the body from induced physical stress. When the researchers immobilized rats and exposed them to negatively charged air ions they discovered that the ions prevented the development of pathological changes characteristic of acute stress that are observed in untreated rats. The protective action of negative air ions was observed in all the experimental animals independently of their types of behavior.”“When the body’s serotonin levels fall, anxiety and fatigue gain hold. Electronic negative ion generators have been used to treat migraines, asthma, and depression. Negative ions can treat depression”. negative ions eliminate airborne pollutants, bacteria, viruses, and germs“Negative ions remove dust particles and allergens in the air. These ions cluster around dust and pollutants to from larger particles. This causes the particle to become too heavy to remain suspended in air. As a result, the particle falls down, out of the way of causing people breathing problems. In addition research (Dr. Albert P. Krueger, a microbiologist and experimental pathologist at the University of California) has proved that negative ions could kill many micro-organisms.”“Researchers from Leeds University found the use of ionizers had a significant impact in cutting the number of infections caused by a potentially dangerous bacterium called acinetobacter.”“They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation.” ionized water has been proved to be efficient in treating wounds and various skin diseases“An experiment was conducted on electric ions and the permeability of the cell membrane. In the experiment, skin was used to exemplify the cell membrane. When positively charged ions were permeated into the surface of the skin, its pores and sweat glands began to contract. However, when Negative Electric Ions were permeated into the surface of the skin, its pores and sweat glands expanded, which demonstrates good metabolism of the cell membranes. This is phenomenon is called Prototype Plasma Membranes of Dermal Reflectivity. Dr. Arudoman of Germany also conducted a research regarding the influence of ions to the human body. He proposed the following hypothesis – Negatively Charged Ions are beneficial to the human body in four major ways: It helps to strengthen the functions of autonomic nerves, reinforces collagen (tissues that are resilient and tension-related), improves the permeability of the cell’s prototype plasma membranes (improves metabolism), and strengthens the body’s immune system.”"Our body’s energy system is essentially electromagnetic in nature. The negatively charged environment stimulates and causes increased blood flow with resultant increased oxygen-carrying capacity to cells and tissues. This improves the hormone production and helps the body to heal itself. negative ions strengthen immunity and improve physiological responses"Exercise Sciences in Liverpool exposed male subjects to negative ions and measured physiological responses, including body temperature, heart rate and respiration, while at rest and during exercise. Negative ions were found to significantly improve all physiological states, particularly during rest. Most important was the finding that negative ions are “biologically active and that they do affect the body’s circadian rhythmicity.”“Negative ions can help reduce pain in the joints due to arthritis.”
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The Hazards of Showering in Chlorinated Water
Chlorine was introduced to our water in the beginning of 20th century as a chemical aimed at disinfecting it from bacteria and germs. Over the years, it has proven to have adverse effects on the human body, destroying healthy cells and causing various health complications, ranging from skin aging and dandruff to respiratory complications and even cancer.Internationally renowned scientific sources have proven that the majority of chlorine exposure comes from showering. The dangerous chemical is quickly absorbed by the skin through open pores; its destructive vapors are inhaled and dissipated throughout the house, causing multiple health complications to the entire family. The devastating effects of chlorine are numerous, here are just a few of them. Hazards To Your BeautyChlorine is known to damage healthy skin, causing dehydration, aging, wrinkles and skin diseases. It causes severe rashes, irritations, redness, acne, eczema, burning sensation and necrosis. It is a major cause of hair loss, dandruff, dry and itchy scalp, hair breakage, splitting ends, unmanageable hair and its dull color. Hazards To Your HealthIt is one of the main causes of various respiratory problems, including asthma, breathing difficulty, throat swelling, severe pain in the throat, burning in the nose, lips and tongue. In addition, the inhalation of chlorine is a probable cause of bronchitis, especially in children. This number has increased by 300% in the last two decades. Chlorine is also linked to breast, bladder, gastro-intestinal and rectal cancers and is proven to cause melanoma. Recent studies show the link between chlorinated water and MX, a compound produced when chlorine reacts with organic material in water, causing cancer and genetic mutations (including heart problems, a cleft palate or major brain defects).
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The Benefits of Ionization
Negative ions are invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments, such as mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. The air circulating in the mountains and the beach is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, boost our energy, thus increasing your overall well-being.As a result of Ionic Shower Filter’s powerful stream, plus the effectiveness of the filter cartridges, the molecules of water collide attracting higher number of air molecules, forming healthy negative ions from the surrounding air.Their effects on the psychological and physiological states include, but not limited to: Elevating the mood, improving concentration and sleep, relieving stress, headaches and depression Killing harmful bacteria, germs and viruses; effectively strengthening the immunity; relieving asthma and numerous respiratory conditions Treating wounds and improving various skin complications Improving physiological responses and reducing the pain in joints caused by Arthritis
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