5 Major Hair Problems, Causes and Symptoms

Does your hair feel dry, thin, limp or flaky? Learn reasons for what is stopping your hair from being smooth, shiny, strong and thick, the way it is naturally meant to be. 

Dry and dull hair

Loss of moisture and oil makes your hair dry and dull. Dry and dull hair offer less protection against the environment and appears unattractive to others. Scalps with naturally rough hair produce less oil than normal hair. Hair becomes dull and dry with age and external factors and lifestyle choices, including: 

• Sun exposure
• Weather, pollution and air conditioning
• Blow drying and heat
• Bad quality hair products
• Chemical treatments
• Nutritional imbalances
• Medications and illness

Symptoms:

• Looks dull and lifeless
• Loses ability to maintain natural sheen
• Often brittle and prone to split ends
• May feel rough to touch
• Scalp may be tight and dry

Fine and limp hair

Fine and limp hair is the opposite of dull and dry hair. It has too much oil content, losing bounce. Fine and limp hair is more delicate making it important to build its strength with a good hair care regimen. In addition to ageing, fine and limp hair

Further reasons for fine hair, lacking body.

• Diet
• Hormonal imbalances
• Weather fluctuations
• Pollution
• Using hair care with oil content
• Health issues

Symptoms

• Looks stringy, limp and dull
• Does not hold a style well
• Flyway and full of static
• Hair may tangle easily
• Smelly

Fragile & damaged hair

Excessive styling leads to fragile and damaged hair. Heat treatments with blow dryers, tongs, rollers and straighteners will slowly erode hair's structure and leave prone to breakage. 

• Incorrect hair cut techniques
• Excessive brushing
• Excessive sun exposure
• Hard or chlorinated water
• Climate
• Treatments with harsh chemicals
• Low quality hair products 

Symptoms

• Hair is lifeless and lacks lustre
• Loses natural elasticity
• Often brittle and prone to split ends
• Breakage may occur
• May feel rough to touch

Dandruff & product build

Excessive shedding of skin on your scalp leads to flakes. When excessive shedding is accompanied by excessive oil, these flakes clog up the hair follicles. This excessive shedding could be because of some microorganisms on the scalp or because of internal health. Dandruff appears in any age group and in men and women due to many reasons, including:

• Poor diet
• Yeast infections
• Lack of zinc and B vitamins
• Dry weather or arid climate
• Low quality products
• Insufficient brushing
• Stress and illnesses
• Long term use of styling products

 

Symptoms:

• Scalp flakes may look oily or dry
• Itchy scalp
• Inflammation: red and burning
• Tingly and painful

Ageing, fragile or thinning hair

Ageing creates changes in hormonal balance and the number of active follicles reduce in both women and men leading to loss of thickness and density. Further, our body's ability to supply nutrients to hair follicles reduces over time, making it difficult to retain thick and soft hair.  

Further reasons for ageing, fragile or thinning hair are:

• Reduced sebum production
• Pollution & free radical damage
• Stress
• A diet lacking in essential nutrients
• Hormonal imbalances – pregnancy, menopause, male & female pattern
• Mis-use of chemicals & harsh products
• Illness and some prescribe medicines

Symptoms

• Hair appears diminished or spare
• Dry & dull looking
• Loss of elasticity & strength
• Breakage & split may occur
• Loss of colour vibrancy in natural hair colour
• Unruly, UV sensitive white & grey hairs