Welcome back to my blog, Locs Talk, where I talk about Locs and Loose Natural Hair care. Last week I talked about oily hair/Locs and the affects it has on the hair and scalp when it is overused. In that discussion, I scratched the surface (no pun intended) on cleaning the scalp with proper hair washing techniques. This week, I will go further in depth to discuss preventive care for the scalp and remedies to keep your scalp clean and healthy. I will also discuss the prevention of health hazards by doing one simple thing, reading labels. The importance of reading the labels and knowing the effects that the ingredients in your products can have on your health, can spare you unnecessary suffering. We all want beautiful and luxurious hair/Locs, but at what cost? In this discussion you will find, you do not have to suffer, for beauty should NOT equal pain. Let us begin with the why.
There are a number of reasons why we wash our hair. The most popular one, of course is dirt and oil in your hair and on your scalp. But there is a more crucial reason why it is important to wash your hair properly and regularly. Even if your hair doesn't feel or look dirty & oily. Let's take a step back, let's revisit some of what I touched on last week. Remember, when I pointed out the fact that, not only does oil seal in moisture, but it also seals in bacteria, entering the hair follicles and simply sitting there? I don't know about you, but the thought of bacteria living in my scalp, frightens me. Let's look further into what this bacterium is and what it can do to your scalp.
The most common scalp infection that can occur from bacteria is called Folliculitis. Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicle. The bacterium Staphylococcus Aures (staph) is responsible for the cause of folliculitis. This is a fungal infection that can cause inflammation to the scalp. According to several medical journals I've researched, and compared to one another; I read that some major complications that occur as a result of folliculitis are:
-abscesses: a confined pocket of pus that collects in tissues.
-boils under the skin/scalp: a painful, pus-filled bump under the skin.
-inflamed hair follicles: red, swelling and painful follicles due to infection.
-destruction of the hair follicles, which leads to permanent hair loss.
To prevent this from happening, it is important to cleanse your scalp regularly. A clean scalp minimizes the presence of bacteria. Just think of what happens to your face, if you didn't wash it every day. Well, the same can happen with your scalp, when it isn't cleaned properly and on a regular basis; and even worse, because hair follicles are much larger than the pores on your face, meaning a bigger living space for bacteria to make a home. It is also important to avoid scratching your scalp with your fingernails (especially), because of germs and bacteria that lives under the fingernails, but also massaging your scalp too aggressively, to relieve an itch, should be avoided as much as possible.
"What if the damage is already done? How do I treat folliculitis?" First thing's first, folliculitis should be diagnosed by a board-certified dermatologist. Once you receive a proper diagnosis, most treatment can be done at home. For more severe cases, folliculitis is treated with medication (antibiotics), under your doctor's care. To treat at home, you will need to start with a good wash, using medicated shampoo. You can use OTC store bought shampoo or your dermatologist will write a prescription for it. For treatment and care of the scalp after shampooing, you can use cortisone cream to help sooth inflamed scalp as it heals. One really great home remedy is using organic ACV (apple cider vinegar), just the vinegar, not the detox you see on YouTube where people mix ACV with baking soda. ACV is known as an anti-microbial agent. To use it properly, you must dilute it, mix 1 Tbsp of ACV with 1/2 cup of water and use a soaked sterile cotton ball or gauze to apply it to the infected area for 20 minutes, twice a day until the infection is gone.
As a preventive step to avoid folliculitis, I wash my hair with Peculiar Roots ACV shampoo. I always use ACV shampoo for one of the wash cycles, for this purpose. ACV is a great agent for cleaning the hair in addition to treating the scalp (diluted, not straight from the bottle as some of you may have seen on YouTube). Some of the great benefits of cleaning your hair with ACV is, it helps prevent product buildup (clarifying), it helps to balance pH levels, it reduces frizz and keeps the hair soft. So, keeping a stocked supply of Peculiar Roots ACV shampoo, it's highly recommended.
Tea Tree Oil, is also a great preventive agent, to help avoid folliculitis, but also aids in the treatment of folliculitis. Before I go further with this, I want to remind you of something very important. Knowing the benefits of tea tree oil, people tend to skip over proper care instructions, run out and buy it and use it without knowing how to use it properly. With that being said, please read the next part carefully. First thing's first, tea tree oil is a very highly concentrated essential oil and should NOT be applied directly to the skin. For every 1-2 drops of tea tree oil, it should be diluted with 12 drops of a carrier oil such as coconut or olive oil or any other plant-based oil. Do not let it get into your eye. Now, to use for folliculitis preventive care and treatment, apply the oil mixture to the scalp and allow it to stay for 20 minutes. Then, using a shampoo that contains no more than 5% tea tree oil, wash out the oil mixture. Do this for at least 2 wash cycles. You can follow with a conditioner that also contains no more than 5% tea tree oil. This is a great holistic way to treat mild folliculitis.
Let's talk about SWEAT baby; another way for bacteria to get into the hair follicles. If you work out regularly and you sweat a lot, then this is for you. The moisture from perspiration can cause bacteria growth. Sweat can dry on your scalp and can potentially clog your hair follicles, as it can mix with bacteria and irritate or damage your scalp. That's one of the causes for your hair suddenly itching like crazy after a workout. For the love of God, please do not scratch your scalp if this happens. The importance of cleaning your scalp after a workout is crucial to the health of your scalp. It is obvious, that whether you have Locs or Loose Natural hair, you aren't washing your hair every day or every time you work out (I get it). So, how do you clean your scalp without shampooing every day? I'll tell you how! First, avoid letting the sweat dry before getting to it, that contradicts what I said about sweat drying and the follicles getting fed with bacteria. The magic happens with Witch Hazel! Yes, good ole fashioned witch hazel. It cleanses oil-producing pores and relieves itching. If you sweat every day on your scalp, here's the GREAT NEWS!!! Witch hazel is gentle enough to use every day and a little bit goes a long way. You just need a clean white terry cloth or a cotton ball to apply it or you can even put it in a spritz bottle and spray it on the scalp. You're probably thinking, "what about the odor that can get into my hair/Locs from sweating?" I'm glad you asked. The odor that you would normally smell because of sweat (mildewy funk) is caused by the mixture of sweat and bacteria. This is why cleaning your scalp directly with the witch hazel before the sweat dries is necessary, kill the bacteria, kill the smell and you will likely not experience that stench. Now, if you happen to be a person who simply hates the smell of sweat, then I highly recommend using Peculiar Roots rose-water based refresher spray to moisturize and freshen that up. It is available in 7 wonderful scents. If you happen to be allergic to rose water, then I suggest getting the Aloe Vera refresher spray, preferably even more recommended than the rose water formulas. Why you may ask, because you can kill two birds with one stone with that one, it contains witch hazel and aloe in the ingredients. Spray it on your scalp and hair, this will treat the scalp and leave you hair smell like you just stepped out of the shower, so fresh. Now that we have fully covered how to properly cleanse the scalp and hair, let's dip into reading labels and the ingredients you should avoid if you see them listed. Note: in next week's blog we will dive really deep into these ingredients and why they should be avoided. But this week I will simply scratch the surface. There are a number of ingredients in products you should avoid using if you are considering the health of your hair as well as your overall physical health.
As you have seen in my blogs and throughout many areas of this website, I consistently recommend Peculiar Roots Products. There is an array of reasons why I recommend this product, but at the very top of my list of why is, what's on the label, the ingredients. Tara Darnley, the founder of Peculiar Roots, really did her homework and researched the products that are harmful to us, and she created a formula that does not contain these harmful ingredients. That shows a great deal about character and the care she has for helping us to keep and maintain a healthy crown. As I said before, I do not require you to use Peculiar Roots, however, I HIGHLY recommend it. It took 5 1/2 years of my Loc journey to research and read labels and find products to care for my Locs that would also allow me to help my Loose Natural family as well. Let me tell you, Peculiar Roots provided ALL of the above for my checklist. The label displayed the ingredients that benefits my hair based on my needs and that, impressed me the most. Even more so, contains none of the ingredients known to cause long-term damage. The fact that the product's quality is amazing, and the organic scents are amazing, is simply an added bonus. We'll just call it what it is, AMAZING!
Here is a list of the top 9 ingredients you should avoid if you see them on the labels of cosmetic products you may use:
Sulfate: an aggressive chemical that is extremely drying for hair.
Mineral Oil: a liquid by-product of refining crude oil to make gas and other petroleum products. (Anything that says by-product is hazardous to your health.)
Parabens: a group of Chemical Compounds used as preservatives in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. (Extremely hazardous to your health.)
Denatured Alcohols: Which causes excessive dryness.
Synthetic Fragrances: harmful if you suffer from allergies.
Coal Tar: It is a by-product found in dyes to color products. (This one is a deep one.)
Silicones: Effect the strength and appearance of your hair, causing a weighty feel, dryness and is hard to remove buildup, also blocks hair follicles which can lead to hair loss.
Phthalates (tha-layts): chemicals that make plastic soft. (Phthalates are highly hazardous.)
Formaldehyde: a colorless pungent gas in solution made by oxidizing methanal. The fumes caused by reacted formaldehyde causes major respiratory problems.
The ingredients I listed above can be hazardous to your overall health, not just your hair. Reading the labels of the products you use is very important to assure you know what's being used to formulate those products. This is the primary reason why I stand firmly behind the product I consistently recommend to you. The founder and CEO took the time to study the ingredients to assure we have a long-term healthy hair journey. Peculiar Roots, made for us, by us. Next week I will discuss in more detail the hazards of using and overusing ingredients and chemicals and the long-term effects they can have on your health. Until next time, have a healthy Hair/Loc Journey.
Pammie
Recommended Peculiar Roots products from today's Blog are:
-ACV Shampoo
-Rose water Refresher Spray
-Aloe Vera Refresher Spray
-Vegan Detox Bar (great to use monthly)
Go to www.peculiarroots.com and use the discount code Pammielocs10 to save $$$
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