For most of us, we always want to make sure our hair looks the best, whether its in style or just overall health. Healthy hair is essentially seen as a reflection of a healthy body. So like the rest of our body, hair health depends a lot on what you put into your body, and water is an essential part of hair health and growth.
There are many ways that water affects hair, from both ingesting it and external application.
Drinking Water and Hair
We know that water is important for the body, but how does it affect your hair?
Your hair is made of up cells, like the rest of your body, and water is essential to cell growth and health. It is the carrier for nutrients to the cells and for waste removal. When your body is dehydrated, it functions less efficiently, and can hinder hair growth and health.
Think of your hair like your skin. When you’re dry and dehydrated, your skin can become dry, cracked and can generally look unhealthy. The same goes for your hair. Even though the cells that make up your hair are no longer living, your hair follicles are alive and creating cells that need hydration thrive.
Water and Hair Loss
While there is no magic solution to hair loss, there are studies that suggest thinning hair can be helped by drinking more water along with a better diet and exercise. Hair loss, as well as fatigue and dry skin, are signs that your body isn’t receiving enough daily nutrients and can be chronically dehydrated. If you’re concerned about thinning hair, drinking more water, is the quickest and most cost effective solution.
Washing Your Hair
We talk most often about drinking water and how it relates to your internal health, but hair health is also affected by external factors, like whether you wash or rinse your hair in hot or cold water. Essentially, hot water is great to remove oil and dirt from your hair and scalp, but it also opens the outer cuticle layer of your hair, causing it to lose moisture and appear dry, brittle and frizzy. Cold water closes and seals the cuticle layer, keeping your hair strong, sleek and shiny. You should also pay attention to where the water we use to wash our hair comes from. Water that comes from the city is treated with chlorine to kill off bacteria. Too much chlorine can dry out your hair and can cause discoloration. If your water comes from a well, it often has a higher concentration of minerals such as calcium and limestone. These too can build up on your hair and can cause it to dry out. You can combat these symptoms by adding a good clarifying shampoo to your routine at least once a week to remove any mineral deposits or chlorine buildup. Redken’s Clean Maniac Clean-Touch Shampoo is powered by micellar technology to gently remove impurities and product buildup like a magnet for a non-stripping cleanse.
Humidity
Did you know that your hair can absorb 30%-50% of its weight in water? And this doesn’t even have to be in a shower or pool. It can absorb water from the air, which is why on humid days your hair can be unmanageable: its continually absorbing water that affects its structure and shape!
By: Emily Hart
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