I know you have probably thought,

“does caring for my hair cause me to have headaches? Why does my head hurt after I wash my hair?”

You’re not alone.

Welcome back guys, thanks for reading. So I know that some of us have experienced some discomfort when we’ve gotten our hair done just a little too tightly; when the heat from the dryer is too much or after trying a new shampoo or other products. What we do not realize though, is that the discomfort is a direct result of us washing or styling our hair.

The products, motions and styles which we use in hair care can all be held accountable for the headaches we experience post care. Very often women experience headaches as uncomfortable as migraines and blame other triggers such as hunger, light sensitivity or even something in the environment. We don’t know that it is sometimes the chemicals in our shampoo, moisturizers and hair sprays.

Chemicals such as Isopropyl Alcohol (hair dyes and lotions/moisturizers)and Formaldehyde (shampoos)among others. These are strong substances which when inhaled may cause headaches and nausea. Some are so strong that scientists believe they contain cancer causing components. Wow! Right? No wonder you may have those terrible headaches.

Apart from the chemicals, pulling your hair into tight, sleek ponytails and tight braids can also result in headaches. Even worse, constantly wearing tight braids often leaves women with receding hairlines and bald spots as well. As if the headaches weren’t enough.

Need visual proof? Just enter the phrase “tight braids” into Google search and you will cringe at the images that pop up.

Tight buns, corn rows and simple, everyday, intensive grooming of the hair irritates the nerve receptors in the scalp and causes the pain we experience. Doctors describe this condition as Cutaneous Allodynia. I would call it a scalp overwork, simply because that is really what we do and put stress on our heads, literally.

Some tips to immediately reduce the risk of these hair care resulted headaches are:

• talk to your doctor
• select hair products which do not have the following; Isopropyl alcohol, Propylene glycol, Sodium lauryl sulphate and FD & C Colour pigments
• use hair products with little to no perfume
• wear loose ponytails and braids
• groom hair every other day
• (wear a satin head-wrap to keep hair in tact overnight to reduce grooming)
• apply less pressure to scalp during wash

  

Indirect steps that will help include:

• rest
• get the right pillows
• know your triggers so you can avoid them

Nobody wants a headache after simply trying to look presentable so please take these tips into consideration and have yourself a headache free day! Until my next blog, take care and don’t be like the person in this image I found on the internet.