These 3 Myths Are Hurting Your Scalp

Our mission is simple: create skin friendly, non-irritating haircare products that deliver great results. Why do we care about this? Simple: skin irritation and allergic reactions are in the top causes for severe itching, hair follicle damage and skin damage on the scalp. All of which can lead to hair loss.

Even if you don't have sensitive skin, you can still have irritation or a reaction. Here is how it works. When the skin is exposed to an irritant or an allergen, your body triggers an inflammatory process in response to the irritant or allergen. When your body does this, it can cause tissue damage because it is attacking the irritant or allergen as well as the healthy tissue around it. This can cause skin damage, follicle damage and scar tissue: which can contribute to hair loss.

We all know that toxic ingredients are bad but skin irritating ingredients are just as bad - if not worse - given the body’s natural response. If you have ever had scalp irritation from a hair product, you get it. If you ever had to restart your wash day because of an itchy scalp or burning sensation, you get it.

Protecting your self from skin irritation in your haircare routine can be a challenge. One of the best ways you can protect yourself is by knowing the myths so you can avoid them. Here are the 3 Biggest Myths when it comes to irritation in haircare:

Myth No. 1: You will always feel it or see skin irritation.

Classic signs of skin irritation may be redness, itching or a burning sensation. However, it is very common to not have signs at all.  The biggest misconception is that if you are irritated by something then you will feel or see it. This is not true. Many do not feel or see it until skin or follicle damage has already started. That’s right skin irritation may be happening but you do not see it or feel it.

Myth No. 2: Signs of a skin reaction always happen immediately.

It is common for signs of skin irritation to be delayed and not show up until days or weeks after the exposure. This can make identifying the source of the skin irritation hard since you may have used many other ingredients before the skin irritation shows up.

Myth No. 3: A single exposure is all you need to know if you will have a skin reaction.

Actually, more than one exposure to an allergen may be needed for your body to react. It is very common not to have an allergic reaction until after multiple exposures. 

For more information on irritation in haircare, check out our Truly Clean page.