Punekars, are you facing excessive hair fall? Here’s what might be the reason and solutions
Mehab Qureshi
Pune, September 2, 2020: Hair fall is one of the perennial problems faced by all at some point in their lives or another. In general, many people living in the larger cities like Pune have known to be complaining about the same much more.
Many doctors say that people living in urban areas are prone to hair fall because of the boring hard water supply in the city. According to a report published by Prof Sagar Gawande, the borewell water that we use to wash hair has hardness varying from 210mg/l – 300 mg/l, which can also be considered as one of the major reasons for excessive hair loss.
Hard water contains high amounts of magnesium, silica and calcium, which lead to damage, dryness and weakening of hair. It also leads to dandruff and destroys your hair follicles.
We spoke to Punekars and asked them if they are facing similar issues, here’s what they said, on condition of anonymity
A 21-year-old female, student: I’ve always been prone to hair fall, but it was still manageable and not too bad. Recently, I noticed my hair loss was more than usual — even my sister, who had never had the issue, began experiencing hair fall. At first, I thought it was just my diet or maybe the hair products I was using, so I changed all of it, but it still kept falling a lot. Then, in the last three-four months, the hair fall accelerated, and now my hair is like half the volume it used to be. I usually wash my hair three times a week, but now I have limited it to washing it once a week, or once in ten days because it’s (the hair fall). Now I also have to go to bed with my hair tied because I noticed in the morning there is a lot of hair on the pillow. My hair used to be as thick as the face of a ₹10 coin but now it’s like maybe two pencils held together.
A 23-year-old female, entrepreneur: I feel I am going to be bald in a few days because the hair fall is extreme, and I have decided to stop combing my hair.
A 24-year-old male, content writer: Since the day I started living in Pune, I have been experiencing massive hair loss. I don’t know the reason, but I am assuming it is the water in Pune, because when I went back to my hometown, the problem was solved.
A 23-year-old female, IT professional: It’s been a month now, at first I thought it was because of my stress, but my mother started to encounter the same issue, that’s when it came to my knowledge that it might be the problem with the water.
A 44-year-old female, homemaker: We are experiencing this issue in the family, my two daughters and my husband as well. We all are facing hair loss. We tried switching our diet as well, but that didn’t work.
What do medical expert say?
Dermatologist Dr Shaurya Rohatagi says, “Hard water does aggravate the rate of hair fall and also damages its texture, but should not cause any permanent hair loss. Usually, any individual loses 20 to 100 strands of hair daily and has new hair growth. Any hair in the scalp has a life of 2 to 4 years, after which it falls, the roots remain and take rest for two-three months, aggravate her hair loss and as presumed by you. However, if you are using hard water, use a shampoo with a conditioner.
Hair loss has nothing to do with hard water or soft water or change of location. There are many reasons for hair fall. So first and foremost, we have to find the cause with the help of detailed history and examination. Some of the common causes are nutritional deficiency, hormonal causes like androgenic alopecia or patterned baldness, hypothyroidism, telogen effluvium, etc. Unless we find and treat the reason, there is no point in giving non-specific treatment. Oils or shampoos do not have any effect on hair growth as they are not absorbed in the skin.”
What can be done?
Vinegar is the best for hair — mix one teaspoon of vinegar to 2 cups of water. After shampooing, pour this mixture on to your hair. Massage the scalp and work through your hair and leave it for a couple of minutes, then wash it off. Use it only once a week, as everyday use will make your hair dry.
Lemon can also be used instead of vinegar. Take a tablespoon of lemon juice and add 3 cups of water, and mix well. After shampooing, pour this rinse on to your hair. Massage the scalp and work through your hair and leave it for a couple of minutes, then wash it off.
The best option will be to use a shower filter as it filtrates all the chemicals, reduces limescale, chlorine and many other chemicals from hard water.
