Have you been stressed lately, and are your scalp and hair suffering along with your mental state? No, it’s not just your imagination. There is a connection between stress and scalp health. The best part is that it is not just our word as a hair and scalp spa; there is science to back it up. Why? Stress affects every part of your body, including the skin on your scalp.

How Stress Can Affect Your Scalp

When you feel stressed, your body releases hormones, including cortisol, the stress hormone. These hormones help you handle short-term stress situations, which is known as the fight-or-flight response.

Yet, chronic stress can cause hormones to start wreaking havoc on the body, including the scalp. Stress has a direct impact on oil production in the scalp. Stress hormones trigger the sebaceous glands, causing them to produce more oil.

Our hair wellness spa has seen some clients with oily hair and scalps due to stress. This contributes to common scalp issues, such as seborrheic dermatitis or dandruff, which thrive in oily environments.

Yet, some also experience the opposite, as the stress disrupts the natural moisture barrier, resulting in dryness and flaking. Furthermore, it affects the immune system, which is essential for maintaining skin health.

When the immune system becomes vulnerable, it can affect the scalp, triggering inflammatory issues that may lead to itchiness, redness, or sensitivity. Thus, the relationship between scalp conditions and stress, such as seborrheic dermatitis, is well-documented.

Furthermore, the connection between stress and scalp health is that it can trigger the telogen effluvium condition, resulting in hair shedding after a stressful event. It can also cause pattern hair loss or thinning of the hair.

Stress-Related Scalp Issues

So, how do you know that stress is causing problems with your scalp health? While our stylists can provide a scalp treatment analysis, you can notice several signs indicating stress affects your scalp.

Sudden Change In Your Scalp

The most obvious indicator is sudden changes in scalp appearance during stressful periods. These can include dryness, oiliness, itching, redness, or flaking that you did not have before. Furthermore, if you have a problem-free scalp, these sudden changes are noticeable even during troubling times.

Increased Hair Shedding

When hair shedding increases, it is also a sign of stress. You usually shed 50 to 100 hairs daily, but the number can increase with telogen effluvium. You may notice more hair on your brush, a lot of hair on your pillow, or in the shower drain. When you address your stress, it is usually temporary.

Scalp Tension or Tightness

These signs are connected to stress and are similar to holding stress in your jaw or shoulders. The scalp muscles become contracted, which can lead to discomfort as they restrict blood flow to your hair follicles. With reduced circulation, the hair receives less oxygen, resulting in a lack of nutrients and impacting growth.

Scalp Sensitivity

Your scalp can also become sensitive to certain hair care products. Products you once used may suddenly cause redness, stinging, or a burning sensation.

Science And Your Scalp And Stress

When you look at your skin, it’s not just a passive barrier, but an active organ with an immune, endocrine, and nervous system. When you experience stress, your body activates the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis.

These are interactions between three glands regulating different body reactions, including how you respond to stress. They lead to the release of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline). We found that stress hormones and hair loss have an established relationship, as they can affect the growth cycle of hair follicles.

Furthermore, stress can affect the scalp microbiome, which consists of microorganisms. Under normal circumstances, the microbiome is balanced to support scalp health. But when stress disrupts it, it results in an imbalance that triggers issues and inflammation.

Conversely, it can affect blood flow in your scalp, causing hair follicles to receive fewer nutrients and oxygen, and thus, affecting hair production.

How To Relieve Your Stress For Better Scalp Health?

Now that you know the connection between stress and scalp health, you can use stress management techniques to keep your scalp and mind healthy.

Get Active

Regular exercise reduces stress by lowering stress hormones, which stimulates the production of endorphins. The exercise increases blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to your hair when you look at your scalp.

Meditation And Deep Breathing

Sitting and meditating while practicing deep breathing can help reduce cortisol levels and promote calmness. It can also help break the stress cycle leading to scalp issues.

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for stress and scalp health. While sleeping, the body repairs itself, including skin cells and hair follicles.

Relaxation Therapy

Relaxation therapy can take many forms, such as professional scalp treatment for hair and scalp health. One practical approach is to get the best scalp massage, either by us or at home.

A scalp massage helps improve blood circulation in the scalp and provides instant relief from scalp tension. It also helps release feel-good hormones and provides nutrients to the hair. At Haste, our scalp therapy in Medford, MA, includes a massage to help promote relaxation and promote a healthy scalp.

Social Connection

Another powerful way to reduce stress, often overlooked, is social connection. Sharing your problems with friends, family, or a therapist can reduce stress and relieve emotions.

Care Tips For a Stressed Scalp

Having a regular hair care routine helps with stress-affected scalps, but it will need some adjustments, as seen here:

1. Be gentle when you wash your hair, as over-washing strips away the natural oils that protect your scalp. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and adjust your scalp needs based on whether the stress makes your scalp drier or oilier.
2. Avoid hot water, as it irritates your scalp and strips away your natural oils. Instead, use lukewarm water and finish with a cool rinse to close the hair cuticles and reduce inflammation.
3. Choose your hair care products wisely and look for soothing ingredients like oat extract, aloe vera, or chamomile.
4. Visit us for a scalp exfoliating treatment to remove dead skin cells clogging hair follicles. We will gently perform the treatment, which you can do at home once a week.
5. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated, and use a hydrating treatment on your scalp only if needed.
6. Lastly, wear a hat or hair sunscreen to protect your scalp from stressors.

Visit Us For Professional Stress-Related Scalp Treatments

While you can do some of the best self-care treatments at home for your scalp, getting professional scalp treatment from us can benefit you.

Our hair and scalp spa offers professional treatments to address scalp stress. Your treatment will start with an analysis of your problems and their causes.

We will then recommend the best treatment for oily hair, dandruff, itchiness, and hair loss. We also use gentle scrubs, serums, masks, and shampoos best suited for your needs. Many customers find regular scalp treatment helps with their stress management routine.

Furthermore, managing the connection between stress and scalp health addresses immediate and long-term problems.

Wrap-Up: Your Stress and Scalp Health Journey Starts Here

When you understand the connection between stress and scalp health, you take the first step toward positive change.

Observing how your scalp responds during stressful times and identifying the symptoms can help you develop strategies to care for your needs.

You can only benefit by implementing the stress-reduction methods discussed and adding a scalp care routine.

Also, consider scheduling the best scalp treatment in Boston with us to help address your current scalp condition and enjoy a relaxing massage to relieve tension. Start your journey to a healthier scalp today.

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