by Maya Vokes-Didier

Created on: May 14, 2009   Last Updated: May 15, 2009

In order to deal with dry hair, you must first find out the cause of the dryness. Every hair type is different, and although there may be commonly recommended tips to treat dry hair, you may first want to ascertain why your hair appears dry in the first place.

From the following mentioned causes, you will see that the reason is often an underlying one, and not a very obvious one.

Some of the common causes of dry hair are:

*Cause no. 1: Dry hair can be one of the symptoms of a condition that you may be ailing from, such as stress, anemia and hormonal imbalances. Even during the premenstrual phase of your monthly cycle, you might find that you are having more 'bad hair days' and skin eruptions. Summer months are known to dry hair up quickly. Sunshine is often the culprit, or it could be the chlorine in the water if you swim.

* Cause no. 2: Frequent shampooing, excessive use of chemicals on the hair - for perming, straightening or coloring, hair dryers and an overuse of styling products are all known to cause dryness of hair.

* Cause no. 3: Excessive use of any hair product, poor quality conditioners, gels and mousses can make your hair first limp and then dry. Shampoo build-up is another common cause of dry hair. This means that using the same brand of shampoo over a long period of time can lead to residual build-up in the hair.

* Cause no. 4: Poor diet. Eating the wrong foods and avoiding healthy foods that are good for your hair and skin are habits that can lead to hair damage . Junk foods, high in carbohydrates and fat, lead not only to bad skin but to bad hair too.

* Cause no. 5: Quality of water. This is one cause of dry hair that is often overlooked. The alkalinity of the water that you use to wash your hair plays a large role in the condition of your hair. Just like how chlorine in the swimming pool water is known to cause hair damage, similarly the ingredients in your tap water can also cause drying of hair.

Of course, the above is certainly not a comprehensive list. There could be other medical conditions that lead to brittle, dry hair; or it can be a combination of any of the above, or the unsuitability of a certain drug or medication you are on.

Tips to deal with the above

Having seen some of the common causes, now let us take a look at how to deal with them and address your problem of dry hair.

~ Cause no. 1: Treat the ailment, be it stress or anemia. Take the required supplements, such as evening primrose oil or vitamin B6 capsules, for treating premenstrual

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