If you are living in Arizona, you may be struggling with not only dry scalp, but also dry and brittle hair. Whether you have lived in a dry heat climate your whole life, or you moved from cool humidity, you understand the struggle of lacking moisture. I am going to go over the dry heat, UV rays, and hard water that are the main culprits to your dryness, and how to prevent it while promoting moisture.
Dry heat climates make it hard to retain hydration and moisture in your skin and hair because moisture quickly evaporates. The average humidity level in Arizona is around 20% which is very low, meaning there is not enough moisture in the air to maintain moisture in anything. This will lead to a dry itchy scalp and weak brittle hair, especially on your ends where your hair is already more fragile. The dry heat acts as a dehumidifier, pulling heat from your hair, and disrupts your scalps skin barrier making it hard to retain moisture. To maintain hydration and moisture, first make sure you are properly hydrated, drinking lots of water and electrolytes. Serum can help with adding hydration to the skin, which you most likely lack living in a dry state. You can also seal in moisture by massaging a Kayhairapy Oil on your scalp after washing. Washing and deep conditioning with products that focus on hydration and moisture on a more frequent basis that works for you (do not go longer than 2 weeks). This will allow you to rehydrate and moisturize before dryness occurs. If you are someone that doesn't wash your hair on a more frequent basis, misting your hair every few days with water and/or leave in conditioner helps replenish moisture and hydration in-between wash days. After implementing this into your regimen, listen to your scalp and hair to determine what works best for you!
Hard water is water that has high mineral content. Unfortunately, Arizona's hard water levels range between 8-38 GPG (grains per gallon), depending on the city. An optimal water hardness level is between 3-7 GPG. Calcium, magnesium and iron are the minerals found in Arizona water, when mixed with soaps will create a buildup. The perfect visual is the soap scum in your shower, or the crusty white residue around your faucet. This water also creates a buildup on your hair making it dry due to the buildup coating your hair strands. Because of the coating, it blocks your hair from absorbing moisture, making it dry, brittle and draws out moisture from your skin which also results in dry, flaky, itchy scalp. Using a clarifying shampoo once a month can remove mineral deposits from the hair preventing that build up that blocks out moisture. A water softener lowers the GPG in your water, which will put you in the optimal range, preventing dryness. It's important to know that a shower head filter does not act as a softer as it does not filter minerals, it filters chlorine. To determine the hardness in your water you can simply search your city's water hardness or use a water hardness test kit. If you have been using hard water and your hair is very dry, limp and feels waxy you can consider using a chelating shampoo which is created to remove mineral build up from the hair. You can use it for 2-3 consecutive washes or as long as needed and let it sit for a couple minutes before rinsing to remove stubborn build up. Chelating shampoo should only be used to remove build up, once removed use a clarifying shampoo once a month.
UV rays in the dry, hot states are drastically more intense than states with cooler humid climates. So, if you are living in the desert our hair and scalp are definitely taking a hit. Fun fact; our hair's biological purpose is to protect our head from the sun. Think back to a time when hats were not a thing, our ancestor's hair was not an aesthetic, but a natural form of protection. Nowadays, we have become so emotionally attached to our hair, we will do whatever it takes to grow it long and healthy despite the true purpose. If you are someone who wants longer hair, you'll want to protect the oldest parts of your hair which is about five inches from the scalp and longer. Because this region on the hair is a few years old, it’s naturally more fragile and the sun can weaken it even more. The sun can weaken your hairs protein, interrupts the moisture barrier, increase porosity and moisture loss. Sun exposure is inevitable, especially in sunny states. Sun exposure is actually important for the body to produce vitamin D, because if you are deficient it can lead to hair loss. The best approach to protecting your hair from the UV rays is to use hair products that contain UV Protection. Some natural ingredients that most of us have at home us Olive oil, and green tea.
The desert is beautiful! Arizona's population is constantly growing, so more and more people are experiencing the effects of living in a dry heat climate. You do have to overcompensate to maintain moisture, it takes more initiative, but it is possible. Once you implement these things in your hair care routine, allow at least 3 to 6 months to notice the results. I wish you the best of luck on your hair journey in the Sonoran Dessert.
If you need guidance on product recommendations to promote moisture retention, or protect your hair from UV rays, check out my recommended products: Moisture Retention Essentials
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