Shampoo commercials portray a world full of beautiful people with shiny, bouncy, smooth hair. If you suffer from dry, coarse hair, don't despair. Dry hair can be the result of a medical condition or from how you treat your hair. Whatever the cause, you can take steps to restore your hair to a shiny, healthy condition.
Heat
Blasting your hair with blow dryers, rolling it on hot curlers and curling irons or pressing it in a flat iron can dry out hair and leave it dull and coarse. Too much heat can damage the hair cuticle. Avoid using heat too often on your hair. When you blow-dry, use a cooler setting and avoid focusing the dryer on one spot too long. You can also buy sprays or leave-in products designed to protect your hair when you use heated styling products.
Chemicals
Shampooing too often with harsh shampoos strips natural oils from the hair and can leave it too dry. Using permanent waves and chemical straighteners can damage the hair, especially if they're left on the hair too long or used to often. Combinations of drying treatment, such as permanent waves and hair dye and blow drying, can strip your hair of natural oils and damage hair. The Drexel University College of Medicine advises shampooing your hair only once or twice a week and adding conditions to restore moisture to dry hair.
Hypothyroidism
If your thyroid produces too little thyroid hormone, you suffer from hypothyroidism. Coarse, dry hair is one symptom of hypothyroidism. A doctor will perform a blood test to diagnose the condition. Taking thyroid hormones to replace those the thyroid gland doesn't produce on its own can correct the condition.
Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder in which a person severely limits his intake of food, deprives the body of necessary nutrition. This can result in dry, coarse hair, or even hair loss. Addressing the underlying causes of anorexia and resuming a proper diet will correct this.
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