Hair care is important for everyone, even children. Improper hair care can result in infections and disease. If your child is receiving proper hair care, you can catch many symptoms before they get out of hand. When infections become severe enough, your child may need to seek medical help from his dermatologist or pediatrician to regain a healthy scalp.
Features
Healthy hair will have a shiny appearance, according to KidsHealth website. The reason behind shiny hair is that the hair is clean and the cuticles lie flat which reflect light. When healthy cuticles lie flat, they overlap and provide protection to your scalp from the sun, wind, heat and chlorine. When hair is unhealthy, the cuticles do not lay flat nor provide protection to your scalp.
Significance
Healthy hair is important for many reasons such as providing protection to your scalp. Maintaining a good hair care routine can help your child avoid certain conditions such as head lice, dandruff, fungal infections or psoriasis. Certain conditions such as severe psoriasis can cause your child to lose hair. Head lice is a nuisance because if your child brings it home, the entire family can contract head lice which can cause discomfort.
Effects
Head lice, dandruff and psoriasis all affect the health of your child's scalp. They all have symptoms of itching which if scratched hard enough, can lead to breaking or tearing of skin on the scalp which can result in infection. These scalp conditions can be embarrassing for children, especially when peers are around. Dandruff can cause flakes of skin to shed throughout your child's hair or on her clothes. Other children may make fun of your child if she has head lice.
Warning
Improper hair care can lead to infections of the scalp. When an infection becomes severe enough, your child may experience hair loss which could be permanent hair loss. The infection can get so deep into the hair follicle that it damages the hair follicle which could result in permanent hair loss. Signs of infection can include yellow or green colored fluid discharging from a break in the skin or clear pus oozing from the site.
Considerations
Ensure that your child brushes her hair frequently. Brushing hair on a regular basis helps spread natural oils produced by the hair throughout her entire scalp which can prevent dryness. If she brushes her hair, it can also help reduce tangles, which can cause damage to her hair when severely tangled hair can break or get ripped out of the hair shaft. Ensure she washes her hair on a regular basis to prevent oily or greasy hair. Washing her hair regularly will also reduce the chances of an underlying scalp infection from becoming worse, as it can be easily detected when hair is clean and dry.
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