Dealing With A Tender Head!
When I was young, I would hate getting my hair done. I remember getting my hair braided for a protective style and despising how much it hurt! At the time, I didn’t know that there was a word for this, but my mom used to always joke around about how tender I was when it came to getting my hair done.
Eventually, I realized that I was tender headed, and needed to have hairstyles that wouldn’t tug too much on my hair. After understanding just how tender my head was, I decided to make sure that my hair wasn’t braided too tight, and that my wigs were too tight either. My sister also has a sensitive head when getting her hair done. It’s safe to say that my mother was annoyed that both of her thick haired daughters were also extremely sensitive.
It’s not easy to achieve hairstyles when your head is tender and delicate. Also, it’s essential to know that tenderness lies on a scale. This means that not everyone will have the same kind of sensitivity. Also, it means that those with extremely sensitive heads will have to take extreme measures.
Let’s talk about the different ways you can check to see if you’re tender headed.
Tender Head? Get Into The Facts!
There are a variety of things to look for when it comes to understanding tenderness. Pain isn’t the only thing to watch out for regarding tenderness. Other factors come into play regarding tenderness.
For example, does your hair easily come out when it’s being manipulated? Are you noticing that your scalp is usually red and irritable? These may be signs of you having a tense head of hair.
The annoying thing about being tender headed is that is can prevent you from enjoying your favorite hairstyles. Most people assume that you’re just born with tenderness, but there are plenty of different things that can create tenderness.
It’s essential that you look out for these five culprits. The more that you engage in these five behaviors, the more likely you will be tender.
Let’s get into it!
Too Tight Hairstyles!
Too tight hairstyles can affect your hair in many ways. You don’t have to wear tight hairstyles all the time for it to change your hair. All it can take is one hairstyle for your scalp to become sore and irritated. However, if you wear tight hairstyles all the time, then your head has probably become extremely tender over the years.
Are you pulling your hair up into a tight bun every day as a protective style? You may think it's saving your ends, but these types of styles can also be wreaking havoc on your scalp. Ponytails, braids, and buns that pull too tightly, unfortunately, lead to extra stress on the scalp. This, in return, can cause scalp soreness, breakage, premature hair removal from your follicles, and ultimately equals bald spots.
The solution isn’t to stop wearing tight hairstyles entirely but to loosen them up a bit. When you get any hairstyle, you want to make sure that nothing is too tight.
You should be able to move your head around without pain. Tight hairstyles can lead to breakage, hair loss and trauma to follicles. The easiest way to ease soreness of the scalp is to massage it with a little oil.
During your wash day, massage your scalp lightly as your different use products. Be gentle on your hair moving forward.
Excessive Hair Manipulation
Tugging on your hair too often is considered excessive hair manipulation. Manipulation can be anything from changing your hairstyles too often, to playing with your hair regularly throughout the day. Essentially, the hair tugging, hair pulling, and hair stretching to bend it to your will cause soreness in the long run. Let's not forget, breakage and unnecessary hair loss.
You want to make sure that you don’t manipulate your hair too much. Hair manipulation can cause tenderness of the scalp, breakage, and unnecessary hair loss. It’s critical that you’re gentle with your hair.
Breaking your lousy hair habits may be the best thing for you.
Dirty Scalp
Believe it or not, a dirty scalp is a situation that can cause your head to be incredibly tender. If you’re natural, you most likely use conditioner for just about everything. There’s nothing wrong with using conditioner to clean or to moisturize your hair. However, every once in awhile, we need to use a clarifying product.
A clarifying product will be able to remove excess buildup from your hair. Build-up can suffocate the hair follicle which leads to soreness. Eventually, it can lead to hair loss as well. You can consider apple cider vinegar rinses and different treatments besides clarifying shampoos to remove any buildup.
Make sure that you’re checking your hair often for an excess buildup of dirt.
Chronic Skin Conditions
Many different skin conditions can affect the tenderness of your scalp. Some of the primary conditions include psoriasis, eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis.
These conditions result in dry flakes, patches on the scalp, and scales. These conditions may also cause itchiness and soreness which then creates a soft head.
A quick solution for these symptoms is to use rich oils such as jojoba, or tea tree oil. These oils will lift dead skin flakes, and help prevent infection.
Inflammation or Irritation
Even if you don’t wear tight hairstyles, clarify regularly and don’t have any skin conditioners, you can still react to a product that causes sensitivity. The ingredients in hair products can be harmful to the condition of our scalps.
Make sure that you check the ingredient labels for artificial chemicals, fragrances, alcohols, and more. If any of your favorite products have harmful ingredients, you’ll need to swap them.
Don’t worry; there are plenty of alternatives out there for you to try. Also, you can quickly make deep conditioners right in the comfort of your home.
Many of the ingredients are right in your fridge.
Tenderness Shouldn’t Stop You!
You should consult with a physician if you find that your head is exceptionally tender despite your best efforts. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone even if you don’t think it’s something serious.
We all want our hair to be healthy. For us to do that, we need to make it our first and top priority. You don’t have to stop exploring the versatility of your hair just because you have a tender head. Make sure you check to see if any of the five topics above are the cause of your soreness.
Take care of your hair by letting it breathe before manipulating it further. Don’t use products that have harsh chemicals.
If you have a condition, consult with your doctor. Treat your hair with the utmost care and your soreness should subside.
