Yumi:

It has been hot everyday these days. It is a big issue for us to deal with hair and scalp under this conditions.

 

Hama-chan:

Do you know that scalp has the most sebum in our body, two times more than underarm?

Yumi:

Really? I didn’t know that.

 

Hama-chan:

Yes, scalp has a lot of sebum in normal condition, and it gets worse in summer because we sweat a lot.

Today I would like to discuss about this issue.

 

Yumi:

OK. I will listen to you carefully.

 

 

Hama-chan:

First of all, let me explain how we have scalp odor; the reason is bacteria. If our scalp is totally clean, it should not smell even when sweating. When we have some dirt on our scalp which we could not clean by shampoo, then it breeds bacteria which causes the smell of scalp.

 

Yumi:

That sounds real…

 

Hama-chan:

Scalp has a lot of pores which are relatively large in size, it is easy for body waste such as dandruff and hair care products to be left inside. Then, this waste are oxidized and stuck in pores, it causes the breed of bacteria.

If you do not dry your hair after shampoo, it makes an environment for bacteria and mold to grow with high humidity. This is why we have odor problem during the season like wet laundry can have odor.

 

Yumi:

OK. That explains well.

 

Hama-chan:

We tend to have more problem during summer than winter due to the humidity which accelerate the growth of bacteria. Therefore, we need to wash well with shampoo and then dry hair quickly with a hair dryer.

 

Yumi:

OK. We should not leave the hair wet. Sometime I leave my hair wet and dry while I am riding bicycle, which is not a good idea.

 

Hama-chan:

That is not a good idea at all!

Some people say that if you wash hair too much with strong shampoo, it increases the sebum. However, this kind of experiment is often done by men who have very short hair.

For women who have certain hair length, it is difficult to wash their hair until the scalp get dry completely.

Therefore, you should wash your hair about twice a week with shampoo which has a good washing power to keep your hair and scalp clean. It can be a good DIY head spa.

 

Yumi:

OK. Do you have any advise for drying hair?

 

Hama-chan:

You should dry completely from the root of hair, which prevent bacteria to grow due to humidity.

In addition, I give you a good tip.

 

Yumi:

I am waiting for your tip.

 

Hama-chan:

You can massage with facial cleaning oil when hair is dry, then shampoo after. By this way, you can clean your scalp well.

 

Yumi:

Wow! That is a new way to do it.  I will try today. Thank you very much for your lecture.

 

Lecturer: Yuichi Hamaguchi

Hair Salon: Cura