How Being Hydrated Helps Keep Hair Growing Healthy

When you hear about keeping hydrated for healthy hair, it can either mean hydrating your locks with hair masks and oils, or keeping your body hydrated so your scalp and follicles can grow healthy hair. Both are important, but in order to keep the hair you see healthy, you need to first focus on where it develops in your body which may require proper hydration.

When your body is hydrated it can keep a steady blood pressure which allows your red blood cells to transport oxygen via iron and essential nutrients to your scalp and follicles. In addition to transporting oxygen, iron has been seen to impact keratin formation, and assists the cells in producing new hair.

Not drinking enough water can dry out your scalp causing it to become itchy. When you scratch your scalp you can also cause unnatural breakage which may make you think you're suffering from hair loss. The hair loss may not be naturally occurring, and if dehydration is the cause, drinking more water may help hydrate your scalp causing it to no longer be dry and itch.

This study from the NIH showed that drinking enough water keeps skin like your scalp having a proper water balance. When your skin and scalp are hydrated there’s less scratching and less irritation. When you scratch your scalp you can accidentally rip out hair making it appear to be thinning.

The scratching can also damage follicles and although hair follicles can self repair, they don’t grow the same texture and healthy hair they did when they were healthy. Furthermore, it can take up to four years for follicles to start regrowing.

Keeping hydrated is easy, it's a matter of tracking your intake and you can do this by filling a water bottle and adding a line for where it should be at a specific time, or substituting soda, juices, and snack coffees for a glass of water throughout the day.

The Mayo Clinic recommends about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. It sounds like a lot, but once you get in the habit of drinking water instead of snack beverages, you’ll be on your way to proper hydration in no time.

There’s two types of hydration when it comes to healthy hair, the strands themselves and body hydration to keep your scalp and follicles healthy. When they are healthy, they can grow healthy hair, and this starts when you track your daily intake.