Do Helmets Make Dandruff Worse?
Sorry guys, but this is 100% true. In the same way wet, smelly socks can lead to Athlete’s foot, wearing a motorcycle helmet speeds up the fungal growth that causes dandruff by up to 30%.
Dandruff is simply a reaction between oils and fungus on your scalp that cause irritation. So think about it. You wear your helmet all day long on an epic road trip. It is smelly, moist and downright nasty in there especially on hot days. Chances you can cause dandruff? Yep, totally plausible. The result: dryness, itchiness, and ultimately the flaking away of skin cells. The flakes may be the part most people find embarrassing, but the itching is the part that can drive you to the brink. Speaking of…
Perhaps an itch is not dangerous. Imagine if you had a crazy itch while you were on the freeway doing 70 mph on a motorcycle, wearing a helmet and need to take care of it? Either you lose concentration and try jingle your head around on the more or you’re looking for some place to pull over. Both dangerous.
What is dandruff?
Dandruff is very small pieces of dead skin, seen as a white dust in a person’s hair. This process is completely normal in small quantities. However, when skin cells die in a larger amount of flaking, it becomes unacceptable. Dandruff also brings itch. It can cause social or self-esteem problems, indicating treatment for both psychological and physiological reasons. The cause of dandruff may lie in frequent exposure, extreme heat, humidity or cold. Besides, dry skin or not cleaning often, scrubbing too much, using unsuitable shampoo for sensitive hair skin are the most common causes of dandruff.
Dandruff and Your Helmet
There are many ways that your hair can get dandruff, so why is wearing a helmet a factor involved to this problem? In fact, wearing a helmet frequently or for a long time will cause your dandruff to be worse. It is because that the inside condition as well as humidity and temperature become more perfect for dandruff development after you wear the helmet just a few minutes.
Meanwhile, your travelling on a motorcycle never ends in a short time like that. Once the dead skin flakes and stuck in your hair, it still lay in the inside of your helmet. Time passes by and this will increase bacteria inside your helmet. The itch will increase and your annoyance will become worse too. Moreover, the moment you doff your helmet and recognize that white dust sticks all over your shoulder, you will want to throw dandruff away by any way.
What is Dandruff and Why is it Worse for Helmet Wearers?
Dandruff is your scalp’s natural process of shedding its dead / redundantskin cells. This process is quite normal in moderation. Dandruff can be caused by by frequent exposure to extreme heat, humidity and/or cold so dandruff is a common complaint for frequent wearers of helmets, hats and other types of headgear.
As skin cells die a small amount of flaking is normal in any person but when this becomes excessive it can cause embarrassment as a minimum. It can also make exacerbate itch which in turn can make the dandruff itself worse.
What Problems Does Dandruff cause for Helmet Wearers?
Generally wearing a helmet – especially frequently or for long periods of time – will cause your dandruff to be worse. This is because after a few minutes wearing the helmet, the inside conditions; temperature and humidity are perfect for exacerbating the dandruff condition. It will also be more difficult to get rid of dandruff if you frequently wear a helmet, hat or other type of headwear.
Here are a few of the problems that dandruff causes for helmet wearers: –
i) Dandruff flakes (dead skin) lining the inside of your helmet
Over time this increases the bacterial build-up inside your helmet. This will increase itch, irritation and cause odor to become worse too.
ii) Increased scalp itchiness
Always a safety issue – itch causes distraction. Distraction can have severe consequences. Best thing is to stop scalp itch with Menthogen Scalp Itch Spray and Menthogen Shampoo. Don’t waste time sorting this one out.
iii) Embarrassment when helmet removed
There is nothing worse than getting the nickname ‘Flakey’ or ‘Snowflake’ from your ‘friends’ down at bike meets. Removing your helmet can reveal the extent of your dandruff as you shower your shoulders with your flakey mess!
How to stop dandruff
It is vital to identify the root causes of dandruff when wearing a helmet before finding a cure for this problem. Three main causes come from: the response of your scalp to inside helmet conditions, static build up and new helmet lining. When finding out what cause your dandruff, you will have the most effective method.
Firstly, you should recognize your type of itch. Is it from your helmet or other sources?
Secondly, remember to keep the lining of your helmet clean. Because, this is the inside part, it’s not usually maintained the hygiene.
Thirdly, you can use a low irritant shampoo to protect your scalp from the risk of infection. This kind of shampoo uses a combination of special ingredients to control dandruff.
Finally, bring replacement liners and scalp stimulant while travelling not to get any interruption.
Tips
- Consider hair length: It can be a factor that may contribute to the development of dandruff and itch. Long hair can tend to increase the humidity and temperature inside the helmet.
- Avoid dried hair products: This kind can cause scalp annoyance when using a helmet
- Do not scratch: This will make your dandruff worse. If you scratch with fingertips, it causes microscopic lesions in your scalp’s delicate surface. And when you wear a helmet after that, bacteria from the lining can break into through these lesions. This makes the itch worse.
- Do not try to reach the itch inside the helmet while you travel. If it is distracting, you should stop and then go on.
- Try to avoid the direct sunlight to your scalp for a long time. If not, it can make the scalp dry and easier to peel.
- Usually clean your helmet and wear it only when you need.
- Choosing the right size for your helmet, especially do not use one that is too tight for you
Wearing a helmet makes dandruff worse. Yes, this is perfectly true. But just feel free and think about the following information. Wearing socks can make sweat worse. It is the same way as dandruff. If you still wear socks every day to protect your feet as well as get exiting minutes when taking part in sports activities, there is no reason why you cannot wear your helmet on the motorcycle and rev the engine. Nothing can obstruct your speed. So, goodbye dandruff!
