Top Environmental Stressors That Impact Hair, Skin, & Nails

Keeping your hair, skin, and nails looking and feeling beautiful all year long can be quite a challenging task. Even though it’s super important to be mindful of the kinds of products you use, it’s just as important to be wary of environmental factors that can have an impact on your natural beauty. 

It can all be a lot to keep up with, but here are some of the most common variables that you can avoid or protect yourself against. 

Cold weather 

Depending on where you live, entering cold temperatures can be inevitable. Cold air tends to dry outeverything, including your hair, skin, and nails. Have you been holding off on using those super moisturizing products on your skin and hair? Winter is the best time to give them a try! Hats, scarves, and hoods are also useful for eliminating the amount of skin directly exposed to the cold.Tip:If you know you’ll be wearing gloves outside, apply a rich hand cream first. Not only will this protect against frigid temperatures, but it’ll help to seal in the moisture. Cold weather can even dry out cuticles, taking away from the health of your nails. 

Pollutants 

Not only are air pollutants bad for the environment, but they also have negative effects for your hair, skin, and nails. Various pollutants such as smog, vehicle exhaust, and dust can cause early signs of aging, rashes, skin irritation, and sensitivities (1). When your hair, skin, and nails are exposed to these types of chemicals and particles, it’s nearly impossible for these areas of our health and beauty to remain in their most healthy state. To avoid the damaging effects of our environment, be sure to properly cleanse your hair, skin, and nails, as well as incorporate supplements into your daily routine that specifically fight against free radicals - especially if you live in a densely populated city where pollutants are abundant. Do you prefer a super tasty gummy as opposed to taking a pill everyday? TryHair Hair, our delicious peach-flavored supplement to support healthy hair, skin, and nails!

Hard water

If your tap water has a high concentration of minerals, then this means that you have “hard water.” Despite it’s unpleasant taste, it’s actually pretty safe to drink. However, there are a variety of e in ffects that hard water can have on your hair, skin, and nails. If you’ve been showering with hard water for an extended period of time, you’re likely to experience a buildup on your skin, which can lead to irritation (2). Remember, overall skin irritation also applies to your scalp. A dry, itchy scalp is often linked to dryer hair and long-term breakage. Hard water is especially damaging to your nails. Over time, hard water can actually break down the nail bed, making the nails brittle and flaky (3). Also, it’s important to note that dry nail beds can lead to stunted nail growth.

So, what can you do to eliminate hard tap water? There are simple at-home tests that can test whether or not you have hard water running from your faucets. If you do, some filters can attach to your showerheads so that you’re cleansing with purified water. 

UV rays 

As we approach warmer weather, be careful of how much sun exposure you receive. Not only are UV rays harmful to your skin, but the heat too can damage your hair. Plus, humid weather causes your hair cuticles to open up, allowing moisture to escape, which might cause frizz. 

If you begin to notice unpleasant changes in your hair, skin, and nails, it might not necessarily be caused by your products or styling techniques. Be observant of your surroundings - you may notice something you can improve to achieve your beauty goals! 

Sources:

1. https://www.venta-air.com/en_us/astonishing-ways-pollution-damaging-skin/#:~:text=Air%20Pollution%20IS%20Damaging%20Your,decreased%20elasticity%2C%20and%20accelerated%20aging. 

2. https://www.raynewater.com/blog/a-guide-to-the-effects-of-hard-water-on-skin/#:~:text=Hard%20water%20has%20long%20been,in%20areas%20with%20hard%20water. 

3. https://www.culligan.com/blog/what-your-tap-water-could-be-doing-to-your-hair-skin-and-nails#:~:text=The%20minerals%20found%20in%20hard,the%20growth%20of%20your%20nails.