Crowning Glory

As She Sets Out To Transform Her Lacklustre Strands Into A Silky, Voluminous Mane, Aleksandra Crapanzano Discovers The Secret To Healthy Hair Lies In Fighting Back Against Inflammation
 

- Amy Starr, Janna Johnson O'Toole

“I’M NOT HAVING A BAD HAIR DAY; I’m having a bad hair year,” I say, nervously fidgeting under the expert strand-examining fingers of New York dermatologist Dr Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas. My fortysomething hair has been looking dull and stringy for longer than I care to remember. While my friends may bemoan the advent of wrinkles, I yearn for the lush mane of my youth, and the way it bounced with natural vitality when I twirled on the dance floor.

I’m not alone. Alexiades-Armenakas has seen a recent spike in the number of female patients who’ve come in because their hair has lost its lustre and their scalp has become itchy and sensitive. In my case, one of the culprits turns out to be my frequent use of dry shampoo to prolong blowdrys and increase volume. Dry shampoo is meant to be brushed out minutes after application, but much of the fine powder settles on the scalp, where it remains until being washed away. “It clogs the follicles,” Alexiades-Armenakas explains. “Yeast [which can thrive on an unclean scalp] feeds on keratin and causes inflammation. It’s probably short-term. But if you have a predisposition to hair loss, you could permanently damage your follicles. Keep it clean!” It sounds too simple, but at a glance at Alexiades-Armenakas’s cascade of thick, shiny hair tells me she’s onto something. She also suggests I take a daily spoonful of flaxseed oil: “All my patients who are on it get regrowth and phenomenal hair quality.” Flaxseed is high in Alpha-Linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid known for its formidable anti-inflammatory properties. And inflammation, it seems, is at the literal root of my problem.