“When you’re stressed and you increase cortisol, then you can certainly increase oil production as well,” says Dr. No matter how well prepared you are, flying is always a stressful situation. Oil production increases when you’re stressed because the glands that make oil and sebum have hormone receptors on them, and cortisol is a fight-or-flight hormone that our bodies produce when we’re stressed. stress.
Another reason your hair might be greasy after a flight is that you’re stuck in one spot with limited airflow.
“When you sit in the same position for a short time, you are probably wearing headphones — there can be a build-up of sebum and oil,” says Dr. “And you’re not exposed to that kind of outside air, so there’s theoretical risk of a build-up that just contributes to the greasy look.”
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Finally, there’s a chance that the dry air in the cabin could cause your scalp to overcompensate and produce more oil, but Dr Garshick says this is highly unlikely during the flight.
How to prevent greasy hair after a flight
Unfortunately, prevention is difficult. In some ways, this stress-induced oil production is inevitable because so many of the stressors that pop up around flying are beyond your control. However, do your best to keep stress levels low while flying. Give yourself plenty of time to get through the airport and bring activities that can help you stay calm, like a good book. If the problem has more to do with being stuck in one place, there’s not much you can do to change the feeling of being stuck in the middle of the aisle to keep your hair moving (which is a bit extreme).
Your best bet? Apply a little dry shampoo, such as Living Proof Perfect hair Day (PhD) Dry Shampoo ($30), before take off to try to absorb the oil as it builds up. Just make sure you wash your hair before your flight, because if you get on a plane with a build-up of dry shampoo for days, it can get even greasy. “The challenge with dry shampoo is that while it’s doing what it can to absorb excess oil over a period of time, if it’s really replacing washing your hair over a period of a few days, you’ll be fine. get such a permanent hairstyle. Oil accumulates and can cause irritation and inflammation,” says Dr. Garshick.
Overall, try not to be too hard on yourself. Traveling is a stressful situation, and if the worst that happens is your hair is a bit greasy, you’re in good shape.
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