Children's hair is shrouded in mysterious myths, rumors and prejudices more than other parts of the body. For example, most mothers believe that a haircut for a child under one year old can lead to a disruption of the invisible connection between the mother and the child, while others completely believe that the baby, along with the baby's hair, will lose luck, health and well-being in the future. But grandmother's advice be sure to cut a child's hair baldly in a year promises the child a thick and beautiful willow hair.
What is true and what is not, the famous children's doctor knows for sure Evgeny Komarovsky.
About baby hair
Some babies are born with impressive hair, while others are almost bald. It depends on congenital characteristics, as well as on the rate of hair growth during intrauterine development. However, in the first months of life, partial hair loss is considered the norm, because the infant hair of a newborn is gradually changing to more structured hair.
The hair of an infant does not look like an adult, since it does not have a medula, a small microscopic shaft that is responsible for the main function of the hairline - keeping warm. Infant hair, therefore, does not warm his head at all. However, this is not a reason, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, to put on several hats and caps on her. The baby will not freeze, because he has more active blood circulation. A quarter of the blood volume nourishes the brain, and since this process is intense, it is the head that first of all sweats in the little ones.
Myths and truth
- “Hair cannot be cut until a year” is a myth. If the child has thick hair, and the July heat is on the street and the head is sweating, then it is more hygienic and useful to cut the baby. The connection between good luck in the future and the first baby curls has not been proven by anyone, as well as the fact that it is through the hair that the emotional connection between the baby and the mother is carried out.
- “Children’s head should be washed more often with baby soap” - a myth, and a rather dangerous one, warns Yevgeny Komarovsky. Daily washing of the head with soap, even if it is hypoallergenic, for children, can lead to hair loss, and not to their active growth. The doctor recommends washing your hair with detergents no more than once a week.
- “You need to brush your baby's hair more often” is a myth. Often times, brushing, while fun for some children, injures the hair.
- “You need to strengthen your hair with decoctions of herbs” - a myth. Komarovsky calls it a commercially profitable rumor. It is beneficial for manufacturers and sellers of various products based on herbs and fees. Weak hair cannot be strengthened. You don't have to spoil them.
Should I cut my hair in a year?
This question is most often asked to Yevgeny Komarovsky. There are real battles in families on this topic, since dads, who are less susceptible to hoaxes, do not attach due importance to the problem, and mothers are even more worried about it. Parents are interested not only in whether to cut a child's hair per year, but also in where and how to properly dispose of the little one's hair, so that he is not jinxed, "stolen vitality", and offended.
By itself, a haircut for a one-year-old toddler will not harm in any way, says Evgeny Komarovsky. But it is not worth relying on the fact that the hair will begin to grow thick and curly, if up to a year they were thin and straight. Density and thickness of hair, their growth rate, texture and color - all this information is at the genetic level long before the birth of a child.
As soon as the fertilization of the egg has occurred, the set of genes is strictly defined, and it means everything - whether the baby will be brown-haired or blond, and whether his hair will be thick.
Accordingly, cutting or shaving bald can not change anything in the genetic code, and therefore these manipulations do not affect the quality of the hair. Relatives may have the illusion that the hair has become stronger and thicker, because, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, the hairs growing back after a haircut look more voluminous and feel harder to the touch. But this is nothing more than an illusion. Therefore, whether to cut a year or not is up to the parents. If the baby is not cut, nothing terrible will happen, just as no miracle will happen if he is shaved.
Regarding where to put the bobbed hair, Komarovsky advises to use maximum imagination. If you want to bury them under a pear tree in the garden on a full moon, please. If you want to burn, and scatter the ashes over the river - no problem either. Since it has not been proven by medicine that there is at least some connection between the cut hair and the fate of the child. If you really want to find such a connection, it is better to address this issue with healers, magicians or shamans.
Why is the back of the head balding?
This is the second most popular question that Dr. Komarovsky has to answer. Many parents, and even pediatricians, argue that a receding hairline on the back of the head before the age of one is a sign of rickets. Yevgeny Komarovskaya claims that baldness of the occipital part of the head has nothing to do with rickets. It's just that a baby up to 6 months old spends most of his life in a lying position. When he learns to turn his head around, he begins to actively use this new skill. Hair rubs against the bed and is simply wiped off.
Should I wear hats and caps?
If hair falls out all over the head, then the reason may be a lack of vitamins, poor nutrition, as well as chronic overheating of the scalp, which threatens all babies whose parents and grandmothers are accustomed to wearing hats. The caps should be removed so that the scalp begins to "breathe", then, with a great degree of probability, nothing else will need to be done, since the quality of the hair will soon noticeably improve and the loss will stop.
Hats should be avoided during the period of illness of the child. A bonnet at a high temperature can become very dangerous, because the child, according to Komarovsky, simply has nowhere to "dump" excess heat.
Possible problems
The list of pathological disorders in hair growth is quite large, but, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, every mother should know it:
- ringworm (hair falls out a lot, in places the bald patches look like trimmed). A pediatric infectious disease specialist should treat this fungal disease;
- alopecia (hair falls out due to severe immune-allergic pathologies). With this baldness, the hair roots are damaged. A pediatrician and an allergist will treat the disease;
- obsessive-compulsive movement syndrome (the child damages the hair mechanically - winding it on a finger, pulling it out, plucking it out). It rarely needs treatment, often the neurosis goes away on its own, but consultation with a child neurologist, psychologist and psychiatrist will not hurt;
- stress, fears, emotional trauma (hair growth is disturbed at the biochemical level, as well as as a result of vasospasm of the scalp). With a problem, you need to contact a pediatrician and a pediatric neurologist;
- avitaminosis (deficiency of B vitamins and zinc greatly affects hair loss). The problem should be addressed to the pediatrician;
- hypervitaminosis (hair loss and brittleness as a result of vitamin overdose, in particular excessive intake of vitamin A). Discussed with the pediatrician;
- medicinal "side effects" (some medications cause hair problems). The phenomenon is temporary, does not really need treatment, but you can discuss it with your pediatrician;
- hypothyroidism (the scalp suffers from thyroid problems). Endocrinologist treats.
Doctor Komarovsky's advice
The doctor advises not to exaggerate the problems associated with children's hair. The first time it is worth cutting the child when the growing hair begins to cause inconvenience to him or his relatives. If you suspect a disease, go straight to a doctor who knows why, how and why.
Dr. Komarovsky will talk about the problems that children may have with hair, as well as about common prejudices associated with the scalp:
