Your hair says a lot about you, but whether you’re rocking a bob, cornrows or a bun, we all have bad hair days from time to time.
To help you out, we’ve researched the most common hair concerns in the UK to find out the problems you need help with and asked an expert to give their advice on overcoming each issue.
Using Google search data, we analysed the most popular questions and phrases relating to hair issues - check out the key findings from our research below.
Dandruff is the Most Common Hair Issue in the UK
Our study has revealed that dandruff is the most common hair concern in the UK.
It seems many people are scratching their heads when it comes to getting rid of the problem with questions including ‘How to get rid of dandruff?’ and ‘What causes dandruff?’ being asked to Google over 90,000 times each month in the UK.
Dry hair is the second most common issue for people living in the UK with questions including ‘Best dry hair treatment?’ and ‘Best Shampoo for dry hair?’ being searched over 85,000 times per month.
We also found that length does matter, with more than 76,000 searches for queries including ‘Why is my hair not growing?’ and ‘How to make your hair grow faster.’
Check out the top eight hair problems below.
As well as being the top hair concern for the UK as a whole, dandruff is also the biggest problem for people living in many counties including Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire and Berkshire. However, there were several counties where dry hair was even more of a problem including Merseyside, Greater London and Derbyshire, whilst struggling to grow their hair is the number one concern for people living in Rutland.
How Can You Treat and Prevent the UK's Most Common Hair Problems?
With so many people across the UK suffering from the hair problems highlighted in our study, we asked a hair expert for their top tips on preventing and treating them.
Nicola Johnston
Nicola is our resident haircare expert and hairstylist at 81 Rose Garden in Staffordshire with over seven years of experience in the hair and beauty industry.
What causes Dandruff and How can you Treat it?
A common cause of dandruff is simply not shampooing enough, resulting in your scalp producing excess oil which turns into oily yellow flakes.
Dandruff is often confused with a ‘Dry Scalp’ but both are very different. The majority of the time dandruff is very treatable with good hygiene methods and regular washing of your hair.
Very mild dandruff is often easily treated with a gentle daily shampoo, or for more severe cases, an anti-fungal treatment could be prescribed to you by your doctor or pharmacist.
What Causes Dry Hair and How can you Treat it?
Dry hair is often caused by environmental factors such as spending lots of time in dry, hot or windy climates which can cause excessive drying out of the hair.
Poor physical health can also have a big impact on your hair whilst certain medications can change hair texture and feel.
To prevent dry and treat dry hair, avoid washing your hair daily as this can dry out the natural oils which are needed to keep your hair healthy. Also, try using a deep conditioning mask at least once a week - this can have a massive impact on your hair's overall condition.
How Can you Make your Hair Grow Faster?
Making your hair grow faster is one of the most commonly asked questions that I get - someone asks me at least once a week in the salon.
Your diet is a major contributing factor to hair growth so it’s best to avoid crash dieting. Try using a shampoo or a hair growth vitamin supplement that is high in biotin. Also, make sure you're getting enough protein as this helps to repair your hair from the inside out.
Alongside this, I would recommend reducing the amount of heat you use on your hair and have regular trims.
I have personally used biotin hair gummies for 2/3 years and I felt a massive difference even after the first three months.
How Can you Treat Greasy Hair?
Greasy hair is commonly caused by excessive hair washing or not washing it enough.
Other causes of greasy hair include not rinsing hair properly after each hair care step or simply touching or brushing your hair too much to the point it builds up too much oil, known as Seborrhea.
To avoid greasy hair, I would advise using a shampoo specifically tailored for your hair thickness and length.Also, pay close attention when rinsing your hair to be sure all product is removed from the scalp leaving no residue.
On top of this, avoid applying conditioner to your scalp - instead, apply it to your mid-lengths and the ends of your hair as this is where needs it the most.
What Causes Frizzy Hair and How can you Treat it?
Frizzy hair is caused by a lack of moisture in the hair meaning that the hair feels dry and frizzy. A common cause of this is over-styling with heated appliances such as excessive blow-drying, straightening or curling.
Other causes of frizzy hair can be washing your hair in water that's too hot or adding too much colour to your hair on a regular basis. An easy treatment for this would be a moisture-rich shampoo and conditioner - my absolute favourite would be Olaplex No.4 + Olaplex No.5 as this strengthens the bonds as well as smoothing the hair at the same time.
An alternative would be to look out for a shampoo and conditioner that does not contain sulphates or silicones as these are tiny microplastics that could be causing excessive frizz.
What causes split ends and how can you treat them?
Some of the main causes of split ends are over-brushing your hair, over chemically treating your hair, or the worst all, picking at them! Split ends occur when the ends of your strands of hair become dehydrated and fragile from chemical processing or general weathering meaning they're more likely to break further up the hair strand.
A good treatment for split ends is definitely regular haircuts as this can help to take off the broken hair that is fragile, meaning that the new growth will be healthier and grow stronger.
What causes a sensitive scalp and how do you treat it?
A sensitive scalp is caused by a common infection called Folliculitis which can be sore, painful or hot to touch.
Stress and lifestyle have a massive impact on your scalp, so if you can try and keep your stress levels low and maintain a healthy diet.
To treat a sensitive scalp, try using a soft bristle brush to gently brush your hair without causing any irritation or aggravation on the scalp. If flakes start to appear, it’s more than likely that you’re going to be dealing with a type of dermatitis whether it be eczema, psoriasis, or seborrheic dermatitis.
A medicated gentle shampoo would be a start, or for more mild cases, start by avoiding hair products containing alcohol as these can strip the hair of moisture.
What causes dull hair and how can you treat it?
Hair that suffers from dullness is mainly caused by a residue which is a build up of product on the hair which hasn’t been rinsed out properly when washed.
My best piece of advice for avoiding this would be to re-rinse your hair - when you’re rinsing your hair and you think you're done, rinse again. Heat styling also has a massive impact on your hair's appearance so straightening can dull coloured and even natural hair as well.
Washing and rinsing your hair in cold water can help bring back the shine to your hair along with taking regular vitamins and ensuring you have plenty of antioxidants in your diet.