There are various risk factors which are said to have a role in causing hair loss, both internal and external ones. There are, thus, variety of products that are manufactured to get rid of the risk factor causing hair loss in order to minimize the effect. One of the most-frequently blamed culprit for hair loss is clogged pores on your scalp. There are many stories of how blocked scalp pores threatens hair health.

Clogged pores on the scalp

Similar to the face and other body parts, the scalp also consists of numerous skin pores. Beneath these skin pores on the scalp, there are sebaceous glands which produce oil to keep the skin moist and hydrated, referred as sebum. Because of some causes triggering imbalanced production of sebum, these glands may overproduce or under-produce the sebum. When sebum is overproduced, the scalp pores can be easily clogged with this oil around the hair follicles.

Effects of clogged scalp pores

When the pores on the scalp are clogged with sebum, there are some effects which can be noticeable. Most of the effects will influence not only the scalp, but also the hair. Eventually, these blocked skin pores on the scalp will be able to influence the facial skin, as well. People experiencing clogged pores on scalp usually experience some effects, such as:

• Greasy hair

On the scalp and other parts of the body, sebum travels to the skin surface through the hair follicles. When it encounters sweat, however, an acid mantel is produced, causing clogged pores. When the pores are clogged, the hair is drowning in oil, causing both the scalp and hair to turn greasy. This may not only affect the hair, but also the scalp itself. People may feel the scalp turn greasy and the hair strands to be “heavier” and oily.

• Acne and pimples

Clogged pores will lead to acne and pimples, as they can be easily infected by bacteria present on the skin. This includes the clogged hair follicle on the scalp. Thus, when these clogged scalp pores are infected with Staph—the skin bacteria, for instance, it may turn into blackheads, acne, or pimples located on the scalp. This explains why pimples on the scalp is not an uncommon problem.

Can clogged pores cause hair loss?

Greasy hair and acne on the scalp are not the only effects clogged pores on the scalp may cause. In fact, there is another common effect of clogged pores on the scalp that is hair loss. Acne and too-oily scalp and hair are the mild reactions given by the body for clogged pores on the scalp. Yet, when it is untreated, you may experience hair loss, as well. This will not be good, since hair loss is really difficult to treat and hence, restoring falling hair is not an easy thing to do.

Clogged pores on the scalp may lead to folliculitis when untreated. This is a similar problem which also happens to the body skin. Folliculitis itself is the infection of the scalp which is triggered by risk factors including clogged pores. When your hair follicles are clogged and infected by bacteria, they swell. This inflammation may lead to skin eruption in the form of acne or pimples which can be seen on the scalp. Eventually, the infection damages the hair follicles, causing hair thinning, which may be more visible as hair loss.

Despite the opinions that clogged hair follicles contribute to baldness, there are some performed research which deny these opinions. It is often said that clogged hair pores “trap” the hair beneath them and thus, these hair cannot free itself to grow through the skin surface, which appears as baldness. In fact, as long as the clogged hair follicles are not infected, it rarely contributes to baldness. Hair loss, which is caused by clogged scalp pores, therefore, is possible when these clogged pores are infected by bacteria or fungi and develop into folliculitis which damage the follicles and preventing the hair to grow. Hence, treatments and products which claim to be able to open up clogged scalp pores and free the trapped hair up might not be necessary. It is better, instead, to perform proper hygiene to the scalp, so that the clogged scalp pores are not infected.