Can Your Hair Catch The Flu?
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Even though I was raised by the son of a first generation Irish potato farmer and the fifth generation of a German wheat farmer in Missouri, I did not inherit the robust farmer health genes.
My brother did better in that department but all three of the kids in my family were born with lots of thick and healthy hair.
Unfortunately with or without a flu vaccine (not sure how I really feel about the shots) I seem to always get the flu and when I do two things happen. The dreaded flu virus eventually goes to my chest where it may or may not manifest into bronchitis while making a mess of my hair.
(Image of Goldwell - New Switch Models - Copyright - All Rights Reserved).
Did I say the flu makes a mess of my hair? Yes, indeed. I always notice my hair gets totally wimpy when my body if fighting a cold, the flu or I have bronchitis. Is that possible? Can hair really catch the flu?
While hair doesn’t actually get the flu, when the human body is using all of its resources to fight off invading germs and viruses, it prioritizes where it is going to put all of its energy. When that happens hair and skin get bumped down on the list and lose some of the body’s attention. Which means my hair feels lifeless and lank.
Other things happen in my own Universe which isn’t exactly great for my hair. In my efforts to fight off an invading flu or other bug, I will often spend more time with a steamy vaporizer or taking more showers and baths. All that extra steam and water exposure, even when I wrap my hair up to prevent interaction, seems to take a toll. (more…)
