Hair or Bare?

Hair is an important adornment not just in our own culture, but in many cultures around the world.  Even the removal of hair creates an adornment by baring the skin beneath.  Women shave their legs, men shave their faces, underarms, heads, chests and even all the hair everywhere for some.

But what we aren't considering is what that means for our health.  You may not think that hair has anything to do with health, but recent clinical studies have finally proven that there are hundreds if not thousands of bacteria that live in our hair and create a protective barrier against foreign bacteria and other pathogens that promote illness.

Now, I know, the idea of little creatures crawling around in our hair evokes the idea of lice or other creepy things.  But the bacteria that coat our skin and live in our hair are microscopic and the loss of them with shaving, soap and topical antibiotic ointments is creating excessive dryness, psoriasis, seborrhea, acne and many other bacterial problems. 

Some of our most recent natural treatment options have involved not just restoring the microbiome of the gut, but also of the skin.  Recent research is actually identifying incredibly healthy, powerful bacteria in men's beards that could become the basis for new antibiotics to treat resistant bacterial infections.  Think about treating the skin as a protective barrier instead of something that should be bare.  It's the beginning of restoring our natural balanced state.