Why Is My Head Shiny?

Have you ever wondered, “Why is my head shiny?” While some people prefer their bald heads to have a lovely sheen, others want an understated appearance. After all, a shiny scalp does not suit everyone. So, what could be the cause of this shine?

Here are the main reasons why bald people have shiny scalps:

Lack of Hair

Most of the skin on the human body is typically covered in tiny hairs known as vellus hairs. These give the skin a slightly velvety appearance or a peach fuzz. With male pattern baldness, these hair follicles shrink and turn into skin cells. Hence, there is no hair at all – not even vellus hair.

Due to the lack of hair and the presence of the sebaceous glands that secrete oil, your head appears shiny. These glands are all over your skin, but the scalp has more of them, causing the oil to coat the skin. When you don’t have hair, the oil coats the surface uniformly, resulting in a shiny scalp.

Oil Buildup

Think about the oil that builds up when people don’t wash their hair for days. It gets greasy and grimy. The oil-like substance that causes this greasiness is known as sebum. Sebum continues to thrive even in the absence of hair; bald individuals have as much sebum as people with hair who have the same amount of sebaceous glands on their heads. When you have hair, the sebum gets absorbed in them. With a bald person, the sebum continues to accumulate on the head, causing a shiny scalp.

Reflection of Light

Lastly, it does not help that light also reflects off an oily scalp, making it appear shinier. You can use a scalp mattifier, such as Xone Mattifier, to keep this from happening. You can also wash your head regularly to eliminate the sebum buildup.

At the end of the day, you can take steps to reduce that shine or rock it!