Hair and scalp care for wrestlers and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners

If you train in any sort of grappling art like wrestling or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, then you know how important personal hygiene is. As a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu myself, I take great care to wash my gi after rolling and I disinfect my mouthguard diligently. Of course, to mitigate the possibility of getting a skin infection or rash, I shower after every session as well.

The need for grapplers to protect themselves from skin ailments has spawned an entire industry of products designed specifically for such issues – take rash guards, for instance. But a rash guard – or any garment for that matter – won’t protect your hair or your scalp.

“Why would I worry about my hair or scalp?”, you ask. I’ll tell you why – your scalp is a layer of skin that can get conditions such as acne, folliculitis, or even ringworm! Most grapplers don’t even consider the ramifications of contracting disorders such as these – they can prevent you from training (to protect others from catching it from you), be devastating to your confidence (visible signs of blemishes and/or hair loss), or worse – be potentially life threatening, such as a staphylococcus aureus infection (“staph”). Without any protection, your scalp is exposed – the equivalent of grappling without a cup, mouthguard or gi!

Now, I don’t advise you run out and cover your head with swim cap or a helmet! The solution is to get a shampoo that is formulated not only to clean your hair, but to deep clean and purify your scalp. The best ingredient to accomplish this task is Zinc pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, or simply Zinc PCA. Zinc is an essential trace element that occurs naturally in our bodies, and studies have shown that it can inhibit fungal and bacterial growth – including staphylococcus aureus – something many grapplers should be extremely careful to avoid.

Zinc PCA can treat a multitude of scalp conditions, including scalp acne, seborrheic dermatitis, sebum build-up in follicles, and other scalp related bacteria issues. In reality, there are so many potential problems grapplers face with respect to the head and scalp that a shampoo with Zinc PCA could effectively treat or prevent.

Look for a shampoo that contains Zinc PCA and other healing ingredients or moisturizers such as panthenol (provitamin of B5). The best solution for you depends on the level of hair loss and hair type. Learn more about scalp cleansing shampoo and related products at EMERGE For Men, a leading provider of solutions for men suffering the effects of male pattern baldness.

by R.J. Dee