Hair loss can be the result of various things such as hormonal imbalances, reactions to certain medication or some major life events such as giving birth.
However, a few lifestyle changes can mitigate the degree of your hair loss. Here's a list of a few bad habits we put together for you, that could be causing or worsening your hair loss and damaging the overall quality of your hair:
1. Excessive friction
Repeated rubbing damages the hair: Drying a little too harshly with a towel weakens the hair even more if it is wet. As a result the hair fiber breaks.
To dry your hair properly and thus reduce the risk of hair loss, let it dry as naturally as possible. If you are in a hurry, absorb the excess water with a clean cotton towel, applying light pressure to the scalp.
2. Combing your wet hair
Styling your hair while it is wet has the same effect as friction: it breaks the hair, weakening the keratin (the protein of which the majority of the hair is composed) because it is soaked in water.
When detangling, you must therefore be particularly delicate and use the right accessories: opt for a wide-toothed comb, avoid thin bristle brushes. The best thing is to wait until as much water as possible has evaporated.
3. Playing with your hair all the time
Fiddle with your hair can weaken it in addition to making it dull and limp. In the pathological state (trichotillomania), the hair can be pulled out in handfuls, with very slow regrowth.
To stop touching your hair all the time, the first thing to do is to realize that you touch it often, the reflex being so ingrained that you don't even realize it. Then try to find a way to occupy your hands, and more generally, try to relax and treat your stress because anxiety is in the majority of cases, at the origin of the problem.
4. Not using clean your brushes and rubber bands
Combs, brushes and rubber bands are poorly maintained, if at all. However, they come into direct contact with the scalp and the hair and can asphyxiate it if they are not clean. Residues of styling products, sebum, skin are often agglutinated there.
The best way to clean your hair brushes is to soak them in water with a few drops of shampoo, for around 45 minutes.
5. Overusing the hair dryer
The hair dryer, if not used correctly, is the number one enemy of hair. Excessive and poorly directed heat damages and weakens them.
To make good use of the hair dryer, use it at least 10 cm from your hair on the minimum heat setting. Respect the hair by always drying it so as to smooth its scales, from top to bottom. This will strengthen your hair and make it shinier. Yet again, if possible, it's better to avoid the hair dryer all together and dry your hair with a 100% cotton towel.
6. Restrictive diet
Hair feeds on what we eat. Restricting yourself from a dietary point of view to lose excess pounds can have catastrophic repercussions on the hair. So much so that hair loss is one of the symptoms evoked to diagnose anorexia.
If you regularly skip meals, have nutritional deficiencies and lose your hair, it is very likely that the two are intimately linked.
7. Tying hair up all the time
In order to be at its best, the hair must be able to breathe. To breathe, it must be sufficiently ventilated. If from morning to night they are pulled into a ponytail or rolled up on themselves stuck in rubber bands, your hair is unlikely to be vigorous. Sophisticated hairstyles are therefore to be reserved exclusively for the big days: tight braids, buns, etc.
If, despite everything, you can't stand having your hair loose or your job requires you to tie it, try to vary your hairstyles as much as possible so that it's not always the same hair that is put to the test and don't pull too hard to tie it in order to avoid early frontal baldness (= traction alopecia).
8. Not brushing your hair before going to sleep
Combing your hair in the morning is an essential gesture. However, it seems less obvious in the evening before going to bed. And yet, just like the rest of the body, hair regenerates best at night.
Be sure to brush your hair every night to remove all residues (sebum, pollution, dust), especially if you use styling products (gel, hairspray), which literally suffocate the hair if they are not properly removed.
9. Wear tight head covers all-day
Wearing beanies, berets, hats or caps too often does not allow the hair to breathe properly. The overwearing of head covering can enhance it by causing pressure on certain areas of the scalp and causing friction, which, in the long term, weakens the hair and causes it to fall. Even if the fashion is in the cap, it is better to use it in moderation.
10. Having an unhealthy lifestyle
Hair reflects our state of health. If we are stressed or tired, our hair will be dull and flat, it will lack vigor and end up in the bottom of our sink, bathtub or shower. Diet plays a big role in hair loss. To preserve them, it is important to have a balanced diet. To compensate for early or occasional hair loss, protein foods rich in amino acids found in meat or fish and those rich in vitamins B and PP should be preferred.
Written by: ClinicAdvisor® Research team
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Semra Akinturk, Dermatologist.
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