In the fight against hair loss, every little action matters. The devastation is real when you look at your shower plug or hairbrush and see a huge clump of your beautiful mane tangled up inside it. Naturally we should be losing around 100-150 hairs a day as part of our ever-evolving body. You won’t be individually counting them but when you can hold a substantial amount in your hand? You may be wondering what went wrong and if it could go too far...
Here are 12 Bad habits that could be contributing to your hair loss:
By washing your hair too much, it can strip your hair of natural oils that contribute to shine, softness and a healthy growing process. Shampoo itself, is designed to thoroughly cleanse hair and therefore dry out the follicles. By reducing your hair washing day to 1-2 times a week, it gives your hair chance to regenerate and produce oils to nourish your hair and scalp.
There is no one size fits all with hairbrushes, one brush may be fantastic for thick hair but harmful for fine. The same could be said for straight and curly hair. If the brush is too rough, it can snap hair strands, leading to split ends and frizz.
Another way to reduce hair loss is to minimise brushing your hair to only when it is wet. Wet or damp hair is easier to manipulate which will reduce the risk of getting caught on less troublesome strands.
It may seem strange, but your diet can really affect your hair growth. By eating meals that lack in nutrients and vitamins. Your body is not given enough strength to repair itself. Leading to dead hair to fall out and no new hairs growing to replace them. Fruit & Veg is great for your body and energy levels but not substantial for your regrowth. Dairy & protein are essential when repairing your body's regrowth and so if you lead a meat/free dairy diet, you must include substitutes within your diet.
The process of bleaching can strip the moisture from your hair and can cause hair to become more brittle and snap off. As the bleaching solution comes into contact with the hair shaft, it causes the hair to enlarge, triggering a separation in the cuticle scales that make up your hair. There is also the potential for bleaching to cause hair breakage. Often referred to as a "chemical haircut," breakage is also a result of the porous nature of the hair after bleaching.
Human hair naturally contains keratin proteins and hydrogen bonds. When heated styling tools are applied, such as curling irons, flat irons, tongs or blow dryers, they can strip your hair of its natural oils and proteins by breaking down its hydrogen bonds. This is how the tools can manipulate the hair to achieve the style you want. By doing this, it caused your hair to become dryer and lack strength which can lead to strands snapping.
It’s the oldest trick in the book but getting your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks can contribute to a healthy growing process. Often, people who want to grow their hair longer stop getting regular trims to speed up the process. But that's not the best strategy for thick, healthy hair growth. Regular trims allow dry & dead ends to be removed which when left, can lead to damage and the ends splitting and which increases more strands to drop out.
It’s well known that hair loss can be related to emotional stress or anxiety. There’s usually about a 3-month delay between the stressful time period and your hair falling out. Growth revolves around your hormone levels and when they become out of sync, your body suffers. Hair growth will repair itself within a couple of months once your hormones and stress levels settle back down.
Hair follicles need oxygen, nutrients and minerals to produce healthy hair. The toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke can take a toll on your circulation, shrinking blood vessels and impeding blood flow. When your follicles don’t receive the blood they need for nourishment, the hair growth cycle is interrupted. Any interruptions can lead to noticeable hair loss.
Changes to your eating habits will influence your hair’s growth potential. Dieting leads to excessive shedding which can be a shock to your body and hormones. By skipping meals, you are declining your body of the nutrients it needs to regenerate and produce a healthy growing process.
Pulling your Hair Too Tight
Scraping your hair back into a tight ponytail or bun is extremely harmful to the hair follicles sitting your roots. It forces the hair to emerge out of the pores before they are ready, resulting in weak and brittle hair that can easily snap.
Just like with skin, hair can suffer tremendously from sun damage. The excessive heat & direct SPF exposure can dry out the hair which can lead to increased breakages from the roots. Retain moisture in the scalp by adding a hair mask to your routine. You could even try wear a hat when out and about to protect your scalp from burning.
We all do it! Sitting and twirling your hair can be addictive and relieve a socially awkward situation. But by continuously pulling on hair strands, you are essentially weakening the follicles. No matter how clean you think you are, your hands are dirty. They touch a lot of things throughout the day. So naturally they accumulate dirt and oils that can pollute your hair. If your scalp is not clean, then it will not product healthy & strong hair and ultimate lead to breakage and hair loss.
We Can Help!
To help repair dry, damaged hair in need of a little TLC, check out our Hair Dream Team.
Our super hydrating & nourishing coconut & argan oil Shampoo, Conditioner & Hair Mask work to restore strength, softness & shine to over-processed & dry hair.
As the trio work hand in hand to deeply condition hair, with regular use they help to prevent split ends and evidently breakages which lead to hair loss.
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