Losing hair comes as a shock and signals indirectly our poor habits. If your scalp is peeking through your hair and your ponytail looks less fuller than before, you need to read on. While genes and hereditary traits do play a part in your hair’s health, your daily lifestyle habits are an equal factor. Hair fall is completely normal but if it is a daily process, it can be a bit troublesome. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, an average human being experiences about 50-100 strands of hair fall, every day. But more than that can cause thinning of hair and loss of hair volume.
Health Shots got in touch with Dhriti Udeshi, Hair health expert, Chicnutrix, who lists some mistakes we are all guilty of making that can cause hair loss and hair breakage.
Udeshi says, “While excessive hair fall may happen due to several underlying issues like genetics, hormonal imbalance, thyroid, metabolism, and other health issues, certain often-ignored everyday habits may be the cause of hair fall too. It is essential to be mindful of what causes hair thinning.”
Here are 10 commonly seen habits that cause thinning of hair:
1. Unhealthy diet
Your diet habits can have a massive impact on your hair fall problems. ‘Weight- cycling’ a term coined by the dermatologist can be a root cause of thinning of hair. When people follow a certain diet to shed pounds but cannot sustain it long term, gain the weight back, then seek more diets to lose it, again. This cycle of fluctuating weight gain and loss leads to inconsistent diet and poor nutrition, followed by hair fall. Creating a sustainable diet as an essential part of your lifestyle will help your hair grow more healthily.
2. Tying your hair too tight
Pulling your hair back constantly with tight hairstyles can have serious side effects. The constant pull and tension from tight hairstyles reduce the hairline, stressing and eventually damaging the hair follicles and in worst cases, leading to traction alopecia, a condition where the follicle is permanently weakened to ever sprout again.
“Unlike your diet, you should change your partition and hairstyles often. And yes, the right scrunchies makes all the difference—tie your hair with soft, non-static scrunchies with cotton fibres or pure silk, ” advises Udeshi.
3. Using too many hot tools!
We all love to style our hair in different patterns and hairstyles. To look good, we let our hair go through the heat. Whether it’s a curling iron, blow-dryer, or straightener, our hair bears it all! Styling your hair on occasions causes no harm but repeated styling can lead to hair breakage. To ensure minimum damage, hydrate your hair before using hot tools.
4. Stress
Though we all know the impact of stress on our bodies, we can’t help but experience it sometimes. Cortisol, or the stress hormone released by our body when our mind is on overdrive, can lead to hormonal imbalances, disruption in the healthy growth cycle of the hair, and inflammation.
5. Being mindless during your hair wash routine
During the hair wash, the only rule to swear by is shampoo on the scalp, conditioner on the strands, and never use hot water. Our hair contains natural oil which can be washed off with mindless hair wash activities. Udeshi suggests using cold water to wash hair as it goes a long way in sealing hair oil nourishment. After the wash, treat the wet hair tenderly by using a cotton microfiber towel for better absorption- no rubbing.
6. Brushing mistakes
As easy a task can be, brushing is a technique that we all were doing wrong. While brushing, detangling the hair is the first step. Using a detangling spray from the bottom rather than at the top rips down the hair as the brushing process goes along. Use a wide comb for wet hair and soft bristles for dry hair and avoid brushing the hair when wet.
7. Not getting regular trims
Regular dusting (chopping your hair just a quarter of an inch or so) or trims every eight weeks will help get rid of hair that’s stunting the growth. Just like plants need pruning, human hair needs trims!
8. Using hair products with alcohol
Alcohol lead content in your hair products is a root cause of your hair problems. If the alcohol remains in the hair long after its use, it can lead to hair breakage problems. Search for alternatives that are gentle on your hair.
9. Smoking
Smoking is one of the fastest accelerators for hair loss, especially in those who are already prone to the condition. Smoking affects the normal oxygen saturation levels which restrict the hair growth process. Further, the tobacco enters the skin, bloodstream, and hair follicles leading to hair thinning.
10. Styling treatments
Permanent chemical dyes damage hair by breaking through the cuticles. Chemical processes such as coloring, bleaching, straightening, and perming, remove all protein and moisture out of hair, leaving it fragile and brittle. The scalp gets irritated and flaky, thus damaging your hair.