Preventing Hair Loss
Anyone can experience hair loss, and although it’s normal to lose up to 100 strands of hair every day, if you’re losing more, it could be a sign of a problem. Usually, the cause is harmless, ranging from your usual hairstyle to your genetics. It’s mostly a cosmetic issue rather than a health condition.
Tips for preventing hair loss
Every strand of hair has a lifespan of up to 5 years, which comprises a cycle of growth, evolution, and rest.
But there are factors that can cause hair to enter the rest cycle much earlier than normal. It’s called telogen effluvium, and it can be a side effect of stress, pregnancy, medication, or a result of a health issue.
But you could also be genetically predisposed to early hair loss. So, if you’re suffering from severe hair loss and notice bald spots, thinning hair, or patchiness, you should visit a specialist.
Ask your dermatologist or primary care doctor for hair loss treatments to prevent you from losing it all.
However, both men and women can integrate a variety of good habits into their daily routine to help to prevent hair loss.
For a better understanding of how you can take care of your hair so you don’t lose it, here’s a list of the top 5 tips for preventing hair loss.
Avoiding Tight Hairstyles
A tight updo, a sassy ponytail, or cornrows can make you look amazing, but if you often wear your hair tightly pulled back, you could start losing your hair.
The medical term for this type of hair loss is traction alopecia. But, luckily, you can prevent hair loss by wearing loose hairstyles or changing up your updos.
It’s fine to wear your hair pulled back tightly on occasion, but you should avoid frequently wearing tight buns, ponytails, cornrows, hair extensions, weaves, or tight braids. Also, if you wear hair rollers to bed, you’ll most likely start to lose your hair. Dermatologists recommend you should only wear rollers occasionally.
The signs of a tight hairstyle that may cause hair loss include pain from pulled hair, stinging, crusts on the scalp, or tenting (this occurs when parts of the scalp are pulled).
Stay Away from Heat and Chemical Treatments
Staying away from heat and chemical treatments is probably the most common advice about maintaining healthy hair. Chemicals and heat are the most damaging factors which cause severe hair loss.
But with the right type of care, you can restore your hair’s health. You should use products that contain strengthening ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids and proteins which will smooth out your hair cuticles.
Also, consider shifting to a protein-rich diet, using heat protection products before styling, and choosing to use repair shampoos and conditioners.
Don’t Brush Your Wet Hair
If you usually brush your hair when it’s wet, you’re doing enormous damage to your locks. This is because brushing when wet apply increased tension on your strands which would usually slide through your brush.
Although brushing your hair on a regular basis stimulates your roots and helps your hair grow faster, if you brush right after you wash your hair, you’ll destroy its bonds.
So, if you’ve noticed short and fuzzy hair strands after blow-drying, these are broken hairs. But how should you dry your hair without causing damage?
The best way is to towel dry it first by squeezing and let it dry naturally, or at least 80% until you use your hairdryer.
Forget About the Cigarettes
The damaging chemicals in cigarettes can hurt your hair‘s DNA, ecology, and life cycle. This makes it harder to cure the hair loss issue.
Also, tobacco smoke triggers oxidative stress which damages the stem cells in your hair’s follicles, which, in turn, stops your strands from growing. And nicotine hinders blood circulation in the scalp which prevents your hair from receiving the nutrients it needs to grow.
E-cigarettes also cause significant damage to your epidermal cells. So, if you want to maintain healthy hair, you should quit smoking altogether.
Stay Out of The Sun to Limit UV Exposure
Although you won’t experience hair damage if you stay in the sun for a short period, you should protect your hair against the sun’s UV rays with a scarf, a hat, and UV protection products.
Long-term exposure to the sun’s UV rays can cause severe hair damage such as dryness or breakage.
Melanin pigments, especially in dark hair, protect your hair against the harmful effects of UV exposure to prevent the breakage of the bonds in the hair’s structure.
But as you age, you lose these melanin pigments. And not only does your hair turn grey or white, but you also lose protection from UV light.
Wrap-Up
If you are looking for ways to maintain healthy hair, it’s time to get started! Use these 5 tips for preventing hair loss!
