Even if the middle of your head is empty in disbelief, you probably don’t want a single word to be said about your hair loss! Even if you have severe hair loss, it is not too late to save your hair.
According to Dr. Alan Bowman, a hair transplant surgeon and hair loss specialist, “our lifestyle – from the type of diet to the way we comb our hair – affects the thickness of our hair.” And the good news: With a few simple lifestyle changes, you can have relatively thick hair. Here are 11 examples of hair spoilers and solutions to get rid of them.
1. Shower with hot water
Dr. Ryan Walter, a hair transplant surgeon in Boston, believes: “Hot water strips the hair of moisture (as well as the skin), making it dry and brittle, and at the same time prone to damage and even shedding.”
Hot water not only dries the hair’s needed fat, but its heat enters the pores of the scalp, which are responsible for maintaining the hair’s fat, and destroys them, and then the hair roots are damaged and will lead to more hair loss.
Save your hair: lower the water temperature by a few degrees. “Shower with lukewarm water and rinse your hair with very cool water, as cold as you can tolerate.”
2. Use of hot hair formers
Hot tools that style your hair damage the beneficial proteins and hair cuticle.
According to Dr. Boman: “When the cuticles are damaged, the moisture balance required by the hair is disturbed and it will be prone to more brittleness.”
Save your hair: Limit the use of hot tools – even hair dryers – to two to three times a week, using cool air whenever possible. Always use a heat protectant spray that protects hair against heat and friction.
3. Harmful diets
With strict diets, all the energy that enters your body will be used for essential body functions – such as heart and brain function – and not for hair growth! According to Parade, a dermatologist from California: When a person is diagnosed with anorexia, one of the most important symptoms is severe hair loss.
Save your hair: Eat healthy foods with lots of protein such as fish, chicken, lentils, and beans. He notes that: “The basis of hair is protein, so consume protein in the necessary amount, because it is the only thing that can repair or damage your hair.” Of course, 46 grams per day is enough (or 25-30% of total calories).
4. Mistreatment of wet hair
Our hair is never more fragile—and prone to breakage—than when it’s completely wet when the protective cuticles have opened up a bit. Pulling or combing hair knots in the shower, then attacking them with a towel and drying the hair, destroys them.
Save your hair: Comb your hair before you shower so you don’t have to do it after the shower. Then dry your hair with a soft towel (don’t wring it!).
5. Tie the hair tightly
If tight ponytails or braiding your hair are your habits, you should know that Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist and hair specialist from New York, believes that: this hairstyle puts a lot of pressure on the roots of the hair, damages them, and has destructive effects on the hair.
They have and can even cause permanent root destruction. It can also lead to incurable hair loss, a condition in which the roots of the hair are completely and permanently weakened and hair cannot grow back!
Save your hair: Open it! As much as possible, avoid tying your hair (especially while sleeping, as rolling on the pillow can cause hair breakage). When you tie your hair back, don’t pull too hard.
6. Use of long-lasting molding materials
If your hair spray or gel is written long-lasting, this durability will make hair knots longer and knots untangling more difficult.
Dr. Mirmirani says: “Such materials contain a lot of alcohol, which makes the hair dry and more fragile.” He also continues to add: “When your hair is stained with these substances, even if you brush or comb your hair once, your hair will break and fall out.”
Save your hair: Avoid using any products that make your hair dry or sticky. Instead, opt for gentler products like hair creams that lock in moisture and don’t cause friction during combing.
7. Taking birth control pills
If you are one of those women who are sensitive to hair loss or weakening during hormonal changes, you should know that the wrong use of birth control pills will make your hair weaker.
Dr. Bowman says that: “People who are sensitive to androgens and unknowingly take pills that contain androgens will experience hair loss.”
8. Head scratching
According to Dr. Boman, scalp itching (because it removes fat layers from under the skin) can lead to hair loss due to hair damage. When the cuticle is damaged, the hair will be prone to breakage.
Save your hair: Soothe itchy scalp with shampoos that contain selenium, zinc, or tea tree oil. If over-the-counter shampoos don’t work, your doctor can prescribe an antifungal shampoo or cortisone foam.
9. Suntan
If you don’t (consciously) intend to tan again, you are very lucky, because you have protected your hair from the harmful rays of the sun, which gradually destroys the thickness and elasticity of the hair.
Dr. Bowan believes that: “long exposure to sunlight causes the cuticle layers to become weak and cracked, and the result is brittle hair and eventually hair loss.”
Save your hair: Where a hat is required, be sure to wear a hat—preferably one with a layer of sun protection—(and hide all hair under the hat).
10. Washing hair less than usual
Now that one of the basic products in our daily beauty are these shampoos that remove all the moisture from the hair, so the easiest thing to do is to wash the hair every few days. Want to know if this is true or not? Yes. But maybe not a great solution for your hair.
According to Dr. D: “Long-term remaining of any substance or a large amount of dandruff on the scalp will cause hair growth chambers to close and block the way of hair growth. “
Save your hair: If you don’t use shampoo every day, there is no problem. But if you get used to not using shampoo, the remaining substances, pollution, and fat will cause the pores of the scalp to close. Wash your hair with shampoo every two days if you use any substances on your hair or sweat. To prevent any kind of hair dryness, use sulfate-free shampoos, such as Oreal.
11. Taking some medications
Some drugs (such as cholesterol and heart attack drugs, antidepressants, anti-anxiety, and anti-hypertensive drugs) or hormones (such as thyroid-regulating drugs) can be associated with hair loss.
According to Dr. Bowman: “These drugs often stop or interfere with the normal cycle of hair growth, causing the hair to go into a resting phase or stop growing forever.”
Save your hair: Talk to your doctor about whether it is possible to substitute other drugs that have fewer side effects.