We know that hair falls. In large quantities. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, about 50-100 strands of it are lost every day. Sometimes we're overthinking; sometimes, we know deep inside our gut that it’s shedding a little or a lot more than it’s supposed to.
There are a number of underlying issues which cause excessive hair fall, such as genetics, hormonal imbalance, thyroid, metabolism and other health issues. But certain everyday habits that are often ignored may be the cause of hair fall too.
Here’s what you need to stop doing, if you’d rather see more hair on your head.
1. Going back and forth with health lifestyle regimens
Public health scholar Kelly D. Brownell coined the term "yo-yo diet" also known as weight cycling. This is when someone gets caught in a loop of weight loss and gain. This means that when they follow a certain diet to shed weight but cannot sustain that diet long term, gaining the weight back, they then seek more diets to lose it, again.
“Inconsistent diets and poor nutrition lead the body to feel starved leading to poor nourishment of the scalp, followed by hair fall,” says Dr Chytra V Anand, consultant cosmetic dermatologist and CEO of Kosmoderma Clinics. Creating a sustainable diet is an essential part of your lifestyle to help your hair grow healthily.
2. Tying your hair too tight
Subjecting your hair to tight hairstyles and pulling it back constantly 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,” says Dr Anand. Get in the habit of tying your hair with soft scrunchies with cotton fibres or pure silk.
3. Using heat on unprotected hair
This is widely known but hardly heeded advice. “Intense heat treatments without heat protection strips the hair of its outer cover by damaging the keratin, leading to water loss and easy breakage,” explains Dr Anand. Although your hair may look sleek, shiny and smooth for a little bit, it will soon crumble from the effects of the heat.
READ HERE: 6 natural hair care tips for all-weather healthy tresses
4. Carelessness during hair wash routine
These are the cardinal rules for a hair wash routine; shampoo on the scalp, conditioner on the strands, and not using hot water.
“It strips moisture from the hair, dehydrating the strands that turn dry and brittle, causing them to snap and fall,” says Dr Anand. Use tepid water, and gently massage your scalp so you don't erode the natural oils that nourish it. Finish off with cool water to seal in the hair barrier. Avoid excessive shampooing because it can activate your scalp to produce more of the oils to protect, causing more hair fall.
Avoid vigorous rubbing with a towel to dry it. Try patting with a cotton towel.
CHECK OUT: 5 natural ways to darken grey hair
5. Brushing mistakes
Brushing your hair often even when you don't need to. When you have to brush, use a detangling spray and start from the bottom going up. Go for a wide comb for wet hair and dry hair with soft bristles. Do not brush wet hair.
6. Not getting regular trims
When you miss out on trimming, you keep hair that may be stunting the growth. Just like pruning gives plants more room to bloom, your hair needs regular chopping or trimming every two months to grow better.
7. Using hair products with alcohol
Hair products with alcohol content may be contributing to the drying and brittleness of your hair. When alcohol remains on the hair after using these products, it can dry your strands and make them prone to breaking. Choose natural and gentler ingredients.
8. Stressing
Although we are familiar with the effects of stress on our well-being, we can't help but experience it sometimes.
The stress hormone cortisol can lead to hormonal imbalances, disruption in the healthy growth cycle of the hair and inflammation. It is important to remember that at any given time, 10-15% of our hair is in a resting phase, where it doesn't grow or fall out. Then every two or three months, the resting hairs shed, and new ones grow in their place. However, the shedding triggered by stress can disrupt this cycle leading to more hair loss than normal.