Hair loss has many potential causes. Often, the underlying factor is a genetic one. In other cases, an illness or medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, can be the culprit. It’s important not to discount the role that lifestyle plays, however. The choices you make in your life can sometimes have an impact on the health of your hair and scalp, even triggering or exacerbating hair loss. It’s vital to know what the most common lifestyle factors are, and how they can be avoided. We’ll outline just a few of the main ones in this post.
Hair Styling
How you wear your hair can be one consideration, as some hairstyles are implicitly damaging to your hair and your follicles. The ones you want to be careful of are ponytails, braids, and even tight buns—basically, any hair style that exerts a pulling effect on your hair.
The reason these hairstyles are damaging is because, when you continually pull at your hair, it can cause the follicles themselves to become scarred—and thus, unable to properly grow hair. This is called traction alopecia, and it’s most commonly experienced among women and men who employ these hairstyles.
We recommend using these hairstyles as infrequently as possible—and if you are going to wear a ponytail or a braid, try to keep it fairly loose, giving your hair a bit of wiggle room.
Hair Maintenance
Something else that might impede healthy hair growth is heat—and specifically, the use of heat appliances such as blow dryers and curling irons. The simple truth is, heat dries out your hair, which leaves it brittle and unprotected. Hair that’s overly dry can break, and while it may grow back at first, over time it can actually scar your follicles and cause the hair loss to be permanent.
Again, we’d recommend using these styling methods as infrequently as possible. Dabbing your hair dry with a soft towel, then letting it air dry, is always a safer option than using a blow dryer.
Often when experiencing hair loss, people will wash their hair less often thinking it will cause less hair to fall out. This practice may actually cause more hair loss because the hair shaft can get clogged and cause the growing hair to thin. It's important to keep your scalp clean. It's not how often you shampoo, but what kind of shampoo you are using. Consult with LH Hair technician to find out which shampoos and conditioners are best for your situation.
The Elements
The simple act of going outside can damage your hair, too—if you don’t properly protect it.
In the summer, the big danger is the sun. Exposure to sunlight can dry out your hair and scalp, but you can avoid this by using a hair conditioner with sunscreen, or by simply wearing a scarf or hat on your head when you go out.
During the winter, cold air can be damaging to any hair that’s still wet. Make sure you dry it completely before stepping outside of your home—and if you don’t have time for a full drying, a scarf or hat can work here, too.
Nutrition
What you eat is an integral part of your lifestyle—and it can certainly play a big role in hair growth. After all, your hair needs certain nutrients in order to thrive, including iron, biotin, and the B vitamins. If your diet is nutritionally deficient, your hair may suffer as a result.
You can remedy this by ensuring a balanced diet, of course, but you might also consider nutritional supplements. We can recommend the most effective ones here at LH Hair.
Alcohol Use
One final factor is alcohol consumption. While moderate alcohol consumption probably won’t have too great an impact on your hair, excessive drinking can be disastrous on many levels—including drying out your hair and causing significant damage.
Make sure you are reasonable in the amount of alcohol you consume—and also try alternating your alcoholic drinks with glasses of water, to curb some of those dehydrating effects.
Do What’s Best for Your Hair
Your lifestyle can impact your hair on many levels, either by strengthening it or by causing hair loss—and if you ever have any concerns, you’re welcome to join us at LH Hair for a full evaluation. We’d love to help you understand the proper choices for hair health, and to recommend any possible supplements or solutions. We can even perform a trichological examination to help get to the bottom of things. Start that important conversation today. Come see one of our stylists at LH Hair.
