We women often want luscious, thick, shiny hair that not only looks attractive but also effortless and healthy. This is such a tall order these days though. With so many products, lifestyle choices, and health issues that can abound our hair may begin to dull, thin out, and lack the luster we want. In order to resurrect our sad tresses or keep them in prime shape we need to avoid some of these common ways that we actually cause damage to our hair. Here are 15 of the top things that damage hair…
- Washing It Too Much – Go with mild shampoos and better brand dry shampoos. Avoid clarifying or deep cleaning shampoos because these strip the natural oils from your hair. Try no-poo or a version thereof.
- Hot Water – Hot water washes away too much of your natural oils that protect your hair. You may like hot water on your body but when it comes time to wash and rinse your hair, go with luke warm or even cold. Cold showers have health benefits too.
- Brushing Your Hair When Wet – This causes breakage, go with a wide tooth comb instead. Your fingers work too.
- Towel Drying – Getting aggressive with that towel can damage your tresses via breakage and frizz. Be gentle and blot hair rather than rub. Forbabs also has products designed to reduce frizz.
- Ponytails and Hair Clips – They can cause breakage and thinning. Go for loose ponytails or messy buns to prevent damage.
- Diet Deficiencies – Healthy hair starts with diet. Make sure you are getting Vitamins B, C, and D, folic acid, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. This Biotin with coconut oil supplement rocks for hair, skin, and nails.
- Swimming – If you swim at the public pool or at the gym, you are loading up on chlorine. This strips your hair and causes dryness and breakage. It is best to avoid getting your wet if you can. If not make sure to rinse it well afterwards.
- Toxic Hair Care Products – Most conventional hair products are a chemical cocktail that actually damages your hair. I suggest avoiding grocery and drug stores and going to places like Sephora. There is a reason those products are pricier…they are typically MUCH better. Read all labels and do research on product ingredients.
- Hair Extensions and Braids – While these are very popular to use because they give you that longer, thicker hair you want. They come with many risks to your natural hair though. They are heavy, they pull, they cause breakage, and they cause thinning. If you feel you have to use them, try ones with real hair that is about the same weight as your own hair. If your own hair is weak and thinning, time to stop.
- Bleaching & Dying – The bleach strips your hair’s natural oils and moisture along with the color. The dyes are typically a nasty chemical cocktail that further damage hair. Embrace your natural color or use natural dyes like Ancient Sunrise Henna.
- Your Pillow Case – Cotton pillow cases cause friction and frizz. They also absorb the oils from your hair, stripping them. And then you get acne because the oils from your hair get on your face. No bueno! Go with silk or satin. And if you don’t want to spend $200 on new silk sheets you can elect to get a silk pillowcase only. Easy peasy.
- Blow Drying – The heat causes hair breakage and the blowing actually sucks moisture from your hair which is the opposite of the look you want. If you really need a hair dryer go with an ionic ceramic dryer with far infrared technology. They don’t overheat hair and they get it dry much quicker. I recommend L’ange or Elchim.
- Flat Irons/Curling Irons – No surprise here right? They get really hot! I suggest going with a really good brand here, even if it is pricey, to get ceramic or titanium flat irons and wands. My personal faves are L’ange products. Their Lustre wand allows you to control the temperature. Also make sure to use a heat protectant. The one from L’ange or this one from Bumble and Bumble are excellent. I use them on wet hair and then let my hair air dry before I use a wand or flat iron.
- Hard Water – Its not good for your skin or your hair. It can cause a film of mineral buildup on your hair which prevents your own healthy oils from penetrating, causing dryness.
- Hormones – An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is a major cause of hair loss in women. There are other possible hormonal causes of hair loss, too, such as the decrease in estrogen that occurs in menopause or the hormonal shifts that happen a few months after giving birth. Birth controls methods can also cause these hormonal shifts. It’s worth checking in with your doctor or other health professional if you think hormonal imbalance is playing a role in your hair loss.
If you want winning locks go through this list and eliminate some practices or products that damage your hair. Once you address the problem areas your hair will be healthier and beautiful again in no time.
Bonus Tip: Use a faceblaster to message the fascia underneath your scalp. This gets the blood flowing and can improve the health of your hair and stimulate growth. A research study on this nifty tool for this purpose is actually underway soon. I love mine and you can use it on your face too (its primary use). Enjoy!
