Are you noticing that your hair is starting to feel brittle, dry, and generally lackluster? If so, don’t worry – you aren’t alone! Hair damage can be caused by various factors, from everyday styling habits to environmental stressors. This article will go over some of the most common causes of hair damage so that you can make changes to reclaim strong and healthy locks. Read on to learn more about how external influences and big lifestyle changes may cause your precious tresses harm!
Dangers Of Not Taking Hair Damage Seriously
It would be best if you did not understate the risks of not taking hair damage seriously. Hair damage is a frequent symptom of poor nutrition and exposure to harsh chemicals or styling implements. Still, it can also be an early indicator of more complex medical issues. Untreated hair damage can lead to broken strands, split ends, and an inability to groom your hair correctly. The lack of proper grooming can have devastating effects on the overall health of your scalp by trapping bacteria and making it vulnerable to infection.
These infections can then spread or cause other forms of inflammation leading to long-term skin problems. But that isn’t all – severe hair damage can cause permanent thinning or baldness if left unchecked, negatively impacting your self-esteem and physical appearance.
Most Common Causes Of Hair Damage
Styling Habits
Styling habits can damage hair, mainly when you use incorrect techniques and products. Heat-styling tools such as straighteners, curlers, and blow-dryers can strip the hair’s natural oils and leave it dry and brittle if not appropriately used; those with finer hair should adjust the heat settings to lower levels for better protection. Overusing styling products like gels, mousses, and sprays can also cause damage when they weigh down the hair too much, making it appear limp or greasy.
Tight hairstyles like cornrows and tight buns can pull on the scalp resulting in breakage where the follicles are attached. With frequent styling habits, it is crucial to use restorative treatments regularly to help replenish lost moisture from heat-styling and maintain overall healthy hair.
Diet
No matter how well you take care of your hair, the food and drinks you consume daily can play an essential role in maintaining your health. Poor diet is one of the most common causes of hair damage, as it can strip crucial vitamins and minerals from our bodies required for healthy hair growth. Eating too much processed food or meals high in salt and saturated fats can damage your locks, weaken roots, and cause breakage.
It is essential to nourish our bodies with whole foods such as lean proteins, fruits & vegetables, plus regular portions of healthy fats like avocados and nuts to maintain the vitality of our hair. When we give back to ourselves what we take out, then our haircare efforts will be rewarded with thick, glossy locks!
Stress
While genetics and environment influence hair health, a third silent culprit can cause unexpected damage to our locks: stress. Stress can completely disrupt our bodies’ homeostasis, and the same is true for hair – its natural routine of growth and loss can be interrupted when a body experiences higher-than-normal anxiety levels.
While occasional stress does not have drastic effects, chronic stress overwhelms the body’s protective processes, resulting in excess shedding and weakened strands from root to tip. To ensure healthy hair despite stressful times, experts suggest managing stress levels more carefully through proper self-care, such as regular exercise and relaxation techniques like deep breathing or mindfulness. Even small steps like increasing hydration or finding new ways to express emotions will help keep your crowning glory looking its best!
Overwashing
Overwashing is one of the most common causes of hair damage. This occurs because when you wash hair too often, it is stripped of its natural oils and moisture, leading to dry and brittle strands. In addition, over-washing frequently can cause color-treated hair to fade quicker and make it more susceptible to breakage and split ends. To help reduce the risk of hair damage caused by over-washing, experts recommend washing no more than three times a week for optimal scalp and hair health.
On days between washings, you can follow up the shampoo with a conditioner or another targeted hydration treatment, such as a DIY mask or apple cider vinegar rinse. By actively avoiding over-washing and ensuring your hair receives targeted hydration and nourishment, you can help preserve its health and prevent further damage.
Elastic Hair Ties
Elastic hair ties are some of the most common culprits for hair damage, especially when worn too tightly. Not only can elastic ties cause enough tension to tug at the roots and break off strands, but they can also lead to split ends. Additionally, wearing the same tie multiple times can cause unnecessary wear to your hair by weak points from continuous tangling, damaging the hair’s health and overall appearance.
To minimize damage due to elastic ties, you should:
- Switch out your elastic band for a new one every three to four wears
- Use a wide fabric band or scrunchie as an alternative if needed
- Never wear it when sleeping or leave it in place while moving quickly or engaging in athletic activity.
Improper Towel Use
Hair is composed of proteins, and the fact that it is incredibly fragile and delicate means that it requires extra care. One of the most common causes of hair damage, often overlooked, is improper towel drying. Unfortunately, many people do not consider the implications of using a rough material to dry their hair or rubbing it vigorously with a towel.
Doing this creates tension in your scalp and causes significant damage like breakage and split ends. A better method for toweling off would be to lightly squeeze the hair with a cotton cloth aligning the direction of your strands to reduce the amount of tugging on them and minimize breakage.
Incorrect Brushing
One of the most common causes of hair damage is incorrect brushing. When we brush our hair, it is important to be gentle and use smooth, wide-toothed brushes instead of rough, bristled brushes. Being too rough leads to much more harm than good and can cause breakage in the hair’s protective cuticle layer. Hair tangles can be combed out gently with time and patience instead of pulling vigorously, which can lead to split ends or breakage.
The type of brush you use can also make a difference in how healthy your hair looks and feels. Natural boar bristle brushes are incredibly beneficial for all hair types as they enable oils from the scalp to spread throughout the shaft, which makes for softer and smoother strands. Furthermore, using too hot water when shampooing and rinsing your hair causes heat damage that strips away proteins leaving it dry, brittle, weak, and prone to further damage. Therefore, understanding how best to brush and wash our hair should prevent significant damage from occurring over time and result in beautiful, manageable locks.
Get A Grip On Hair Damage Before It’s Too Late!
In conclusion, we often make many common mistakes when caring for our hair, and it is crucial to be mindful of how these can damage it over time. From incorrect hair brushing to wearing elastic ties too tightly to washing your hair too frequently or not frequently enough, many factors can cause your hair to break off, become dry, and lose its shine.
It is important to be aware of the most common mistakes you may make in your daily care routine to help prevent any long-term damage and keep your hair looking healthy. Doing so will preserve the quality of your tresses and prevent future breakage and dryness, leading to a more beautiful and manageable head of hair. So follow these tips today, and get on the right path to healthier hair!
