Our hair naturally thins as we age, but if you’ve been noticing clumps of your locks falling out or that you’re losing more strands than usual, it might help to look towards your diet, your styling habits and the products you’re using.
To help you find the root of the cause, we reached out to doctors and hair experts— board-certified dermatologists Dr. Kemunto Mokaya, M.D., Dr. Kellie Reed, M.D., and Dr. Audrey Kunin, M.D.
We asked for three common (but often unexpected) factors that could be contributing to hair loss. Read on for tips— and the good news is— these mistakes are easily changeable and quick to fix!
Mistake #1— Showering With Water That is *Too* Hot
Oftentimes, nothing is more relaxing (especially in the cold winter months!) than a hot shower, but too many of these could take a major toll on your tresses.
"Using very hot water to wash the hair strips it of its natural oils," says Mokaya, stressing that this leads to brittle hair and fallout. Lipids, she explains, protect our scalps from germs. This layer of protection can be damaged from *too* hot water, leaving your strands vulnerable.
Keratin and other nutrients keep our hair strong, and extreme (and frequent) heat negatively affects its production. Ultimately, this can lead to breakage and dry, brittle locks that will fall out.
So, how could you fix this mistake? Lower the intensity of your shower heat and then pay attention to the specific products you're using, Mokaya says.
"Unless your hair is very oily, do not use shampoos with ingredients that can be harsh, such as sodium laureth sulfate." Harsh shampoos also strip off the natural oils from the hair, she says, and make the hair shaft brittle, weak and dry. "If your hair is coily, curly, colored or chemically-treated, you need to avoid sulfates and harsh shampoos."
#2— Scrubbing Hair Vigorously (And Too Often)
Even if you don't shower with hot water, Mokaya also advocates against washing your hair more than needed (every 2-3 days for most hair types), as "washing too frequently can lead to breakage." She notes that harsh scrubbing can cause hair loss and damage over time.
Reed agrees. "Washing the hair too vigorously and pulling on the strands can lead to fallout," says Reed, explaining that gently distributing products to your hair in the shower is the best way to go rather than speedily scratching your scalp. Intense heat plus scrubbing can work as a pair to damage your tresses.
To fix this mistake, Mokaya says to keep two things in mind— determine realistically how often you need to wash your hair (think: when does it get oily?) and never skip conditioner (many people think that they don't need this step if their hair looks or feels greasy).
"Most people do not need to wash hair daily, unless the hair is very oily or is exposed to dirt on a daily basis," she says. "Another mistake is not using a conditioner when you wash," adds Mokaya. "Conditioners help protect the hair from breakage by restoring moisture and oils."
3. Wearing Very Tight Hairstyles
We all love a good ponytail, top knot, messy bun or braid to get our hair out of our faces, but Kunin warns that frequently wearing your hair in a very tight fashion could pull at your follicles, weaken them and lead to hair loss.
“Tightly bound hairstyles is the worst thing one can do with thinning hair," Kunin says. "It places tension upon already weakened roots and contributes to further hair loss.”
Overall, there are many different reasons for hair loss and thinning. Only your doctor will know the best treatment for your tresses. These three mistakes— showering with very hot water, scrubbing too harshly and wearing tight hairstyles too often— all can be fixed if you find yourself doing these daily, now that you know their harsh effects!
