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If you have fine hair, picking out hair products that will strengthen rather than weaken your strands is crucial. That means avoiding harmful ingredients that can contribute to drying out your hair, stripping it of essential oils, and irritating your scalp.
With hair that is already thin, it’s especially important to avoid these kinds of ingredients.
Thin hair can be the result of many factors, and pinpointing the exact cause will probably take a doctor's visit.
In the meantime, however, adjusting your haircare routine to accommodate thinner hair, specifically by eliminating any products that might be making your hair more fragile or susceptible to breakage, is a good idea.
Speaking Forbes, Dr. Zenovia explained that there are certain ingredients that you should definitely be avoiding if you have thin hair.
“Foaming agents used in shampoo including Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Chloride, and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) can strip the hair of moisture and encourage hair loss," she explained.
Additionally, Zenovia says, "Preservatives including Formaldehyde and parabens such as methylparaben and propylparaben also encourage hair loss and can affect hormonal balance."
These are not the only ingredients you need to keep in mind. Zenovia also warns against ingredients that could drying out your hair and irritating your scalp: "Shampoos containing diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA) cause hair dryness and scalp irritation.”
With that in mind, if you have thin hair, take a closer look at the ingredients in your shampoo bottle. Although they might not be the underlying cause of your thin hair, they could exacerbate the problem, leading to more breakage and hair loss.
