What No One Told You About Your Hair Style and Hair Loss

The last thing you probably thought that you would hear when researching hair loss, is that your own hairstyle could be the cause.

Unfortunately according to a study conducted at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, this is true.

Now before you take any drastic action, and cut your hair shorter, I should tell you that this issue only occurs with very specific styles of hair.

The hairstyles responsible for hair loss are considered scalp-pulling styles. These hairstyles include:

• Braids
• Dreadlocks
• Tight ponytails
• Extensions
• Weaves

These styles cause a specific type of hair loss called traction alopecia.

Traction alopecia occurs because of the stress applied to the root causing damage to the hair follicle. These styles can damage the follicle because of how tight they are, and from excessive pulling on the scalp.

There are several other hair routine activities that many people do regularly that can cause hair loss. Some of these include:

• Frequently using chemical hair straightening products
• Using a hot hair straightener or hot blow drier regularly
• Using hair extensions that use an adhesive directly on the scalp

Similarly to the scalp pulling hairstyles these hair care practices damage the hair follicle by putting strain on the root.

Good news! Traction alopecia is preventable.

Research even confirms that if it is caught at an early enough stage it can be reversed.

The best way to deal with early traction alopecia is to avoid using hair styles that are continually pulling at the scalp. If however, you prefer one of these hairstyles, try to limit the amount of time that the scalp is pulled, or do not style it as tightly.

It is also best to avoid the previously mentioned practices that can also damage hair.

If you have started to notice some thinning of your scalp, before you try anything too drastic try adjusting your hairstyle. You may see some great results!