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While everyone loses hair on a daily basis, it becomes a problem when the amount of hair lost is not able to keep up with new hair growth. With millions of men and women suffering from progressive hair loss in American alone, male and female pattern baldness have reached endemic levels. To help you retain as much of your hair as possible we have compiled a top 10 list of the most common hair loss mistakes that people make.
The first mistake to avoid is over drying your hair. Many folks with blow-dry their hair after they shower. This should be avoided, as hair drying makes hair follicles brittle and weak by drying them up too quickly. Vigorous toweling off will also damage hair and the scalp. Instead, use a soft towel to gently pat your hair, ensuring to leave some moisture around the follicular roots.
This may seem counterintuitive, but most experts recommend that you avoid growing your hair out too long. This is because excess hair puts added pressure on your hair roots. Another disadvantage to having long hair is that it will expose the bald areas of your scalp more readily. The best thing to do is be open with your hair stylist or barber. Explain your situation and your concerns and they should be able to help you achieve a medium to short cut that works well with your unique facial contours.
Another tip is to avoid using conditioner and shampoo products every day. Now, we are not telling you to avoid showering every day. What we are suggesting is that you avoid using hair products with every shower, as these products have been shown to degrade the organic structure of hair over time. Hence, wetting and soaking your hair everyday with water is fine, just use hair cleaning products every other day.
Using cheap grooming products should also be avoided. Many men just buy the cheapest shampoo and conditioner products, figuring they are all just the same, but that isn’t the case. Many of the cheap products add extra harsh chemicals and fragrances that will actually make your thinning scalp issues worse. Instead, invest in a hair thickening/volumizing shampoo to help strengthen your hair follicles. The few extra dollars will be well worth it in the long run.
Furthermore, you should avoid over brushing and excessive combing. The stress on your scalp will damage your hair follicles and roots, so try to use your fingers whenever possible to groom and shape your hair. For instance, you can push your hair forward or shape your hair with the organic growth pattern of your scalp. If you have too much hair to accommodate finger grooming and shaping then getting a proper hair cut will solve the problem.
Also, when it comes to hair styling products less is more. In other words, use as little as possible when styling your hair, as these hair gels will remove the naturally occurring oils in the scalp and dry out your hair if used frequently. In fact, why not use some water instead? Do you really need to be all slicked up with pomade or gel when you go out to the basketball or football game?
Another thing that men do to cover up their thinning hair or baldness is to wear a hat or baseball cap. The unfortunate reality is the weight of such objects will only increase the stress that your hair experiences. Just think of all the pressure, heat, and sweat involved and you’ll quickly understand why baseball caps and hats will only make a bad situation worse. The same applies to using braids to hold your hair back. Any pushing or pulling of hair will only add extra friction and stress to already delicate hair follicles. Hence, we would recommend avoiding hats, caps, braids, ponytails, and bandanas if keeping your hair intact is a priority.
We would also recommend that you avoid stressing too much about your hair loss. The fact is genetic hair loss is the most common form of hair loss in the world, and millions of men and women deal with male and female pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) on a daily basis. It is an evitable part of life, and over two-thirds of men will experience significant balding or complete baldness by the time they reach their 60s. Try to focus on the positives in your life and realize that hair loss is usually not dangerous. Besides, the stress will not only impact you psychologically but will also increase the amount of hair loss, helping perpetuate a vicious cycle.
In addition, make the necessary changes to your diet. A poor diet, deficient in iron and protein, can increase hair loss. Eating a balanced diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, and organic meats will help promote hair regrowth and keep your existing hairs hydrated and resilient. You may also wish to talk to your doctor about taking vitamin supplements, as studies have shown that most men over the age of 20 are not getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin B and iron and their diet; two essential nutrients that are required to foster healthy hair growth. Also, if you are a smoker, you should try and quit, as smoking has not only been linked to cancer and heart disease but hair loss as well.
Finally, and perhaps most important of all, you should avoid doing nothing about your hair loss. Your hair loss may be due to stress, vitamin deficiencies, a glandular disorder, an autoimmune disease, or a genetic condition. However, you won’t know for sure unless you see a health care specialist to properly diagnose the root cause of your hair loss. Only then will they be able to prescribe the proper treatment to help you with your hair loss problem. The good news is there are a variety of affordable, safe, and FDA approved hair loss products out there, such as minoxidil, finasteride, and various hair growth shampoos that can help solve your hair loss problem. Hair grafting/transplantation, wigs, weaves, hair stem cell therapy, low level light therapy, scalp reduction, and herbal hair loss remedies are just some of the possible solutions to your hair loss issues.
