To achieve glorious locks of hair, you need to take special care of it and ditch some bad habits that could be ruining your hair. If you are someone who’s always wanted to have healthy, thick hair, then we’re here to tell you that by following a few healthy habits, we guarantee that the texture of your hair will improve after making these changes. Making use of the wrong styling products or hairstyles that are too tight can cause hair that thins quite rapidly. So here are seven bad habits that you need to break to achieve the luscious locks of your dreams:
1. Not Shampooing Enough
Shampooing is extremely important when it comes to improving the health of your hair and scalp. Your scalp will only stay healthy if you take good care of it and wash it often. If you’re wondering how often you should be washing your hair, then we’re here to tell you that it varies person to person. You should wash your hair according to how oily your scalp gets and if you are someone who has really oily hair, then it’s a good idea to wash your hair at least once every other day. If you don’t do this, pollutants and oils will build up on your scalp and cause dandruff and inflammation. This inflammation can disturb the growth of your hair and cause you to scratch your scalp, which eventually leads to breakage.
2. Being Too Rough With Your Hair
Whatever you do with your hair, you need to do it gently. Avoid aggressively shampooing your hair and be very gentle with it. The less that you pull on your hair, the better. If you’ve gotten into the habit of brushing your hair in the night and morning and brushing it at a vigorous rate, you need to stop doing that. A lot of folks think stroking their hair 100 times a day is good but it really isn’t. Detangle your hair carefully by making use of a detangling spray and going from the bottom of your hair to the start.
3. Bleaching Your Hair Too Often
While adding color may plump up the hair fiber and make it more full, bleaching your hair isn’t as kind to it. Bleaching out the color from your hair ends up damaging its cuticle. This eventually causes your hair fiber to become thin and more prone to breakage. Ask your stylist whether you want to achieve a similar look with hair lifting rather than bleach. Consider reducing the frequency of the bleaching if you want to minimize thinning hair.
4. Combing Your Hair With The Wrong Type Of Brush
Your brushes are tools that you use daily and the wrong brush could do quite a bit of damage and cause breakage. Contrary to popular belief, boar bristle brushes are the least hair-friendly option. Avoid boar-bristle brushes and metal brushed as they get heated during styling. It’s recommended to use a brush that has rounded plastic prongs and a vented plastic base so that you don’t get concentrated heat while styling your hair. Since plastic brushes tend to be a lot less expensive than boar bristles or metal, and they are also hair friendly, it’s a win-win situation!
5. Skipping Breakfast
Breakfast may no longer be the most important meal of the day, but it is quite good for hair. Many people believe that they follow a great diet, but end up rushing out of the door without eating breakfast. Breakfast helps fuel your body and its essential systems. Many don’t take that time out to eat breakfast and fuel their bodies and hence your hair does not receive the nutrients it requires.
6. Using The Wrong Styling Products
Styling products are supposed to make your hair look good, however, some styling products have the exact opposite effect when used for a lengthy period of time. Some relaxers and straighteners can scar your hair follicle and cause major hair loss. Products like gel and hairspray claim to hold your hair in place but contain alcohol and make your hair brittle and dry. The residue that is left on your hair can make your hair fall out and break when brushed and combed. Instead, you should look for more natural alternatives that are more gentle on your hair and keep it in place.
7. Playing With Your Hair
We have all been in a place where we’ve absent-mindedly twirled our hair or scratched and pulled at it. Usually there is no permanent hair loss seen from these habits but they do eventually contribute to hair loss. It’s important that people are aware of these tiny habits. In some rarer cases, people end up pulling out their hair as a response to stress. This condition is known as trichotillomania. You may not be suffering from this condition, but pulling at your hair can cause plenty of damage.
All said and done, hair thinning is natural and happens naturally as you age. Bad habits like the ones mentioned above are what cause your hair to thin. Do let us know all of your thoughts in the comment section below!