Can Overstyling Your Hair Cause Baldness?

The short answer, according to specialists, is yes. Over styling your hair can can cause damage to the roots which end up causing the hair produced to be thinner and eventually the total loss of hair growth in the affected area.

“Different ways of styling your hair, coupled with different kinds of tools and chemicals you use to treat your hair, can cause severe negative side effects to your scalp,” says one dermatologist who performs hair transplant surgery Palo Alto. “It’s a shame because they very folks that took the most care of their hair and were quite obsessive about the way they treated it, tend also to be the most impacted by the various products out there are the market.”

Improper treatment can cause your hair to look frizzy, brittle, and thin. It can also, on a long enough time scale, cause it to stop growing entirely. Luckily, there are a number of actions that hair specialists recommend you take that can help reduce damage to the hair follicles and scalp.

#1. No Hair Dryers

While the hair dryer industry may insist it’s product is completely safe, dermatologists recommend you wrap your hair in a towel in order to dry it, and not shoot ultra hot air through an electrical device into your scalp. This is because the hot air, and exposure to heat can damage the follicles and thin the hair.

#2. Don’t Comb or Brush Your Hair When It’s Wet

Wet hair is more brittle than dry hair, and combing it can literally uproot the hair in your head, damaging the pores and follicles. Unless you have naturally curly hair, in which case you’re better off brushing it when it’s still wet, as curly hair is less likely to tangle in the brush when dry. In both instances, the idea is to avoid ripping hair out of your scalp because this is very bad for your hair.

#3. “Long Lasting Hold” is Bad for Hair

If your hair care product of choice claims it has an ultra long lasting hold, it’s generally very bad for your hair. A little bit is okay, but running your hair through with gel just so you can get into the shape and style you want may in the long run reduce your hair’s texture and thickness. You especially do not want to comb your hair after applying just products because that can cause the hair to break, which causes damage to the follicles, which causes hair loss.

#4. Do Not Over Comb or Brush Your Hair

If you over comb your hair you could very well end up with a comb over. For the same reason you don’t want to comb or brush your hair when it’s wet, you don’t want to brush it or comb it one hundred times a day.

A general rule of thumb is, your hair will look better, the less you fuss over it.