When we try to keep our hair looking great, we often end up doing things that harm it. Damaged hair becomes weak and is more likely to break. When hair breaks, it looks messy and unhealthy. If we keep damaging our hair, it might eventually lead to thinning or even bald patches.
But there’s good news — making small changes can stop more damage.
Here, you’ll find 10 common hair care habits that can harm your hair and tips from dermatologists to help you stop the damage.
-Washing Your Hair by Rubbing Shampoo Into the Length of Your Hair
– Gently massage shampoo into your scalp.
– When rinsing shampoo from your scalp, let it run through the length of your hair and avoid rubbing it into your hair.
– Skipping the Conditioner
Do:
– Use conditioner after every shampoo.
-Drying Your Hair by Rubbing It with a Towel
-Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Wrap your hair in a towel to soak up the water.
– Let your hair air dry.
-Brushing Your Hair While It Is Wet
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– If you have straight hair, let it dry a little before you use a wide-tooth comb.
– If you have textured hair or tight curls, always use a wide-tooth comb while your hair is damp.
Using a Blow Dryer, Hot Comb, or Curling Iron
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Air dry your hair whenever possible.
– Use the lowest heat setting.
– Limit the amount of time the hot comb or curling iron is in contact with your hair.
– Use these tools less often, ideally once a week or even less.
Applying Styling Products That Offer Long-Lasting Hold
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Try a hairstyle that doesn’t require heavy hold products.
Pulling Your Hair Back Tightly, Such as in a Ponytail, Bun, or Cornrows
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Wear your hair loosely pulled back.
– Use rubber bands designed for hair styling.
– Try a different hairstyle that doesn’t pull on your hair.
Wearing a Weave or Hair Extensions
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Choose weaves and extensions that are lightweight so they don’t pull.
– Get your weaves and extensions done at a salon that specializes in these services.
– Wear a professional weave or hair extension for 2 to 3 months at most.
– Keep up your scalp hygiene when wearing weaves or extensions.
– Switch up your hairstyles so you don’t always wear a weave or extensions.
Coloring, Perming, or Relaxing Your Hair
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Try to space out your touch-ups, especially in dry weather.
In the winter, you can go as long as 8 to 10 weeks or more between touch-ups.
– Get only one service — a color, relaxer, or perm.
If you want more than one, do the perm or relaxer first, and color your hair 2 weeks later.
– Use conditioner after each shampoo.
– Protect your hair from the sun by using a leave-in conditioner with zinc oxide or wearing a wide-brimmed hat.
Brushing Your Hair 100 Strokes a Day or Tugging on Your Hair to Style It
Changes That Can Help Prevent Hair Damage:
– Brush and comb your hair only to style it.
Your hair doesn’t need 100 strokes a day — that’s a myth.
– Use a wide-tooth comb and handle it gently.
– Avoid pulling or tugging on your hair when brushing, combing, or styling it.
– Remove tangles gently, and use a moisturizing conditioner if necessary.
Haircare products are classified as “personal care products” and are not reviewed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Even though the label must list the ingredients, the FDA says that personal care products and their ingredients, except for color additives, don’t need approval before they go on the market. Because of this, products with harmful chemicals might end up in stores.
Look for safer and effective haircare products with fewer toxic chemicals.
It’s important to do your research. Many haircare items like shampoo, conditioners, sprays, gels, dyes, and styling products can contain harmful chemicals. Some ingredients act like human hormones, while others may cause cancer, skin or eye irritation, or allergies.
Always read the labels.
There are safer haircare options available for all hair types, so checking the label is essential. Choose products that don’t have parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, or fragrances. This can be difficult, but it’s important.
What else can you do?
Start creating your own beauty routine!
Find the safer product that works best for you and stick with it. Avoid the urge to try new products without checking if they contain harmful chemicals.
Be careful when choosing products.
Ingredients are listed in order of their concentration, from highest to lowest. To lower your exposure, pick products that don’t list any of the chemicals below.
Chemicals to avoid:
Phthalates: These are used in shampoo, conditioner, mousse, hairspray, and fragrances.
They can lead to lower sperm counts in men and infertility in women.
Parabens: These act like estrogen in the body.
They can disrupt hormone production, affecting sexual development in both men and women. Parabens are used in hair products as preservatives. Common ones in hair products include ethyl paraben, butylparaben, isobutyl paraben, isopropyl paraben, methylparaben, and propylparaben.
Formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals: These, like Dimethyl Imidazolidinedione, Imdiazolidinyl/Diazolidinyl Urea, or DMDM Hydantoin, are often used in haircare products as preservatives.
They release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. These chemicals can also cause eye and skin irritation, lung irritation, and harm the immune system.
Fragrance: Fragrances are especially concerning because their ingredients are often not listed.
While the FDA requires companies to list ingredients, they can label fragrances as “fragrance” or “parfum” to protect them as trade secrets. This means you may not know exactly what chemicals are in the fragrance.