Hair Loss Dos and Don'ts

Many people are unsure about which everyday routines, such as brushing your hair and using hair gel, are good for your hair and which are bad for your hair. In this article I explain some of common the day to day things you should avoid and also the things that can benefit your hair.

Washing your hair everyday
Often, people who are suffering from hair loss decide to wash their hair less frequently. Sometimes this is because hair loss becomes more noticeable when washing the hair so people presume that the act of washing is causing hair loss. And sometimes people believe that it's a good idea to let the natural oils condition your hair, rather than washing them out daily.
In truth the majority of people (especially those experiencing male pattern baldness) should wash their hair and scalp thoroughly everyday. Why? Because gels and other cosmetic products can build up and impact into the scalp overnight, which can block the scalps pores. Furthermore those natural oils that condition your hair (sebum) may contain 'DHT', which attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss. If you use gel or notice that you get a lot of sebum on your scalp (making your scalp shiny) you should make sure you wash your hair and scalp thoroughly everyday. If you're concerned about DHT there are anti-DHT shampoos available that can help.

Brushing your hair
Again, because people often notice their hair shedding when they brush, they presume the two are connected. But in reality hairs that are shed when brushing were probably on their way out anyway. The act of brushing will not caused increased hair loss, unless you are actually forcefully pulling hairs out that get tangled in your brush. Providing you're not doing this, brushing your hair will not cause hair loss.
In fact, brushing your hair can help prevent or slow hair loss down. By brushing your scalp fairly vigorously you encourage blood flow to the scalp, which benefits the hair because nutrients are carried to the hair via the blood. Furthermore, brushing the scalp helps exfoliate the skin, which helps prevent pores from becoming blocked.
Avoid brushing your hair while it is wet as this can damage the hair but other than that regular brushing will not harm your hair.

Wearing a hat
Generally you're OK wearing a hat, unless the hat pulls at your hair for sustained periods. If you wear a hat or helmet regularly and it pulls at the hairs, it can result in the roots of hairs gradually growing closers to the surface of the skin, until eventually they stop growing.
If you wear a hat or helmet regularly make sure it isn't pulling at your hair. If you're suffering from hair loss, it's probably worth avoiding hats anyway, in order to give your skin a chance to breath.

Working out / bodybuilding
Generally speaking you're OK to work out regularly without having any negative effect on your hair. However if you take supplements that increase your testosterone levels, it is possible that this might effect your hair. DHT is a by-product of testosterone, which can cause the body to treat hairs as foreign bodies, which the body begins to reject. If you increase your testosterone levels you might increase your DHT levels, and thus you stand the chance of effecting your hair.

Cardiovascular exercise
While weight lifting can have a negative impact on your hair, cardiovascular exercise on the other hand will in most cases be beneficial for your hair. Cardiovascular exercises helps get the blood pumping to your skin. This helps send nutrients to your scalp, where they are used to grow hair.
If you're doing a lot of exercise make sure you eat well so that your body has a good supply of nutrients for recovery and for your hair. Excessive exercise can drain the body of B vitamins, so you might consider supplementing with B vitamins if you're looking a little run down.