Unhealthy Hair Habits Can Cause Hair Trauma Including Alopecia
I must say that I used to be guilty of quite a few unhealthy hair habits. My most frequent infraction was the overuse of heat. When I was in college, I blow-dried and flat ironed my hair ever 2 weeks. Needless to say, my hair gradually thinned and began to break. Sometimes we will sacrifice the health of our mane for a fly hairstyle. The ‘do will look fantastic but our hair will suffer in the long run. I have heard many women refer to heat as “hair’s worst enemy”. It is okay to use heat from time to time but you should definitely limit it. Heat can permanently damage the bonds of the hair and robs your hair of precious moisture.
If you wear buns, ponytails, or any style that causes strain on your hair, make sure you are careful about how tightly you gather it. Wearing your hair in a tight ponytail can cause traction alopecia, which is balding around the hairline. This is due to the repeated pulling of the hair follicles that creates scaring, and eventually these damaged follicles will stop producing strands of hair. Scary right? If your scalp ever feels sore or you start to get a headache, take your hair down immediately. Even with looser styles, be sure to use soft cloth elastics. Metal will always cut into hair and create breakage at the point of contact.
After many of us naturals do the big chop, we cannot stop touching our hair! Most of us fall in love and sometimes unknowingly caress our locks throughout the day but but I have learned that it can be detrimental to our hair’s health. Constantly playing with your strands can create wear and tear on the hair. It can cause ends that are already fragile to break. Repeated pulling or twisting of the hair can result in some strands to be pulled out one by one, eventually causing a thin or bald patch that can cover quite a large area. And we all know this is not a good look! Now, analyze your hair routine and discover the habits you may have that may be preventing your crown and glory from reaching its full potential.
Chime Edwards is a native of West Point, MS and attended Rust College in Holly Springs, MS where she majored in Mass Communications. In her spare time, Chime enjoys posting videos about natural hair care on her YouTube channel for over 26,000 subscribers.
That’s why I wear my hair natural.
So do I…Most of the time, I just braid my hair and wear hats. I usually don;’t touch my hair again for 2-3 days…Then I rebraid it and use a leave-in conditioner detangler. I never put heat in my hair at all. Been there and done that and now it is over..
I haven’t had a perm in over five years. I only blow dry and flat iron my(when I wash it, I use a deep conditioning). My hair has grown down to my pass my shoulders!!!! I put braid extentions in it only if I’m traveling somewhere and the weather is hot and humid. I have never wore a weave. All the sewing and gluing can’t help but break your hair off.
You a re so right…I have never had a weave either. I just braid my hair myself and I have gotten into stylish hats. However, when something special happens, I have a friend who is a wonderful hair dress who will straighen it for me for that time only. After that, I am back to natural hair again. I am so into natural right now. I am so happy about the many wonderful products out there for Black hair which enables me to pretty much wear it natural.