The Ultimate Beauty Guide

If you’re starting to notice more stands of hair in your brush, or the ends of your long hair are starting to look thinner…..you may be unknowingly killing your hair! There are 5 bad habits that are giving you thinning hair – are YOU guilty of doing any of these?

1. Taking Hot Showers

Just like hot water dries out your skin, it can also dry out your scalp and hair. Hot water saps the moisture out of your scalp and hair. Some symptoms of dehydrated hair include an itchy scalp and dry, strawlike hair.

Try taking lukewarm showers or even just turning the water down to a cooler temperature when you’re washing your hair.

2. Towel Drying Incorrectly

Do you twist your hair into a towel turban when you’re getting out of the shower? Or do you towel dry by rubbing your head and hair?

Chances are you probably do both. These are very common mistakes that seem to get engrained in us at a very young age. The problem with these techniques is that the twisting and vigorous rubbing tangles and breaks hair.

The proper way to towel dry your hair is to skip twisting your hair up into the towel and don’t rub! Just gently wrap your towel around and squeeze small sections of hair at a time.

3. Using Hot Styling Tools

Blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons may make your hair look good for the day but in the long run end up scorching your hair.

Heat from these styling tools breaks down the proteins that are found in your hair. This causes damaged, weak hair that breaks off.

Try to use hot tools less often, and when you do, use the lowest possible heat setting – you DON’T need 450 degrees on your hair! Also remember to protect your hair by using a heat protectant spray.

4. Crash Dieting

You may think that forcing yourself to eat less is a good thing, but in reality crash dieting wreaks havoc on your body AND your hair.

When you suddenly eat far less than what your body is used to, it goes into a state of shock. Various functions in your body start slowing down, including hair growth. In just a few weeks a lack of nutrients can cause your hair to start falling out, a symptom that usually means you’re not getting enough nutrition for healthy cell growth.

Instead of trying the latest diet fad, focus on eating the RIGHT types of food: more vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. When you eat for health rather than weight loss, you’ll find that you feel better, have thicker hair, and maybe even lose weight in the long run.

5. Wearing Tight Hairstyles

Ever get a headache when you wear a ponytail? It’s no coincidence: your hairstyle is literally pulling your scalp and skin.

The sock bun may be the cutest style this summer, but wearing your hair in tight hairstyles too often can cause your hair to break and fall out.

When you tie your hair up into a tight style, you’re stretching the hair strand and putting a strain on hair follicles. Do this too much, and you’ll notice more broken hair, thinner ends, and even a sensitive scalp.

To avoid this, wear your hair down more often. You don’t have to skip updos altogether though. When you do tie your hair up, try to wear it more loose. You should avoid having hair lie tight across the scalp but be able to feel a bit of volume on your crown.