Addicted to styling your hair? We’ve got some information that may alarm you: Every time you visit a salon, pick up a hair straightener, or color your hair at home, you put yourself at risk for hair loss. “Many people do not understand that certain hair styling practices can cause serious damage,” says Roopal V. Kundu, MD, Director of the Center for Ethnic Skin at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, “Damage can lead to a scarring process, which in some cases cannot be reversed.”
Can you imagine if your hair loss prognosis was cannot be reversed?
We chatted with Dr. Kundu about styling practices to avoid, and how to keep hair follicles strong and healthy. Here’s Dr. Kundu’s advice:
1. Reconsider your hair style.
“The types of alopecia we’re seeing are different than what we were seeing 20 years ago because of the different types of processing that people are doing now. Whereas in the 70’s and the early 80’s the hairstyles were more natural, these days there are a lot more crunched out styles in terms of perms and putting heat in the hair and keeping it straight, and a lot of tension.”
– Dr. Kundu
2. Be careful when treating hair at home.
“The problem with people treating hair at home is no one else is looking. Often people will come in who have damage to their scalp that they didn’t notice was there. Specific practices that can be problematic include straightening, processing, hair coloring, and heat. If you do those things at home, try to modify your hair care habits. Try not to put heat on more than once a week, reduce the frequency of flat iron use, blow dry at a lower setting. It’s about frequency and amount.”
– Dr. Kundu
3. Keep it loose.
“Hair styling can cause problems in terms of alopecia. When braids or weaves are too tight, they hurt. Pain means it’s too tight, it’s pulling too hard, there’s too much tension. Try to keep ponytails and braids loose, not as tight, to reduce the amount of tension on the scalp.”
– Dr. Kundu
4. Never stop showering.
“We see people who stop shampooing their hair because they think they’re losing more hair when they shampoo. That is an error. Do not change the pattern of keeping your scalp healthy because you think you’re going to lose hair. If you’re losing hair, you’re going to lose hair whether you use shampoo or not. Not keeping your scalp healthy just causes more inflammation.”
– Dr. Kundu
5. Do not leave products in for longer than advised.
“Some people think products will be more effective if they leave them in for longer. They’ll be like, ‘Oh it’s tingling. That’s great. It must be working really well.’ That’s when damage can happen.”
– Dr. Kundu
6. Consider pain a red flag.
“Hair styling shouldn’t hurt. Any kind of scalp discomfort is abnormal. That’s a very basic thing. A lot of people will come in and say, ‘It burned after a couple minutes of leaving it on, and then they came and washed it off.’ Any form of sensation can be a sign that the scalp is being damaged. If you suffer any kind of discomfort while you’re at the salon, stop seeing that stylist. If you experience any burning, stinging, tingling, or any kind of pain on their scalp after the styling is done or during the process of it, you shouldn’t go back.”
– Dr. Kundu
7. When to see a doctor:
“Most hair loss issues that would be temporary and not progressive would resolve after about 3 months. If you’re having continued shedding and thinning for more than 3 months, that’s when you should have someone check it out. Don’t let a lot of time pass. You want to get in to see someone, even if it turns out that it’s just a temporary issue and it’s just the reassurance we give you.”
– Dr. Kundu