10+ Silent Killers That Harm Our Hair

1. You are stressed

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Stress is something that affects our entire physical body as well as our mind. Stress releases a hormone called cortisol which can have a very negative effect on many things in our body, and perhaps more surprisingly, even our hair! It can be hard to just; stop stressing', but if you could limit it you may notice a difference!

2. You live in a polluted area

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Pollution is getting worse all over the world as emission levels rise. Not only does pollution affect our internal bodies but it also affects our hair. partly, because of the chemicals we breathe in which affect our entire physical health, but also because your hair traps in the chemicals externally too!

3. You always wear the same hair parting

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Most of us have a natural parting in our hair which we tend to follow every day. Most of the time our hair just naturally falls in place and changing it can feel weird. But because your hair is taking the weight in the same place every day, it can lead to hair breakage and hair loss in that area.

4. You always wear a super tight ponytail

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Slicked-back tight ponytails are totally on-trend. We get it, it's sophisticated and chic looking. But is it actually doing your hair any favors? Nope. It causes tension on the hair causing them to break, particularly if you're wearing this hairstyle on repeat.

5. You don't wear SPF on your hair

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It makes sense that if you're skin can burn, the sun also damages your hair. It can take out the moisture from your hair, leaving it brittle which means it is more breakable. And, your scalp can burn or dry out which could lead to a flaky and itchy scalp!

6. You put your hair in a bobble when it's wet

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While sometimes we don't always have time to wait for our hair to naturally dry, if you can avoid putting it in a bobble it can help keep your hair healthy. Our hair is weaker when it's wet, so putting it in a tight bobble can mean that it breaks easier.

7. You use heat every day

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Drying your hair with heat, straightening or curling are all damaging your hair. If you're doing this every day you're not giving your hair any time to recover. It will dry it out and make it weaker so you may notice your hair snapping off and becoming more frizzy.

8. You don't wear a swimming cap in the pool

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If you're a keen swimmer or just love to spend a lot of time in the pool you'll notice it really takes a toll on your hair. After being in chlorine your hair can feel horrible and dry. If you can, protect your hair by using a swimming cap which will reduce how much chlorine gets in your hair.

9. You brush your straight hair when it's wet

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So the kind of care you should give your hair completely depends on what your hair is like. For someone with straight or thin hair, it may be better to brush your hair when it's dry. But, for someone with thick or curly hair, it may be better and easier to brush your hair when it is still wet, perhaps in the shower!

10. You rub your hair dry with a towel

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Towel-drying hair is better for your hair than using heat. But, rubbing your hair can cause breakages and it can also make it frizzy and sometimes tangles. Whereas dabbing your hair will take out the moisture but it won't mess up or cause breakages in your hair!

11. You use coconut oil on thin hair

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Coconut is a great hair treatment and remedy for many different kinds of hair. But it's better to get to know your hair type and what will actually benefit it the most. For example, for somebody with thin hair coconut oil may weigh it down. It can cause shine but doesn't necessarily hydrate.

12. You dye all of your hair to cover a small part

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Hair dye is full of harsh ingredients that don't help the health of your hair. So, when you have a small area to cover or just a few grey hairs for example, try and dye the area rather than putting dye on all of the hair just for the sake of a small section.

13. You use castor oil

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Again castor oil can be great for thick or curly hair. But, it's probably not the best option for finer hair. In some cases, it can be too heavy as a product and can result in your hair having to be washed more. It depends on the kind of hair you have as to what is the best treatment.

14. You use heat on damp hair

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We all know not to use heat on wet hair but sometimes we're in a rush and we think it's pretty much dried and then we hear the sizzle. Now we know it WASN'T dry and yes, it's just damaged our hair. It can frazzle your hair and make it weaker and more frizzy.

15. You wash your hair too much

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Washing your hair too regularly isn't good because it takes out all of the natural oils we have in our hair which protects the hair's barrier. So when we wash it too frequently it can dry it out and damage this barrier. Hold back on the washing and you may see a difference.

16. You use harsh products

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Some hair products aren't actually good for your hair, especially products that are intended for styling rather than hair care. They may have harsh ingredients which can damage your hair if they are used too regularly. To help this, check for more natural ingredients.

17. You don't have a balanced diet

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At the end of the day, the health of our external body is largely dependent on what's going on inside. If we look after ourselves internally then this will translate on the outside. Without a balanced diet, you may not be getting enough vitamins and minerals which could lead to weak and brittle hair.

18. You smoke!

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Smoking is unhealthy for many reasons, and it even affects your hair. Smoking can actually inhibit your hair growth and it can actually cause the weakening or falling out of some hair! So quitting smoking will be one way to ensure that you're doing your best for your hair health.

19. You always wear tight headgear

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It may be inevitable for you not to wear tight headgear as it could be a requirement of your job, or you may be driving. But during breaks get some air to your hair and take it off. And, if you are wearing unnecessary headgear it could be good to give it some time to breathe.

20. You brush your hair too hard

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When your hair is tangled or messy it can be natural to drag the brush through the hair harshly to get it out as quick as you can. But go gently because you can damage and break your hair by brushing too hard and you can aggravate your scalp which could get flaky as a result.

21. You take hormonal medications

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Our hair depends largely on our hormones. If you have a hormonal imbalance, or you're taking hormonal contraception or medication it can really affect your hair. Check with your doctor to see if your hormone balance is healthy or whether it is affecting your hair.

22. You don't look after your scalp

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Hair grows from our scalp, yet often we look after our hair and not our scalp. From time t time give your scalp a moisturizer and a massage. Massaging it will help oxygen go to the scalp which can in turn help your hair grow. A healthier scalp could mean healthier hair.

23. You wear hair extensions

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Hair extensions are attached to your hair and they add a lot of extra weight. Whichever way they are attached causes your natural hair to become weaker due to the stress of the false hair which has been applied to it. If you want to get healthier hair then it is recommended that you have breaks from hair extensions.

24. You get chemical treatments

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The word 'chemical' in 'chemical treatment is the giveaway as to why this may not be so good for the health of your hair. The treatment uses chemicals to change your hair in some way, which can be harsh for your hair and it could also damage it or weaken it.

25. You're not washing it right

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You may think, there's only one way to wash it though, right? But actually, the standard shampoo followed by the conditioner routine isn't actually the best for everybody. Some hair types are healthier from being washed only with conditioner to keep more moisture in!

26. You never clean your brush

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Brushes get full of old hair and gunk. You probably don't assume it can get so dirty considering it's our hair, and you may assume your hair is clean. But there will be dead skin cells and all kinds of things you don't want to put BACK into your hair when you brush it.

27. You don't hydrate your hair enough

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Dry hair means that your hair has less of the natural oils in it which helps keep it strong. The natural barrier needs oils to repair itself from breaking. And so hydrating your hair is key. The best way to do this is to hydrate yourself and drink enough water. And then on top of this maybe try a leave-in mask.

28. You drink too much alcohol

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Alcohol is dehydrating for your entire body. And hair without hydration and its natural oils are less healthy. So if you drink alcohol regularly or you drink a lot of alcohol it could be drying out your hair which of course, may be ruining your health of it!

29. It's not trimmed often

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It may sound counterproductive to trim some of your hair if you want it to grow faster and healthier. But trimming it gets all of those dead ends off leaving it nice and healthy again. And, when the dead ends are gone it gives room for new growth to come through faster - so don't be afraid of the hair salon!

30. You rely too much on dry shampoo

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Dry shampoo can save the day. Nobody loves hair wash day (or maybe that's just us lazy girls) and it can spruce your hair back up and take out all that excess oil that was giving the game away that we'd avoided washing it. But, relying on it TOO heavily could actually be damaging for your hair and scalp.