3 Simple Changes to Stop Hair Loss

"Cornrows? Hell yes." It’s the end of my haircut, and my stylist knows she will have a better chance of getting me to sit for a head of cornrows than a blow dry. The temptation of a Saturday afternoon turning into a spontaneous adventure beckon.  

During our time together, Amanda Peattie, senior stylist and network educator for Bumble and Bumble, explained to me the three most important Do's and Do Not’s for healthy hair. Since I had gone through a period of time this year losing more hair than I was comfortable with, I was enlightened to find out I have been doing a couple of things wrong.

The Three Biggest Hair DO NOT’s: 

Aggressive brushing of the hair without a wet brush and a detangler. Using a wooden brush will create flyaways and breakage.

Pulling hair up tightly while wet. This, again, creates flyaways and breakage. When the hair is wet and you pull it tight, you are stretching it 40% beyond its natural elasticity. When the hair is dry, it is stronger. If you need to put the hair back while wet, use a loose ‘plait’ or braid at the nape of your neck.

Not using a protectant! A heat or UV oil protectant is absolutely necessary if using a blow drier, or curling iron, or you're having a day out in the sun. Without a primer on the hair, the heat sucks out the nutrition from the hair causing dead, lifeless strands.

The Three Most Important Hair MUST DO’s:

1. Prime the hair. Use a tonic with tea tree oil to promote scalp health. When we are stressed, we produce extra DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, which does not allow our scalp to breathe, which is why we lose hair. A tonic gets the debris off the scalp and balances out the pH, which promotes healthy growth. For this, I am guilty as charged. As the founder of an organic skincare company, I am thrilled to understand that the skin on the scalp needs to be stimulated just like the skin on the face. By increasing circulation and helping the body’s natural ability to detoxify, the hair follicles become stronger and can withstand stress. Using a stimulating tonic to improve circulation is what one must do at least 3-4 times a week when washing hair. To keep from drying the hair out, just massage the scalp with tonic, not the ends.
2. Oil treatments! At least once a week, apply a heavy oil treatment. Using a blow drier, curling iron, straightener, or even just being out in the sun is enough to wreak havoc on the hair. Quench the hair with a mask, which is a deep conditioner containing a vitamin complex. Do this for 10-30 minutes.
3. Choose your shampoo and conditioner according to your needs. You might need sulfates. Wait, what? The Crunchy organic girl is saying sulfates might be necessary. I know, I know, it's a confusing world out there and I keep changing it up on you. Have you heard of the WEN lawsuit? There are well over 200 women suing a well-intentioned hair company for causing severe hair loss due to the possible lack of sulfates in the products or harsh chemicals. The jury is out.

Amanda cleared up the issue succinctly. Every person is going to need something different. If you have an oily skin type or you work out a lot, you need sulfates to gently cleanse the scalp and create more circulation for the hair follicles. If you have dry skin and dry hair, the sulfates will continue to further dry out the hair and cause breakage and hair loss, so a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner are right for you.

Just as with skincare, the scalp needs constant circulation and stimulation in order to maintain its vitality through the stresses of life!