Thinning hair is very traumatic for anyone, male or female; Black Women Beauty Central looks at some of the major causes and what you can do to fix the problem:
1. Tight Braids and Weaves
• The major cause of thinning temples for black women.
• Medically known as traction alopecia.
• Your hair has a better chance of growing back if the trauma wasn’t severe or for a long period time.
• Wearing braids and weaves constantly tends to cause this issue.
Solution: Catch the problem early and recovery is as simple as not wearing the tight braids or weaves until the thinning areas grow back in.
2. Over-processing with chemicals
• Relaxers, curly perms and all permanent hair colour can weaken your hair and lead to thinning.
• These chemicals break down the inner structure and change the PH of your hair strands.
• One bad service can leave you with lots of damage and over-processed edges that disintegrate with the slightest touch.
Solution: Toss the chemicals! It might be hard to imagine going without a relaxer or hair colour, but do it for the health of your hair. Experiment with styling that doesn’t involve processing. If you give your hair a break it will bounce back over time.
3. Stress, medication and poor nutrition
• Stress and medication are major causes of hair loss.
• The quality of your hair is directly connected to the quality of what you eat.
• If you have poor-nutrition thinning, dullness and hair loss aren’t unusual.
Solution: Be sure to get at least 10-15 minutes of quiet time each day. Stress not only affects your hair but your overall health as well.
If you’ve been prescribed medication that’s causing hair loss and thinning, consult your doctor as soon as possible to talk about the problem and what steps you can take to reduce the side effects.
If you have a hard time eating right, think about supplementation with a multi-vitamin formulated to support hair growth.
4. Over styling
• Using too much heat on a regular basis damages your hair, leading to weakness and shedding.
• Combing and brushing too hard and too often causes thinning of the hairline since it’s the most susceptible.
Solution: Resist the temptation to overuse the flat iron or brush your edges into submission when you’re due for a relaxer. There are more gentle and effective ways to flatten your edges.
• Use a light gel and a soft bristle brush to smooth them down.
• Tie your edges down with a silk or satin scarf for at least 30 minutes to encourage them to lay flat.
• Stop fighting the texture of your hair as it grows out and experiment with hairstyles like braid outs and twist outs that hide the new growth.
5. Scalp conditions
• If your scalp is itchy, flakey and sore it could be a sign of a bacterial or fungal infection taking over.
• Left untreated it can lead to serious hair loss and other issues.
Solution: If you notice dampness, bleeding, strange smells or pain please see a doctor who can examine the area, provide treatment and save your hair and scalp.
This article originally appeared on Black Women Beauty Central
Other articles you may be interested in:
Trends in ethnic hair
10 tips for ethnic hair
Summer proof ethnic hair
Braids, weaves and relaxers
The new rules of black beauty
36 Responses
I am really worried about my hair loss. I used to have long thick, beautiful dark hair, but now it is thinning out so badly that I can see my scalp. I have tried massaging and oils, but it doesn’t help. Please help me!
Try a supplement that has biotin in it and omega supplements are good for the hair too.
Braids always break my hair but weaves don’t do that much damage. The trick is to make sure that your hair is kept mosturised even if you have a weave on. Make sure its never dry
I found that taking an ayurvedic approach to my hair, body and mental health led to thicker hair-better foods, coconut oil and zoning out the stress.
it’s hardly ever just one cause, generally it will be a combination of a few factors
Stress is definitely one of the main causes