Rubbing shampoo into your scalp and seeing your hand covered in hairs is something a lot of men and women with thinning hair experience daily. It’s no wonder they start to question whether or not shampooing their hair is a good idea. However, it’s a common hair loss myth that shampooing contributes to hair loss. If you use specially formulated DHT blocker shampoo, shampooing can slow down hair loss as well as make your hair appear fuller and thicker.
Hair Doesn’t Fall Out Due to Shampoo
As U.S. News Health explains, shampoo has no effect on thinning hair. The shampoo isn’t making hair fall out; it just seems like it because you’re running your hands through your scalp, which you normally don’t do as vigorously throughout the rest of the day. The hair that comes out was going to fall out anyway; even people who don’t have thinning hair will lose hairs doing this.
Styling gels won’t cause additional hair loss, either. However, what may cause hair breakage, damage and eventual hair loss is over-styling your hair. Avoid the temptation to tease your hair and don’t use straightening irons or curling irons. The stress on your strands can accelerate hair loss.
Shampoo Adds Body and Moisture
Shampoo actually adds body and much-needed moisture to the scalp. Not only is a dry scalp itchier and more prone to flakes — which will cause you to scratch and irritate the scalp even more — but it’s not an ideal environment for promoting hair growth. If you have an oily scalp, the natural oil will keep hair moist. It can also cause skin irritation and greasy hair, which in turn highlights the thinning spots.
Shampoos that don’t entirely strip the scalp of moisture but instead remove excess oil and add moisture are ideal for maintaining a healthy scalp. A healthy scalp is essential to slowing down or reducing thinning hair.
Unwashed Hair Causes Damage
Unwashed hair may lead dirt and oil to clog your pores, which stops the natural oil production of individual hair follicles. The hair then dries out and becomes brittle to the touch. Dry, brittle hair looks thinner and is less successful at covering up thinning areas. You may even have a greasy scalp but still experience dry hair. Excess oil leaks out into the rest of the scalp while failing to properly moisturize the hair follicles.
If you’re not prone to drying hair, you may wash your hair every other day. However, if your hair dries quickly, the blocked pores are to blame. Wash your hair every day to avoid faster thinning.
Specially Formulated Shampoo Helps
DHT or dihydrotestosterone, which is present in both men and women, is a common culprit of hair loss. The hormone shrinks hair follicles in the scalp, particularly along the top of the scalp for men and along the hairline for both men and women. Essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients are unable to reach the hair follicle because of the excess of DHT. Eventually the follicles wither and no hair grows from that pore.
Shampoo formulated specifically to block excess DHT in the scalp will help slow down and reduce hair loss. If you start using DHT-inhibiting shampoo as soon as you’ve noticed thinning hair and have ruled out other medical causes for it, you’ll keep a fuller head of hair longer. Shampoos intended for those who are suffering from hair loss replace moisture by eliminating excess dirt and oil.
There are a number of steps people with thinning hair can take to combat hair loss, but not using shampoo isn’t an effective one. If you decide to shampoo less frequently, continue to clean your scalp no less often than every other day. The best option is to continue shampooing daily, but with the right shampoo. The right shampoo will fight the problem causing hair loss: excessive DHT.
About the Author: Contributing blogger Daryl Fleming is a dermatologist who frequently treats both men and women dealing with thinning hair.
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