As Black women, we put a lot of stress on our hair trying to achieve the prettiest and trendiest hairstyles. What ends up happening is that we’re left with more hair strands in our sink than on our heads. This is also known as traction alopecia, which is very common among African-American women. Traction alopecia is hair loss caused by pulling of the hair as a result of wearing tight hairstyles and if left untreated, it can lead to permanent hair loss. The good news is that it’s preventable. Here are three ways you can stop traction alopecia before it starts.
1. Stop wearing tight hairstyles.
When wearing a ponytail or braids, you need to know that if you feel any tightness, your hair follicles are being damaged and once they’re gone, they might not grow back. Choose hairstyles that don’t put any tension on your scalp. “A suggestion for a protective style would be braids, but make sure your professional braider does not use excessive tension when braiding,” advises Carla Clarkson, celebrity hairstylist, texture expert and creator of Honey Blow Out. “Choose larger size braid styles as they should alleviate tension at the scalp area. For scalp maintenance, use clinically proven topical treatments and product line such as NouriTress.”
2. Switch it up.
Always wear your part in the middle? Always clip one part of your hair? Always wear a headband? Try switching it up sometimes. Not only will you take stress off your strands, but life is short. Why not wear a variety of styles?
3. Give those hot tools a break.
“Protective styles are styles that keep all heat, chemicals and excessive tension off the hair and scalp,” Clarkson says. Pulling out the flat iron every now and then is not so bad. Using the flat iron every day or passing through your hair four of five times? Now, that’s a problem! If you do have to use a flat iron every day, always use a heat protectant and invest in a high-quality flat iron that will straighten your hair with just one pass.
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