Prevent Hair Loss: 9 Safe Ways to Wear a Ponytail

There are days when you can’t find the strength and the motivation to roll out of bed or put your pants on. These are the days when you feel like a mess and look like a mess. But that won’t pay the rent, will it? So you get up, take a shower, and eat your breakfast. Before you head out the door, you do one final touch up and twist your hair up into a bun or just pull it backwards for a ponytail. Well, everyone’s allowed to have a few bad hair days, right?

Wrong.

If you constantly make laziness attacks an excuse to pull your hair back, then those bad hair days can turn into months, years, or even a lifetime. Girls into sports and other physical activities are also guilty of wearing ponytails too often. But be aware that sporting tight hairdos is one of the common mistakes causing hair loss. Those man buns that some of Hollywood’s leading men have been seen sporting is also causing hair loss in men.

Dermatologist Nicole Rogers of the Tulane University said that tight hairstyles cause baldness. Buns, ponytails, and cornrows can put pressure on hair roots, which may lead to breakage and permanent hair loss in women. She said anything that pulls hair tightly in one direction is potentially damaging. They call it traction alopecia or ballerina baldness. Yes, those neat and tidy ballerina buns can cause localized bald patches in the scalp.

But a girl always has her ponytail days–sometimes, wearing a ponytail is needed more often than usual. How can you pull off this hairstyle without risking hair loss? We got you covered: here are ponytail tips to avoid hair loss. Fans of the man bun, read on too.

Not too tight, please

The purpose of ponytails is to keep hair from our face. They could be really distracting. The other purpose is to fight humidity. When it’s too hot outside, you just can’t let your hair down.

You can still keep hair off your face and stay feeling fresh all day by wearing a loose bun or ponytail. The advice that hair loss experts often give girls is not be too harsh on their hair and always go for loose buns and ponytails. Ponytails should not be too tight that it almost seems as if you are pulling all of your facial skin to the top of your head.

Don’t wear it everyday

What did your hair ever do to you that you always seem to be punishing it every day? It is okay to twirl your hair up in a bun every once in awhile, but don’t do it every day. Explore other hairstyles that do not pose damage. Of course, ponytails save women a lot of time on a busy day but that should not be an excuse to be harsh on your hair. Hair needs to relax and de-stress too.

Never on wet hair

Do not style your hair when it’s soaking wet. Hair is most fragile and prone to damage when wet. If you can’t let it dry completely, at least wait for it to become damp before styling.

You can experience potential ponytail trend risks with wet hair. The breakage is most likely to start at that area that is secured by the hair accessory.

Moisturize hair first

Before starting on any hairstyle, make sure that your hair is moisturized. Dry hair is also prone to damage and breakage. So if you are planning on putting your hair up on a bun, make sure the hair has moisture. This will make hair less likely to break and snap.

It is also very important to moisturize your ends before tucking them in a bun. Seal the shafts with oil or butter.

Lose the tangles

One of the reasons why a ponytail is one of the hairstyles causing hair loss is because women do it in such a hurry. After all, it is the busy girl’s hairstyle.

The tendency is women just tie their hair back even if it is tangled. It is important to detangle your hair first with a wide-toothed comb or your fingers before styling to avoid getting a rat’s nest on your head. As you know, this nest needs effort to be detangled and chances are you will use all your strength to fix it. That means stressing your hair in the process.

Go for gentler accessories

Use metal-free elastics to give your hair a whirl. They are gentler and also very fashionable. Stop using rubber bands and go for friendly elastics that have special coating that keeps your hair from ripping.

You can even go for a chopstick bun. Just twist your hair up and tuck it into itself using sticks. This is kinder to the hair because there is no hair-pulling accessory that is only likely to damage the part secured by it.

Don’t wear it to bed

It is bad enough that you can’t keep yourself from wearing tight ponytails, it is even worse when you wear the style to sleep. Just like makeup, you have to always remove a ponytail before hitting the sack. Not doing so could cause scalp stress and strain. This may also likely causes tangles which could be very hard to fix.

Explore other “pony” styles

One of the tips to prevent hair loss in women involve exploring the many dynamics of a ponytail. The pony has come a long way and this popular hairstyle has evolved through the years. Why not try sophisticated side ponies or side braids? Wear it low and lose and softly tucked under the ears. It will look good on any face shape.

Listen to your scalp

If you can feel your scalp say “ouch,” stop what you’re doing. If it hurts, and you will feel it, don’t do it. If you notice redness or scaling, lose the ponytails to avoid more damage.

Yes, you do need your hair off your face and out of the way, but definitely not out of your head. If you think you could be suffering from traction alopecia, contact the best hair transplant doctors in Philippines for a free consultation.