I often get emails asking what grooming practices contribute to hair loss. A common concern is putting your hair in a ponytail. People often tell me that when they lower the ponytail they will see a lot of hair in the elastic or notice a lot of worn strands on their clothes after they have done this. So they conclude that the style has pulled their hair out and wonder if they should stop this practice. I will tell you my opinion on ponytails and hair loss in the following article.
Was the spill or leak there before ?:Often times what I see happening is that the person writing has been experiencing a bit of hair loss and shedding before noticing the hair in the elastic. This could be due to many reasons, such as medical causes, scalp problems, seasonal shedding, reactions to medications or hormones, and genetics. Often times, the person decides to simply pull their hair into a ponytail because doing so helps to keep the falling hairs contained and prevents the hairs from gathering together and worrying about it all day.
However, once they see all the hairs that wear out after removing the tail, they worry that it was the style that made the hair loss worse. This is rarely the case. The style has held up many of the hairs that were going to fall out either way. So what you see below is just the hairs that saved you when I was upstairs.
Now that is not to say that pulling and holding your hair back is not going to pull out some of the most vulnerable hairs that were on your last legs. But, those threads weren’t going to stick around anyway. You’re skipping a few days and his departure was inevitable anyway. This is the truth. Healthy, deeply embedded locks can certainly withstand brushing and ponytails. And, when it is shedding, any kind of manipulation will accelerate throughout mother nature.
Putting your hair in a ponytail more gently so that it falls less: This is a very popular and carefree style and it really is nice to be able to lift your hair up if it is falling out so you don’t have to keep pulling strands all day. You can be very gentle when you wear this style. One option is to go for a low ponytail instead of a high one. Collect the hair at the nape of the neck rather than at the top of the head. This gives the strands less pressure. Also, pull your strands together smoothly and loosely rather than holding them tighter.
Finally, here is another little trick. Take two bands (not the cloth or rubber bands, but the elastic bands). You are going to connect these two together by holding one on top of the other, twisting the two together, and then pulling hard. What you will get as a result are two bands that form the shape of the number eight. The two are tied together in the middle.
So, take either side of this new bigger band and tuck your hair into a regular low ponytail. Then wrap the bottom in a circle to make a bun. After this, take the bow that is now dangling (the free side of the elastic) and use it to secure the bow. This requires much less tugging, and having a bun puts less time on your roots, making hair less likely to fall out. In addition, the bun prevents worn hair from staining clothes.
Of course, this is only a temporary solution. You will need to find out why your hair is falling out and then address this for a permanent solution.