While factors like genetics or health conditions can influence hair loss, improper care often accelerates the process. Mistakes you didn’t even realize you were making—like using the wrong shampoo or over-relying on heat tools—can sap away your tresses’ strength, leaving them more prone to thinning and breaking over time.
The good news is that these habits are easy to change! We’ll walk you through six of the most common haircare routines that might be causing more harm than good.
Washing Too Often (Or Not Often Enough)
It can be surprisingly tricky to strike the right balance of shampooing. On the one hand, overwashing strips your scalp of the natural oils that keep your hair hydrated and elastic. On the other hand, neglecting a regular wash routine can lead to product buildup, clogging hair follicles and stifling natural hair growth.
The key lies in customizing your wash schedule to your hair type. Oily hair might benefit from daily or every-other-day washes, but dry or textured hair tends to benefit from cleansing only once or twice a week. Regardless of how often you’re lathering up, always use a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo to cleanse without any unnecessary damage. Elon Moisture Therapy Shampoo and Elon Moisture Therapy Hair Conditioner gently cleanse, leaving hair silky-soft and manageable.
Aggressive Towel Drying
Giving your hair a quick towel dry might seem like the most efficient way to go from soaked to damp, but it wreaks havoc on your strands. Wet hair is particularly fragile, and the friction caused by aggressive towel drying can cause frizz and split ends. If air drying isn’t an option, at least be kinder to your hair by patting it dry using a soft microfiber towel or even an old cotton T-shirt. Both are much gentler on your hair’s cuticle and perfectly suited to absorbing moisture. On that note, you should also end the practice of twisting your hair up in a towel. It puts a lot of strain on the roots.
Overusing Heat Styling Tools
We’ve all been guilty of relying on heat tools to achieve that perfect coif, but excessive use comes at a cost. High temperatures from flat irons, curling wands, and, yes, even your beloved blow-dryer weaken the hair’s protein structure. Over time, it results in cumulative damage that thins the individual strands.
Protect your luscious locks by limiting heat styling to special occasions or a few times a week. When you do reach for these tools, always start with a heat protectant spray to temper the direct damage and turn the temperature down. You can achieve most styles without cranking the heat to maximum. Better yet, explore heat-free alternatives like braiding damp hair for natural waves or using rollers to add volume.
Tight Hair Styles
Repeated tension on the scalp strains hair follicles, leading to a condition called traction alopecia—a type of hair loss caused by constant pulling– which can cause your hair to thin or fall out, particularly along the hairline. Instead of sleek ponytails and ballerina buns, stick with looser styles that put less pressure on your scalp. If you simply can’t live without your favorite braids and updos, try switching up the placement to avoid over-stressing the same areas day after day.
Neglecting Scalp Health
Despite being the foundation for healthy hair growth, the scalp is woefully overlooked in our hair care routines. Leaving it vulnerable to issues like product buildup, dandruff, folliculitis, or seborrheic dermatitis creates an unhealthy environment that can’t produce the same caliber of hair as a scalp that gets regular TLC. Try taking simple steps like regularly exfoliating with a gentle scalp scrub to promote circulation, which delivers necessary nutrients to your hair follicles. The same goes for scalp massages, which also boost blood flow.
You can also switch up your shampoo to clinically tested formulations like that in CLn® Shampoo. This dermatologist-recommended formula with salicylic acid lathers away excess oil and dead skin cells, while ingredients like glycerin and sodium hypochlorite provide moisturizing, anti-inflammatory properties with every wash. It’s also an excellent solution for men with itchy, irritated skin under their facial hair.
Using Products That Don’t Support Healthy Hair Growth
Not all products that promise to promote growth and scalp health live up to the hype. That’s why we’re confident in offering Nutrafol® products to our clients.
The Women’s Hair Serum is a lightweight, fast-absorbing formula with ashwagandha exosomes to encourage skin cell renewal on the scalp and promote healthier, thicker hair from the root. For men, the 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner cleans deeply while nourishing the scalp with a blend of natural ingredients, including saw palmetto, to reduce DHT levels, the hormone linked to hair thinning.
We’d love to discuss how these Nutrafol® products can help you achieve fuller, healthier hair. We can also introduce you to their botanical supplement line. Physician-formulated Nutrafol® Women’s Balance is the first and only hair growth supplement with published clinical studies in menopausal women with hair thinning. These studies revealed impressive results: 100% of women reported visible improvement in hair growth after nine months, while 93% saw a significant reduction in dryness and brittleness within just six months.
We also offer Nutrafol® Men, a 100% drug-free, bio-optimized compound of naturally potent plant extracts that does not affect the sex drive. The only side effect is visible hair growth.
Click through the links to learn more about the individual supplements, or stop by to shop in-store with the help of a hair health expert.
