Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHair Loss and HatsHat TightnessHat and Style ChoicesProtecting Hair
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Hair Loss and Hats
Hat Tightness
Hat and Style Choices
Protecting Hair
The notion that wearing a hat causeshair lossis largely a myth. It is unlikely that wearing a hat causes hair loss that would not have occurred anyway.
The most common reason for hair loss isandrogenic(orandrogenetic)alopecia, which is a medical term formale-pattern hair loss and female-pattern hair loss. This type of hair loss is related to hormones and genetics.
Other types of hair loss include alopecia areata and telogen effluvium, which can occur for a number of reasons, but hat-wearing is unlikely to be one of them.While wearing a hat is usually not the cause of hair loss, some activities and behaviors could lead to hair shedding.
This article will discuss whether wearing a hat causes hair loss, if hat tightness plays a role, hats and hairstyles that may influence hair loss, and how to promote daily hair regrowth.
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Wearing a Hat More Than Likely Doesn’t Cause Hair Loss
Hair growsin a cycleof the following three phases:
It’snormal to lose about 50 to 100 hairs per day. If you’re regularly losing more than 100 hairs per day, that’s considered shedding.
Wearing a hat is unlikely to cause hair to fall out that wasn’t already on its way out. You may think the hat is causing hair to shed because putting on or taking off a hat can pull out hairs that were already loosely attached and going to fall out anyway.
Does Hat Tightness Play a Role?
A hat would need to be exceptionally tight to cut off blood supply and air flow to the hair follicles. Even if this could occur, it would unlikely be the sole cause of hair loss. At most, it may worsen hair loss that is already happening.
Hats and Hairstyles That (Probably) Won’t Cause Hair Loss
Go ahead and wear whatever hat you find comfortable and stylish. Unless you are already shedding hair, you are unlikely to notice a change in your hair loss. If you are shedding, close-fitting hats like beanies could be more likely to pull out hairs that are already loose than other types of hats, but they won’t cause you to go bald on their own.
If you have areas of scalp is showing through your hair, wearing a hat can help protect the exposed skin from the sun.
Rather than hats, certain hairstyles can lead to hair loss from traction alopecia. Hairstyles and hair practices that can increase the risk of traction alopecia include:
Over time, the tugging on the hair strand that is connected to the hair follicle damages the scalp, which can cause broken, thin, or short hairs or bald patches. This can happen anywhere along the hairline but is common near the temples.
Loosening the hairstyle, wearing lower ponytails and buns, wearing thicker braids and locs, limiting the use of rollers, and not wearing a braided hairstyle for more than two to three months can help prevent traction alopecia.
Ways to Prevent Traction AlopeciaIn addition to choosing looser hairstyles, other ways to help prevent traction alopecia include:Wear wigs with satin, nylon, or cotton wig caps.Limit the use of relaxers.Change your hairstyle often.If braids, cornrows, hair extensions, or weaves hurt, make them looser.Limit the use of heat, and use low heat settings on hair appliances when you use them.Avoid rubber bands and elastic ponytail holders (use ones that are covered).At bedtime, use a satin bonnet or satin pillowcase.
Ways to Prevent Traction Alopecia
In addition to choosing looser hairstyles, other ways to help prevent traction alopecia include:Wear wigs with satin, nylon, or cotton wig caps.Limit the use of relaxers.Change your hairstyle often.If braids, cornrows, hair extensions, or weaves hurt, make them looser.Limit the use of heat, and use low heat settings on hair appliances when you use them.Avoid rubber bands and elastic ponytail holders (use ones that are covered).At bedtime, use a satin bonnet or satin pillowcase.
In addition to choosing looser hairstyles, other ways to help prevent traction alopecia include:
How to Protect Your Hair
Some hair loss is permanent or more difficult to reverse, likeandrogenic alopecia. Hair loss from traction alopecia and other causes of hair loss liketelogen effluviumis often reversible, especially if caught early.
Ways to help protect your hair include:
Summary
Hats, even tight ones, are unlikely to cause hair loss on their own, but they might pull out hair that was already on its way to falling out.
Tight hairstyles may cause hair loss due to traction alopecia. This includes tight ponytails and buns, tight braids, cornrows, and locs.
Ways toprotect hair and scalp from damageinclude wearing looser hairstyles, conditioning hair, limiting heat (temperature, duration, and frequency), limiting and/or spacing out chemical treatments, using a wide-toothed comb on damp hair, and protecting hair from the sun.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.McGill University.Will wearing a hat make me go bald?Phillips TG, Slomiany WP, Allison R.Hair loss: common causes and treatment.afp. 2017;96(6):371-378.Harvard Health.Hair loss.DermNet.Traction alopecia.University of Iowa.Traction alopecia: a type of hair loss.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss.American Academy of Dermatology.How to stop damaging your hair.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.McGill University.Will wearing a hat make me go bald?Phillips TG, Slomiany WP, Allison R.Hair loss: common causes and treatment.afp. 2017;96(6):371-378.Harvard Health.Hair loss.DermNet.Traction alopecia.University of Iowa.Traction alopecia: a type of hair loss.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss.American Academy of Dermatology.How to stop damaging your hair.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
McGill University.Will wearing a hat make me go bald?Phillips TG, Slomiany WP, Allison R.Hair loss: common causes and treatment.afp. 2017;96(6):371-378.Harvard Health.Hair loss.DermNet.Traction alopecia.University of Iowa.Traction alopecia: a type of hair loss.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss.American Academy of Dermatology.How to stop damaging your hair.
McGill University.Will wearing a hat make me go bald?
Phillips TG, Slomiany WP, Allison R.Hair loss: common causes and treatment.afp. 2017;96(6):371-378.
Harvard Health.Hair loss.
DermNet.Traction alopecia.
University of Iowa.Traction alopecia: a type of hair loss.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss.
American Academy of Dermatology.How to stop damaging your hair.
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