6 Tips to Prevent Hair Loss in Men
What do you see when you look in the mirror? A vital, healthy human being or someone struggling to feel attractive? In a research study involving over 1500 men, “47% reported hair loss […] and 62% agreed that hair loss could affect self-esteem.”
Typically, people shed between 50–100 hairs every day as part of their hair’s normal life cycle. Losing chunks at a time or in certain patterns, though, may indicate an underlying health condition. Several different factors increase the likelihood of hair loss, including genetics, diet, and even stress. To rule out a medical condition, visit your primary health care provider for a scalp exam and blood tests. If you get a clean bill of health, you may be able to minimize your hair loss by making a few simple changes.
A Healthy Diet = Healthier Hair
You’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” In so many ways, you’re also what you don’t eat. If your diet lacks essential vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fat, your hair can suffer. Nutrient-dense foods, colorful fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins and fatty fish all help promote hair growth as well as overall health. Be wary of “healthy hair” diets, though, since there’s only minimal research citing a correlation between food consumption and hair growth to date.
Don’t Self Supplement
We’re all guilty of taking our health into our own hands from time to time, but don’t assume a nutrient deficiency has caused your hair loss without getting confirmation from a medical professional. Some supplements, like biotin, do not have clinical support as a hair restoration method “in the absence of deficiency.” And even though small amounts of biotin are common in multivitamins, the FDA has warned that high doses can interfere with lab tests used to diagnose heart attacks.
Ditch the Man Bun or Ponytail
Pulling your hair up and off your neck may keep you cool, but the tension created by a tight elastic band may be causing both breakage and hair loss. Traction alopecia strains the strands, causing them to pull free prematurely. As a once-in-a-while style, you’ll be fine, but don’t make a habit of it.
Switch to a Revitalizing Shampoo
Shampooing does more than make your hair smell good. It removes debris, sweat, dead skin cells, and styling product build-up. The right shampoo also revitalizes and refreshes the scalp while protecting fragile strands from breakage. Acca Kappa’s Men’s Shampoo for Strong, Bright Hair contains menthol to refresh your scalp, hydrolyzed wheat and soy proteins to strengthen strands, and ginseng extract to stimulate growth.
Start a Scalp Care Routine
Poor circulation, especially to the scalp, can play a role in hair loss. To keep your scalp invigorated, try adding a scalp scrub to your weekly self-care routine. Like clarifying shampoos, exfoliating scrubs remove debris along with dead skin cells, so the follicles don’t become blocked.
Choose a Better Brush
The wrong tool can tug tresses and lead to hair loss as can overbrushing. Limit your brushing to the bare minimum and detangle with a comb first. Choose a hair brush with natural bristles that matches your hair type. These boar’s hair and nylon bristle brushes gently stimulate circulation to keep your scalp healthy while distributing your hair’s natural oils along the hair shaft.
